World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is in pole position to claim a third major title after charging to the top of the leaderboard during a weather-affected third round at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler went into the weekend three strokes behind shock halfway leader Jhonattan Vegas and fell further back with an opening bogey, following a three-and-a-half-hour delay due to early morning thunderstorms at Quail Hollow, only to bounce back in impressive fashion and end the day three clear.
The two-time major champion reached the turn in 33 and sparked a blistering run of scoring with an eagle at the driveable par-four 14th, before three birdies in his last four holes closed a round-of-the-day 65 and saw him jump clear of a congested leaderboard.
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Scheffler made a sensational eagle at the par-four 14th to tie for the lead during the third round at Quail Hollow
Scheffler holds a three-shot advantage over Sweden’s Alex Noren, who sits in second ahead of JT Poston and Davis Riley, with two-time major champion Jon Rahm five back alongside Si Woo Kim and Vegas despite a third-round 67.
Bryson DeChambeau dropped three shots over holes 16 to 18, the infamous closing ‘Green Mile’ stretch, to slip back to five under and tied-ninth, while Rory McIlroy’s slim hopes of back-to-back major titles ended after a one-over 72 dropped him 13 behind with defending champion Xander Schauffele.
How Scheffler charged ahead at Quail Hollow
Scheffler responded to his opening bogey by firing his tee shot at the par-three fourth to tap-in range and converting an 18-foot birdie at the next, before he then took advantage of the par-five seventh to pull level with early leader Kim.
Vegas recovered from a bogey-bogey start to birdie the par-five seventh but then made a three-putt after driving the green at the eighth, where Scheffler was unable to capitalise on his errant drive ricocheting off a tree and bouncing back into the fairway.
Scheffler topped the strokes gained stats on his way to carding the lowest round of the day
Rahm had been six off the halfway pace but found himself tied for the lead after a run of three consecutive birdies on his back nine, starting with a missed eagle chance at the 14th, only to bogey his next hole and slip back to six under.
Riley also spent time in top spot following five birdies in an eight-hole stretch from the eighth, while DeChambeau temporarily grabbed the solo advantage when back-to-back birdies from the 14th took him five under for the day.
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Jon Rahm posted seven birdies during a third-round 67 at the PGA Championship, getting him back in contention to claim a third major victory
Scheffler missed a five-foot birdie chance at the 10th and made bogeys either side of a birdie at the 12th but charged into a share of the lead when his spectacular tee shot at the driveable 14th hole set up a three-foot eagle.
Noren – making just his second appearance back from injury – briefly shared top spot when four birdies out of five holes took him to eight under, as DeChambeau slipped back by following a bogey at the 16th by double-bogeying the par-three next having found the water.
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Highlights of Bryson DeChambeau’s third round of the PGA Championship, where he dropped shots late on to settle for a two-under 69
Vegas made it a three-way tie by picking up a shot at the 14th but found water off the next tee on his way to a bogey, while Scheffler – playing in the group ahead – got up and down from off the same par-five green to take the lead with a birdie.
Scheffler was unable to convert from 12 feet at the 16th but doubled his advantage with a 20-foot birdie at the par-three 17th, before he signed off his stunning third round by adding another from 10 feet at the par-four last to move to 11 under.
Scheffler claimed an eight-shot win in his last PGA Tour start and chases a third major victory in four years
Vegas dropped a shot at the par-four last to close on six under, while Matthieu Pavon produced a three-bogey finish to sit five under, with Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, Tony Finau, DeChambeau and Matt Fitzpatrick also sharing eighth spot heading into the final day.
A disappointing third round from Grand Slam champion McIlroy saw him mix two birdies with three bogeys, leaving him tied-49th, with Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood a further stroke behind on three over after rounds of 74 and 76 respectively.
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Watch Scheffler’s third round at the PGA Championship, where he shot an incredible six-under-par 65
Scheffler firm favourite for major glory
Scheffler has successfully converted each of his last seven 54-hole outright leads on the PGA Tour, including in his last start at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, with the 28-year-old now looking to close out his second victory of the season.
“It [winning] would mean a lot,” he said. “These tournaments are very important to us and you work your whole life to have a chance to win major tournaments, any tournament for that matter.
Will Scheffler secure a 15th PGA Tour title and third major success?
“Tomorrow I have a good opportunity to go out there and try and win the golf tournament, but it’s going to take another really good round. There’s a lot of great players chasing me on the leaderboard and someone is going to put up a great round.
“It’s up to me to go out there and have another really good round and finish off the tournament – I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch the final round live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Sunday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
