A brief look at the third round of the PGA Championship

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A brief look at Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island (all times EDT):

LEADING: Phil Mickelson, who torched the front nine and survived a wild ride on the back nine to shoot a 2-under 70 for a three-day total of 7-under 209 and a one-shot lead.

TRAILING: Brooks Koepka also shot 70 and was one shot back. Louis Oosthuizen (72) was 5 under and Kevin Streelman (70) was 4 under.

CHARGING: Jordan Spieth matched the low round of the day with a 68 and Rickie Fowler shot 69. Each moved to even par, seven shots back, and they will be paired together on Sunday.

FADING: Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama’s run at back-to-back majors ended with a 42 on the back nine and a 76.

SHOT OF THE DAY: Mickelson hit a long iron over a tree that just cleared a waste bunker and bounced onto the green on the par-5 second hole, setting up a two-putt birdie.

ROUND OF THE DAY: Patrick Cantlay had the only bogey-free round of the tournament but only made two birdies and shot 70.

NOTEWORTHY: At 50, Mickelson is the oldest 54-hole leader at a major championship since 59-year-old Tom Watson in the 2009 British Open at Turnberry. Watson lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff. The final group of Mickelson and Koepka has won a combined nine majors.

QUOTEWORTHY: “The hard thing when you get older is getting yourself in position where you feel a bit the butterflies and the nerves. We push too hard; we’ve got a bit of scar tissue, all that stuff, and it just doesn’t happen. But when you get there, the feelings come back you remember.” — Padraig Harrington.

KEY STATISTIC: Mickelson’s 209 was the same 54-hole score as Rory McIlroy in the 2012 PGA at Kiawah Island. McIlroy closed with a 66 and won by eight shots.

TELEVISION: Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ESPN, 1-7 p.m. CBS.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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