The PGA hummed along slowly for much of Saturday afternoon, but the final hours became a thrilling flurry of birdies that left us with a perfect final pairing for Sunday at Whistling Straits.
It really should not come as a surprise after what we've watched since last December, but it was still astounding to see the unrelenting Jordan Spieth somehow shoot his way right into the final tee time at the PGA Championship. As he started his back nine with his peers shooting up the leaderboard all around him, the estimates were that he'd need a 3-under inward 33 to get back in it and have a shot on Sunday. He went ahead and posted an inward 30.
It was an awesome display of shotmaking, the typical tee-to-green Spieth stuff we've grown accustomed to this summer at the majors. This wasn't the Masters weekend cruise -- he needed to make a move or he'd spend Sunday languishing out of reach. So he birdied six times coming in to the house, two separate runs of three in-a-row. The first streak was capped by this brilliant approach shot at the 13th.
Three. Straight. Birdies. Jordan Spieth is two back. #QuickHits http://t.co/L8pX7jyR3d
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2015
That ignited the Whistling Straits crowd and brought Spieth back into it, but his finish would put him right on Jason Day's heels and have the 18th gallery out of control. The putter did a lot of the work on his closing three birdies. He walked one in at the 16th and 17th, and then left himself seven feet at the final green. Based on the way he had it going on this nine holes, and this entire year, there really was no doubt that it was going in for the third round 65.
"But of course." Was there any doubt? Jordan Spieth plays his last 8 holes in 6-under. He's one back. #QuickHits http://t.co/xgvSg76mM0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2015
Aside from the birdie streaks and that blazing back nine, Spieth has avoided the big crooked number and playing himself out of it on one hole. The front nine was a grind and it looked like his PGA would stall out in what were good scoring conditions. But he still didn't make a bogey -- it's been 33 holes since he dropped a shot at Whistling Straits. Now he'll go for history on Sunday, attempting to become the first player in golf to win the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA in the same year.
Jason Day played most of Saturday afternoon's round at Whistling Straits like a world-class player who was sick of talking about all the close calls he's had at major championships. He's been there all summer, playing in the last or final groups on the weekend at majors. He's been there for most of his career -- his first major was the 2010 Open and in that short span, he has posted nine top 10s at different majors. Six of those results were top 5s, and three were runners-up.
So it was no surprise, given his a) talent, b) current form, and c) continued and constant majors success, that Day was right back at it this weekend at the PGA Championship. It was at this venue, Whistling Straits, where he posted that first top 10 result in a major back in 2010.
This round started with more of the same, the awesome talent vacillating with puzzling misses. It began on the very first hole, where he dropped a dart right on top of the flagstick to give notice to his playing partner and 36-hole leader Matt Jones.
Highlight: Jason Day starts off his 3rd round with a birdie. #PGAChamp LIVE: http://t.co/RiT6xcv5Mg http://t.co/eEv5DKwOVh
— PGA.COM (@PGA_com) August 15, 2015
He did not have a par in his first five holes, alternating from birdie to bogey. He'd stuff one close but then give it back with a sloppy shot or shaky putt.
That all ended as he made the turn. Day played a six-hole stretch (Nos. 9-14) in 6-under. In a manic wave of activity and charges made by other world-class talents around him, Day rocketed out of the clustered group to take a multi-shot lead. He did it with bombs off the tee, one that he said he "toe'd" a bit going an absurd 374 yards. He also did it by sticking one approach after another to tap-in distance. And he poured in putts from long range when he couldn't get it closer than that tap-in mark. There were about four instances on Saturday where it looked like Day would hole it from the fairway -- he nearly made an ace at the par-3 third. The back nine streak finished at the 14th, where he almost sank another one and was threatening to run away with it.
Pin-seeking. @JDaygolf's approach shot sets him up with easy birdie putt. #SapphireOnLocation #PGAChamp http://t.co/tgrajZ0oGk
— PGA.COM (@PGA_com) August 15, 2015
It legitimately looked like Day would roll to Sunday with a four-shot lead and overwhelming odds to finally breakthrough for that first major. But that streak came to crashing end when he made an inexcusable double-bogey to let Spieth, and everyone else, right back in it. The double was the result of a missed approach and then an awful bunker shot that left the ball in the sand at No. 15. He caught an unlucky lie after two brilliant shots at the next, the par-5 16th, and had to settle for a disappointing par. That all brought the momentum to a screeching halt as Spieth made his move up ahead.
Day did stop the bleeding with an enormous birdie putt at the par-3 17th, a stroke that put him on the lead by two shots. Spieth and Day will play together in the final round at their second straight major. But Justin Rose should also be a part of this on Sunday, and he's at 12-under. He's the biggest threat to break up that Spieth-Day showdown. Here's where things stand heading to the final 18 at the PGA Championship.
Place
Player
Score
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
1
Jason Day
-15
68
67
66
2
Jordan Spieth
-13
71
67
65
T3
Branden Grace
-12
71
69
64
T3
Justin Rose
-12
69
67
68
5
Martin Kaymer
-11
70
70
65
T6
Tony Finau
-10
71
66
69
T6
Matt Jones
-10
68
65
73
T8
Dustin Johnson
-9
66
73
68
T8
Anirban Lahiri
-9
70
67
70
T10
Matt Kuchar
-8
68
72
68
T10
Billy Horschel
-8
72
68
68
T10
J.B. Holmes
-8
68
71
69
T13
Brooks Koepka
-7
73
69
67
T13
Brandt Snedeker
-7
71
70
68
T13
Russell Henley
-7
68
71
70
T13
George Coetzee
-7
74
65
70
T17
Boo Weekley
-6
75
70
65
T17
Robert Streb
-6
70
73
67
T17
Charl Schwartzel
-6
73
69
68
T17
Rory McIlroy
-6
71
71
68
T17
Justin Thomas
-6
72
70
68
T17
Paul Casey
-6
70
70
70
T17
Hiroshi Iwata
-6
77
63
70
T24
Phil Mickelson
-5
72
73
66
T24
Jason Bohn
-5
74
71
66
T24
Patrick Reed
-5
75
69
67
T24
Ernie Els
-5
71
71
69
T24
Hideki Matsuyama
-5
70
70
71
T24
Brendan Steele
-5
69
69
73
T30
Jim Furyk
-4
73
70
69
T30
Luke Donald
-4
72
70
70
T30
Henrik Stenson
-4
76
66
70
T30
Cameron Smith
-4
74
68
70
T30
Scott Piercy
-4
68
70
74
T30
David Lingmerth
-4
67
70
75
T36
Victor Dubuisson
-3
76
70
67
T36
Tyrrell Hatton
-3
73
72
68
T36
Francesco Molinari
-3
71
73
69
T36
Thomas Bjorn
-3
69
75
69
T36
Rickie Fowler
-3
73
70
70
T36
Bubba Watson
-3
72
71
70
T36
Hunter Mahan
-3
72
68
73
T36
Marcel Siem
-3
70
70
73
T44
Nick Watney
-2
78
68
68
T44
Marc Warren
-2
72
73
69
T44
Danny Lee
-2
68
77
69
T44
Lee Westwood
-2
72
72
70
T44
Chesson Hadley
-2
73
71
70
T44
Steve Stricker
-2
71
72
71
T44
Webb Simpson
-2
71
71
72
T44
Y.E. Yang
-2
70
72
72
T52
Jason Dufner
-1
71
75
69
T52
Vijay Singh
-1
73
71
71
T52
Danny Willett
-1
74
70
71
T52
Louis Oosthuizen
-1
72
71
72
T52
Sangmoon Bae
-1
71
72
72
T52
Emiliano Grillo
-1
70
73
72
T52
Harris English
-1
68
71
76
T59
Mikko Ilonen
E
72
73
71
T59
Bill Haas
E
73
72
71
T59
Sean O'Hair
E
75
68
73
T62
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
1
72
72
73
T62
Charles Howell III
1
70
70
77
T64
Morgan Hoffmann
2
72
74
72
T64
Keegan Bradley
2
76
70
72
T64
Koumei Oda
2
79
67
72
T64
Kevin Streelman
2
73
71
74
T64
Ryan Moore
2
73
70
75
T64
Sergio Garcia
2
72
71
75
T64
Brendon de Jonge
2
72
71
75
T71
J.J. Henry
3
75
70
74
T71
Troy Merritt
3
74
70
75
T71
James Morrison
3
69
74
76
T71
Kevin Chappell
3
73
68
78
T75
Carl Pettersson
5
76
70
75
T75
Nick Taylor
5
73
73
75
77
Brian Gaffney
6
71
73
78