Brooks Koepka says there will be no repeat of Masters failure at US PGA
LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka leads the US PGA and now has a chance to join Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in the record books.
LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka admits there will be no repeat of his final-round Masters flop at Augusta National in April when he takes a one-stroke lead into the final round of the US PGA Championship on Sunday.
On what proved a brutally difficult day of scoring in the teaming rain at Oak Hill, Koepka kept a cool head and surged to the front with a low-round-of-the-day 66.
Koepka moves to 6-under par for the championship and one stroke ahead of Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners, who both carded rounds of 70.
Related: US PGA Final Round Tee Times
After failing to win The Masters when taking a two-shot lead into the final round only to close with a 75 and finish tied second, Koepka says he has learned from that failure. He believes he held the attitude of playing not to lose rather than simply going out there and playing to win.
Koepka, who considers he "choked" at The Masters, is confident there will be no such repeat in the final round of the US PGA.
WATCH HIS INTERVIEW HERE:
PGA Championship leader Brooks Koepka says he’s learned from his failures at Augusta: “I know what I did, I promise I won’t do it again tomorrow… “It’s kind of irritating, I’ll never do it again.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 20, 2023
The highlight of Koepka's third round came at the 17th as he drained a 50-footer for birdie to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Koepka, 33, now has a chance to win the US PGA for a third time in his career having already etched his name on the famous Wanamaker Trophy in 2018 and 2019.
The former World No.1 is also looking to win a fifth career major title having already collected two further US Open victories in 2017 and 2018.
Should Koepka win the US PGA on Sunday night he would join Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in being the third player to win the championship for a third time in the strokeplay era. Woods has four US PGA titles to his name, with Nicklaus a record five.
After a second consecutive round of 66, Koepka said:
Who wins the US PGA?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) May 20, 2023
Conners had moved to 7-under par when converting a birdie putt from nine feet on the par-3 15th but the Canadian came unstuck on the 16th when blading his second shot under the lip of the fairway bunker.
That led to a double-bogey six and Conners now finds himself one stroke off the pace on 5-under par alongside Hovland, who bogeyed the 18th.
Both Conners and Hovland are going in search of their maiden major title.
LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau remains in the hunt for a second major title after carding a round of 70 to lie three strokes behind Koepka.
World No.2 Scottie Scheffler carded a lacklustre round of 73 but he has kept himself in the mix at 2-under par alongside England's Justin Rose, who went round in 69.
A resurgent Rose is looking to win his second career major title having won his first at the 2013 US Open.
Scheffler never got going on Saturday with four bogeys in his first seven holes but he can still move back to World No.1 on Sunday, especially with World No.1 Jon Rahm well off the pace in a tie for 42nd on 6-over par.
Rahm was seen throwing his toys out the pram once more on day three, first smashing up a microphone and then ranting at a cameraman.
"Please welcome Roy McIlroy and Shaun Lowry"
You had one job..
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) May 20, 2023
Two-time PGA champion Rory McIlroy is a further shot back on 1-under par after a 69.
McIlroy opened with birdies at 3 and 5 but then handed it all back with bogeys at 6, 8 and 9.
The World No.3 responded well on the back nine though with birdies at 12, 13 and 16 before making a bogey at 17.
But the story of the week so far belongs to PGA club professional Michael Block, who posted a third consecutive round of 70 to remain at level par.
That leaves Block in a tie for eighth heading into the final round.
Block will play with McIlroy on Sunday.
His reaction when finding out was superb!
Michael Block appreciation post #USPGA pic.twitter.com/a03O2DsbjD
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) May 20, 2023
US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP R3 LEADERBOARD
-6 B Koepka (US)
-5 C Conners (Can), V Hovland (Nor)
-3 B DeChambeau (US)
-2 J Rose (Eng), S Scheffler (US)
-1 R McIlroy (NI)
Par M Block, J Suh (US)
WATCH SOME R3 HIGHLIGHTS:
- LIV GOLF'S PIETERS GETS HOT THEN TOPS SHOT IN FRONT OF HIM
- JORDAN SPIETH HITS SHOT INTO THE TOILETS
- JON RAHM SMASHES UP A MICROPHONE AFTER SHANKING A CHIP
- TOUR PRO PENALISED FOR TAKING TOO LONG FOR HIS BALL TO DROP
- JON RAHM RANTS AT A CAMERAMAN FOR GETTING IN HIS FACE
- 1ST TEE ANNOUNCER FUMBLES THE NAMES OF MCILROY AND LOWRY
