LOUISVILLE, Ky. โ The gallery has its favorites.They will follow and shout more for certain players, but most of the time they are not cheering for The success of one golfer at the expense of another.
they are cheering against Golf course.
They beg you to go, sit, or turn around to avoid trouble. They groan when the ball stubbornly disobeys or the putt misses. If you drop it in a cup, you'll probably yell. It creates a sense of community, like everyone around the world is fighting together against this nasty game, and perhaps collective strength of will can create beautiful golf.
In that sense, Valhalla fans have worked really hard these past three days.
But more precisely, it was the wet conditions, soft greens and light winds that allowed golfers to continually attack this poor course during the 2024 PGA Championship.
How far did the talent run in the first three rounds of this piece?
Two of the five 62-second laps, tied for the lowest in major tournament history, were recorded in this tournament. And neither of the golfers who accomplished that, Xander Schauffele or Shane Lowry, held an outright lead heading into Sunday's final round.
After Saturday, Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are tied for the lead at 15 under, followed closely by Sahis Tegara (14 under), but don't read too much into it.
This is a major tournament that everyone should grab.
Heading into Sunday, a total of 15 players are at 10 under or higher. Before this week, Seven He became the golfer with the most double-digit under-par scores through 54 holes at a major tournament.
Before: Xander Schauffele is off to a historic start at the PGA Championship. Will he finally be able to seal the deal?
“It doesn't matter what golf course on the planet you put it in, if the greens are soft, you're going to destroy them,” Justin Thomas said. โNothing protects itself.โ
Thomas, a Louisville local hero and former PGA champion, has been playing from behind for the past three days, but he held on at 10 under with scores of 69, 67 and 67, just five under for the lead. There is.
Many golfers are flocking to challenge Schauffele, who opened with a 62 in the first round on Thursday and is aiming for his first major championship.
Schauffele said Friday that a score this low is “bleeding” to show other golfers that such a round could be played in a major tournament.
“Everyone kind of laughed,” Schauffele said. Well, since this has been done twice, I imagine someone will hit that threshold and take some low shots and post numbers early (Sunday). โ
On Saturday, Lowry missed the putt on the up-and-down 18th, almost tying Lowry's all-time major record.
“Shooting 62 was probably the most disappointing thing I've ever done,” Lowry said, though his wide grin afterward suggested he wasn't too upset. โโฆOf course, I enjoyed every moment.โ
The Irishman caught fire early on Saturday, as did fellow European Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose. Rose moved up 16 places with a 64 to move into a tie for seventh place at 12 under.
Lowry's 62 moved him up 25 spots and moved him into a tie for fourth place at 13 under with Viktor Hovland and LIV Tour's Bryson DeChambeau. They chipped on on the 18th hole for eagle, one of the most memorable moments of the third round.
“It's exhilarating,” DeChambeau said. “I haven't felt like that in a long time.”
That's what a lot of golfers were saying this week. It's been a week for them. They have played aggressively at Louisville, pleasing the gallery and aggressively attacking the hole.
They'll do it again on Sunday. If you want to win, you have no other choice.
“There are so many players on the leaderboard,” Hovland said. โSo you have to start something early or hit some low shots and get some birdies to separate yourself.โ
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessee: 2024 PGA Championship is in contention for an exciting Sunday finish