Woods chasing Koepka
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI— Brooks Koepka sometimes gets ignored on television in the list of notable scores. In the gym, he gets overlooked by Dustin Johnson There is no mistaking him in a major. Koepka bullied rain-softened Bellerive on Saturday in the PGA Championship, building a five-shot lead until he had to scramble to avoid a slide on the back nine. He settled for a 4-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Adam Scott going into the final round of the final major of the year.
At stake is a chance to win three of the last six majors he played, and to join an elite list— Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen—as the only players to win the US Open and PGA Championship in the same year.
“You can’t hide when you’re on the top of the leaderboard,” he said. “So just try to get to the top of the leaderboard and work from there.”
Even so, one misstep and it might be easy to get lost at this major.
Scott had a 65, despite missing three putts from 6 feet, two of them for birdie. He is struggling through his worst season since he turned pro in 2000, and now has a chance to turn it into a year he won’t forget.
Ten players were within four shots of the lead, no name bigger—no buzz bigger—than Woods. He completed his second round Saturday morning with a 66, and then had another 66 in the afternoon that was so good it was the worst he could have shot. He made nothing but pars over the last 10 holes.
On seven of the last eight holes, Woods had a birdie or eagle putt of 20 feet or closer and missed them all.
He was four shots behind in a tie for sixth, the same spot he was in going in the final day at the British Open last month, when he briefly had the lead before fading.
“I just wish I could have got myself a couple more shots closer to the lead,” Woods said. “But there aren’t a lot of guys up there in front of me.”
The list included Jon Rahm (66), Rickie Fowler (69) and Gary Woodland (71), who gave himself a chance despite falling six shots behind after a triple bogey from his footprints in the sand at No. 10.
Koepka was at 12-under 198 and even with his major pedigree—the first player with back-to-back US Opens in 29 years—he will play in the final group of a major for the first time.