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Stenson cuts the gap at Baltusrol
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Stenson cuts the gap at Baltusrol

Henrik Stenson moved to within a shot of the lead as the final groups got their third rounds under way at the weather-delayed US PGA Championship.

Henrik Stenson

The final five groups of the day could not start their third rounds on Saturday as play was suspended at 2.14pm due to heavy rain and storms, and that weather set in for the day.

A 7.00am resumption was set for Sunday and the ground staff at Baltusrol Golf Club did an incredible job to get the course playable after rain had continued to fall overnight.

When play got under way, an excellent birdie on the third moved the Open champion to seven under after six holes and, with overnight leaders Robert Streb and Jimmy Walker both making bogeys on the same hole, the Swede was within one of the lead.

Defending champion Jason Day and Argentinian Emiliano Grillo were both level for the day through five holes to sit alongside Stenson, a shot clear of Brooks Koepka.

2014 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Koepka was the first to make a move on the leaders with a birdie on the second but Stenson soon also got into red numbers with an approach to four feet on the third.

Walker had done well to save his par on the first but he dropped a shot on the third after finding the greenside sand and with Streb doing the same, the gap to Stenson, Day and Grillo was down to one.

Tyrrell Hatton held a share of the clubhouse lead as he took advantage of the two closing par fives. The Englishman played the 17th and 18th in textbook fashion to sign for a 66 and move to five under alongside Kevin Kisner, who finished his round on Saturday.

"It's been a very long third round but in the end a very good one," he said.

It's always nice to finish with two birdies, and especially as it moves me into a good position on the leaderboard - Tyrrell Hatton

"I laid up on 17 and 18 so had wedges in for my third shots and hit them both to about 15 feet. I've struggled from that first distance over the first two days so it was nice to see them drop and it obviously gives me some confidence to take into the final round.

"It was frustrating with the weather delays yesterday but there's not much you can do about it. The players' lounge thinned out fairly quickly and it only seemed to be the European lads left in there towards the end, so I'm not sure if the Americans knew something we didn't!"

Jamie Donaldson and Branden Grace were also five under during their third rounds.

Padraig Harrington - the 2008 champion - was then at four under after his excellent 65 on Saturday.

The fourth round got under way at 8.40am, with the same pairings as in round three going out in nine-minute intervals.

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