Sergio Garcia was amongst those making an early move during the final round of the US PGA Championship.
The Spaniard produced birdies at the fifth and sixth - driveable after the tee was moved forward over 100 yards - to advance to joint eighth on two under.
American pair Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner led by one on seven under from their fellow American Keegan Bradley.
Steele and Bradley, whose aunt Pat won six Majors, are both playing the first Majors of their careers, while Dufner has not won on the US PGA Tour in nearly 150 starts.
World top two Luke Donald and Lee Westwood resumed five behind after disappointing finishes yesterday and remained one under after one and two holes respectively.
Garcia bogeyed the eighth, but made amends straightaway to turn in 33 and two under.
Phil Mickelson was alongside him in eighth after birdies at the fifth and sixth and Donald was there too when he picked up his first shot on the third.
Westwood, though, missed yet more chances in reeling off five pars in a row.
Bradley made it a three-way tie at the top with an opening 25 foot birdie putt. He had double-bogeyed the same hole in the third round.
Steele then bogeyed it after going from one bunker to another, while Donald was up to sixth with a second birdie of the day on the sixth and Westwood up to 11th when he made three on the 467 yard eighth.
Bradley bogeyed the third after missing the green, but was back alongside Dufner - pars all the way for him so far - when he splashed out of sand to four feet on the long fifth.
They were seven under, one ahead of Verplank and two in front of Steele and Dane Anders Hansen, who birdied the third and then almost sank a 30 footer for eagle on the sixth.
Donald was only three back and sixth after an 18 foot putt at the tenth and Westwood could have joined him from ten feet at the 11th, but saw it slide by and he remained ninth on his own.
