IT WON’T QUITE be enough but Pádraig Harrington rolled back the years at the US PGA Championship to position himself amongst the game’s biggest names once again.
After watching the leaders complete their third rounds on Sunday morning, Harrington then briefly threatened to mount a challenge with two early birdies but he ultimately had to settle for a two-under par round of 68.
It leaves the three-time Major winner sitting in a tie for ninth on six-under par as the clubhouse leader, five strokes off the 54-hole lead held by Jimmy Walker.
The American bogeyed three of his first eight holes in round three — delayed until Sunday morning because of storms — but bounced back with four birdies and no bogeys on the back nine to shoot a two-under 68 and take a one shot lead at 11-under.
Jason Day shot a bogey-free 67 to get within one shot of the lead at 10 under as he attempts to become the second player to successfully defend his title since the US PGA Championship moved to stroke play in 1958. The other was Tiger Woods.
Despite missing the last month with ligament damage in his ankle, Brooks Koepka shot a bogey-free four-under 66 — his third straight round in the 60s — to get to nine-under.
Henrik Stenson joined Koepka at nine-under after he hit a brilliant 3-wood on the green in two at 18. The Open winner missed a number of close-range birdie putts, but still finds himself in great shape to win back-to-back Majors.
After carding a sensational 65 on Saturday, Harrington started in the same fashion as he looked to close in on the overnight leaders.
The Dubliner spoke of ‘getting a bit of early momentum’ and birdies on three and five moved him to within four shots of the summit as heavy rain continued to fall at Baltusrol.
Harrington picked up his third shot of the day on 17 but that came after his one mistake — a wayward tee-shot on the tenth — which resulted in a bogey five.
The 44-year-old can now put his feet up for the afternoon and watch what promises to be an entertaining shoot-out for the fourth and final Major of the year. Walker tees-off at 8.16pm Irish time.
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