Jason nearing his day? Grace a Major contender? Kaymer in love? Jones wants a stubby? We break down six lessons from Moving Day at the US PGA Championship.
1. Jason puts the Day in Moving Day
His day has been coming. For a long, long time. Maybe, just maybe, this might be Jason Day's week. At one point on Saturday, the Australian reached 16 under par and briefly threatened to set a new record low 54-hole score in Major history following six straight scores of three from the ninth. A double bogey on the 15th put paid to that particular bid but the 27 year old Queenslander still bounced back in style on the hugely challenging par three 17th, as a curling left-to-right birdie putt from 25-plus feet dropped, provoking a roar of delight skywards and a purposeful, determined double fist pump. As the sun began to dip on Whistling Straits, Day settled for par on 18, a 67 and a two-shot lead with 18 holes to come at Whistling Straits. One of the most consistent performers in Majors in recent years, in Day's 20 Major appearances coming into the week he had made 17 cuts, finished in the top 25 on 11 occasions, the top ten nine times - including twice this year - and taken some solace in three agonising runners-up spots. It's an impressive CV. Hugely impressive. It's just missing one very important thing. Tomorrow could change that; tomorrow could be Jason's day.
2. Branden Grace could well be South Africa's next Major talent
South Africa has produced its fair share of Major Champions in over the past two decades, in the shape of Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and latterly Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, but in Branden Grace the country has an heir apparent. Already a six time winner on the European Tour, with two of those titles claimed this season, Grace gave it a good run at the US Open in June until a double bogey on the 16th - after his drive ended up on the train tracks - derailed his challenge and he eventually finished tied fourth at Chambers Bay. His hat-trick of birdies on the back nine on Saturday, and a chip in from one of the greenside bunkers at the last, headlined a stunning, flawless round of 64 which propelled Grace into tied third, three shots back, with 18 holes remaining. Should he complete a famous victory, he'd be the first South African winner of the US PGA since the legendary Gary Player in 1972. Shot at history.
3. Martin Kaymer (still) loves Whistling Straits
Batman and Robin, Lennon and McCartney, Holmes and Watson. All famous partnerships and we witnessed another one come into fruition on Saturday in Wisconsin as Martin Kaymer reacted favourably to Grace's role as pacemaker. The 1327 tee time yielded 15 birdies and zero bogeys as the German all-but matched his South African counterpart's heroics with a super 65 of his own. Tiger Woods retains the record as the only man to have won two US PGAs on the same course (1999 and 2006 at Medinah) but at four shots behind heading into Sunday, 2010 champion Kaymer is still within reach of doing just that at his beloved Whistling Straits.
"I always enjoy golf courses where you have 18 holes without a single boring one," reflected Kaymer. "Every hole has something that makes you think about, and there's always something tricky. It's such an interesting golf course. If you don't hit the ball well, you can shoot easily 75, 76. But if you hit fairways and make a couple of putts here or there, you can shoot a good score. It's a very fair golf course. You always have to think. It's really fun to play and at the same time, it's a beautiful spot. It's very, very difficult to beat views like this and having such an exciting golf course. So that's why for me it's the best course in America that I've played."
4. Jordan Spieth loves a Major
Nobody has ever won the three American Majors in one season. Jordan Spieth could change all that. The record for season scoring in the Majors belongs to Tiger Woods, who was 53 under par for the four biggest tournaments in golf back in 2000. Jordan Spieth could change all that. The Texan, who was just seven when Tiger was breaking records galore, is now an astonishing 50 under par for the Majors so far this season. That ridiculous run started in the very first Major round of the year, at the Masters, where Spieth carded an eight under 64 before eventually going on to win his first Major title. The 22 year old’s winning score to par at Augusta was 18 under - he then went on to win the US Open courtesy of a five under par total. Next stop on the Major circuit saw the Texan come close to three in a row at The Open Championship, where a 14 under par total saw Spieth finish in a tie for fourth. A third round 65 here at Whistling Straits has moved Jordan to 13 under par, and perhaps more importantly, just two shots back from leader Jason Day, as the young man goes in search of a number of piecec of golfing history. Spieeeethhh!
5. Strewth mate! Aussies love a beer
It wasn't quite the day he would have wished for, but Matt Jones can take comfort in the fact that a shot in his third round 73 will stand out as one of the most memorable moments of the 97th US PGA Championship. Having pulled his drive at the ninth way left into a hospitality unit, scattering revellers left, right and indeed centre, Jones assessed the situation, deciphered a remarkable yardage, and literally parted the cans, champagne flutes and hoards of spectators to fly his approach pin-high, almost onto the green. Anything for a beer...
6. Golf is a truly international sport
This time next year, golf will be back in the Olympics after an 108-year absence, and the global appeal of the game is rightly reflected on the leaderboard here in Wisconsin. While an antipodean leads, we also have a further three continents represented in the top ten with Spieth clearly holding up the Norther American end of the bargain, Grace the African, Justin Rose and Kaymer the European side of things and Anirban Lahiri continuing his remarkable rise through the ranks as Asia's representative. In all, eight different countries feature in the top 20 with 18 holes to come. Global.
