AP Photo/Matt York
The PGA Championship is set up for a dramatic finish.
Fifty-year-old Phil Mickelson is the tournament leader after three rounds at Kiawah Island (South Carolina) Golf Resort’s Ocean Course.
He’s at seven under through 54 holes, but four-time major winner Brooks Koepka sits just one shot back. Louis Oosthuizen, who co-led the PGA Championship field with Mickelson going into Saturday, is third at five under.
Kevin Streelman is hanging around at four under, good enough for solo fourth. Eight other golfers are under par between one under and three under.
Here’s a look at the tee times for the last six pairings, encompassing everyone in red numbers. You can also find the television schedule, recaps for the top four golfers and a championship pick below.
Tee Times (Last 6 Pairings)
1:40 p.m.: Corey Conners, Sungjae Im
1:50 p.m.: Paul Casey, Gary Woodland
2:00 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann
2:10 p.m.: Branden Grace, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
2:20 p.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Streelman
2:30 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka
Full tee times here.
(All times Eastern.)
Television Schedule
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: ESPN
1 p.m.-7 p.m.: CBS
(All times Eastern.)
Top-4 Recaps
Mickelson was largely brilliant outside a two-hole stretch.
He earned five birdies on the first 10 holes and even held a five-shot lead after moving to 10 under for the tournament.
His approach game was simply sensational, to the point where he left himself a pair of birdie putts from two feet and another from five inches. A few of his best efforts on the day are below.
A pair of awry drives did him in at Nos. 12-13. His tee shot on No. 12 found a waste bunker, forcing him to punch out for his second. His approach shot got on the green, but he faced a 27-foot putt for par. Mickelson nearly drilled the putt, but he ended two inches shy.
Mickelson fared even worse on No. 13, with his tee shot finding the water. Mickelson opted to shoot off the tee for his third stroke. He gave himself 11 feet for a bogey, but he just missed once again.
The left-hander grinded to finish the day with five pars, including a slightly nervy par putt from just under five feet to end his round.
Koepka is hot on his heels.
He and Mickelson are the only two players in the field to shoot under par in each round. On Saturday, Koepka shot a two-under 70 thanks to some excellent work on the back nine, nailing three birdies from Nos. 10-16. The one below occurred from 20 feet out on No. 12.
His best effort was on the par-five 16th, when he gave himself 18 feet for eagle. The putt didn’t sink, but he calmly tapped in for birdie.
Koepka did not end on a high note, bogeying the 18th. His approach shot missed the green, and he left himself six feet, five inches for par. That putt did not go in, leading to Koepka ending his day at six under overall.
Oosthuizen started the day tied for the lead at five under. That is also Oosthuizen’s score leading into Sunday, but he now finds himself in third place.
Oosthuizen was at seven under through 12 holes after back-to-back birdies on No. 11 and No. 12:
Like Mickelson, however, his tee shot on No. 13 also found the water.
The South African bogeyed the hole, and a three-putt on No. 17 dropped him to five under.
Despite the disappointing finish, he’s largely been exceptional throughout this entire tournament and can’t be counted out.
Oosthuizen, who has won the 2010 Open Championship and finished second in three other majors, will be in the final pairing with Kevin Streelman.
The 42-year-old and two-time PGA Tour winner fell a bit under the radar with the focus on Mickelson, Koepka and Oosthuizen, but he delivered a two-under 70 to stay in the hunt.
He took advantage of the par-five holes, birdieing three of the four. He even had a good look at eagle on No. 11 from 14 feet, five inches out, but his effort landed six inches away from the hole.
A birdie on the 16th kept him hanging around:
Like Koepka, he bogeyed the 18th to make his championship effort Sunday a bit tougher. His tee shot found the waste bunker, and he eventually had 11 feet for par. That didn’t go in, putting him in solo fourth.
Championship Pick
It’s hard to pick against Mickelson. The fan favorite will have the entire crowd behind him at Kiawah Island as the throng hopes to witness Mickelson become the oldest golfer ever to win a major.
In addition, Mickelson wasn’t far off from taking a commanding lead going into the final round. If he found the fairway off the tee on No. 13, and if the putter cooperated a bit more on the back nine, the left-hander could be waltzing to his sixth major. He played sensational golf outside a few costly shots.
Admittedly, a vote of confidence for Mickelson is a tepid endorsement.
Koepka is an excellent closer come major time, and he’s one of the best golfers in the world otherwise.
But the guess here is that Mickelson is able to hold him off in a classic duel to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
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