Crowded field set for photo finish at PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — And down the stretch they come in Louisville.

Earlier in the week Justin Thomas, himself a two-time PGA Championship winner, said there was no surprise that the three previous editions of Valhalla’s PGA Championships have been so close — two of which have gone into playoffs.

The reason, he said, is with the way the golf course is laid out.

“I think when you give all of us very similar places to play from, you have the opportunity for more bunched leaderboards,” Thomas said. “I just think that something about […] there’s not a lot of different ways to play the golf course.”

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele are tied for the lead at 15 under through three rounds and Thomas’ comment about a tightly-packed leaderboard has indeed rang true at Valhalla again.

There are eight golfers within just three shots of the lead. There are also 15 golfers at double-digits under par, more than double the previous most through 54 holes at the PGA Championship.

Shane Lowry, who is among those two back, shot the round of the day on Saturday, a 9-under 62. That tied the lowest-ever round at a major championship — shot again Thursday by Schauffele himself.

Lowry was 6 under through his first nine holes and sits first in strokes gained: putting through three rounds. While he’s yielded a hot flatstick all week long he missed an 11-foot birdie try on the par-5 18th hole Saturday which would have given him the lowest-score-in-a-major record alone.

Lowry said he changed his putter at the Zurich Classic (which he won alongside Rory McIlroy) and has changed his approach to practicing — getting away from drills and just trying to see putts go in the hole.

“Probably the most disappointed anyone can ever be shooting 62. I knew what was at stake,” Lowry said with a smile after his round. “I went out there with a job to do today, and my job was to try to get myself back in the tournament, and I definitely did that.”

Morikawa, a two-time major champion, won on the PGA Tour last October, breaking a three-year winless drought. Schauffele, meanwhile, has been in the final group on Sunday four times already this season on the PGA Tour and hasn’t won since 2022.

Schauffele has been a model of consistency at majors, though, with 12 top-10s in 27 starts. Although he has an Olympic gold medal to his name, he tried to downplay the importance of a major championship to his resume.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a result. Winning a tournament is just a result,” Schauffele said. “All I can focus on are good golf shots and striking good putts. At the end of the day, wherever the cards fall, they fall.

“It would been a lot, obviously.”

To borrow some more horse-racing terminology, the top of the leaderboard is chock-full of thoroughbreds, with Lowry and Bryson DeChambeau amongst those tied for fourth — major champs, both — along with Viktor Hovland, the reigning FedExCup champion. Justin Rose and Thomas (who is from Louisville and said he’s seen a ton of familiar faces this week, including his freshman-year English teacher), also major winners, are inside the top 10.

The biggest surprise of the day came from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 2-over 73. It was his first round over par since last August, breaking his record streak of 41 straight rounds of par or better.

Corey Conners leads the Canadian contingent at 5 under and is tied for 38th. Adam Svensson is 4 under and Adam Hadwin is 2 under (and very excited about the Canucks game Saturday night).

Conners had a few solid chances to turn a good round into a great one on Saturday. His 4-under 67 was his best round of the week so far and featured a tidy birdie on his closing hole, where he walked in the putt. Conners said Valhalla was primed for scoring in the third round.

“You know in your mind it’s a major championship but with the way the golf course is playing I’m not overly surprised there were some pretty low scores out there,” Conners said. “Typically, you’re not able to fire at hole locations with the freedom you had today.”

Although the Canadians are out of the mix this week, there is a historically impressive number of golfers with a chance to win come Sunday night.

Twelve of the last 13 PGA Championships were won by a player who was either leading or within two shots of the lead after 54 holes with Thomas himself being the lone exception — he won the 2022 PGA Championship despite being seven shots back heading into the final round.

Six golfers are within two shots of the lead this year, and 2024 marks just the third PGA Championship over the last 30 years where there were at least that many that close through three rounds.

“I’ve played against all these guys. It’s not like any of these guys are new. They all have their accolades within themselves and really anyone can go low,” Morikawa said. “But I’m going to put everything I have. I’ve learned a lot […] I think everything that I’ve gone through over the past couple years, I’m ready for these moments.”

The Sunday moment at Valhalla Golf Club is shaping up to be as similar as it’s been each time the PGA Championship has come to Louisville — a photo finish.