Koepka slips, recovers
Shoots 70 to maintain 7-shot lead
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka proved he was in fact human during the third round of the 101st PGA Championship yesterday, grinding his way to an even-par 70 and is at 12-under 198 overall.
He had three bogeys on his card — one more than the first two days combined. And while there were plenty of players who made a move, none were able to put much of a scare into the three-time major champion as he will wake up with a 7-shot lead for a second straight day.
If he can secure the win, Koepka will be the first player to go back-to-back in two majors simultaneously.
“No,” he said when asked if there was any doubt that he would win. “I feel confident. I feel good. I feel excited. I’m excited. I was excited just to get to the course today, and then try to build that lead, but didn’t happen. It’s a tough day. It’s not going to be — it would have been really hard to shoot 4- or 5-under. I don’t know if anybody did that today or not, but it was a difficult day, and any time the wind’s going to be blowing 15 at Bethpage Black, you’re in for a real test.
“I feel confident going into (today). I don’t know what the forecast is, but if I can hit a few fairways, there’s really a couple key holes out here — you play 7 well, play 10 and 12 well, and then from there you just hit the center of the greens and try to par this place to death.”
Koepka came out taking dead aim at the flagstick — making a birdie at No. 2 with a 5-footer and hitting his 143yard approach at No. 5 to 3 feet had him at 14-under. He had even more chances to extend his lead during the stretch, missing opportunities from inside 12 feet at the first and sixth.
The door for the rest of the field was cracked ajar as he 3-putted the ninth and dropped another shot at the 10th, putting him back to even for the day.
Koepka stopped the bleeding by making a par-saving 5-foot comebacker at the 11th and turned a blocked tee shot at the par-5 13th into a birdie that took some of the sting out of 3-putting the 15th.
It also helped that nobody forced the door open, either. Jordan Spieth, playing with Koepka, and Adam Scott each shot 72, Dustin Johnson turned in a 69 — his third straight round under par — but had five bogeys on his card and is in a four-way tie for second at 5-under.
“I’m going to need some help from him, and then I’m going to have to play very, very well,” Johnson said of what it will take to overcome the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history.
Harold Varner III shared the low round of the day with Jazz Janewattananond with a 67 and will be in the final group today. Varner has been as steady as they come this week only making four bogeys, none of which came yesterday when the course played nearly a shot harder than Friday.
Varner has played the last 23 holes in 7-under and is ready to give it the old college try.
“I think it’s great for golf,” he said about Koepka’s performance this week. “If you don’t go to sleep and think, man, this makes me want to work harder, if I can be that good, then I don’t know why you’re playing. I don’t know, you can’t sit there and just weep and be like, he’s so much better. I think that’s going to push you. It almost (ticks) me off.”
Janewattananond and Luke List, who turned in a 69 after a bogey-bogey finish, will play in the penultimate group.