Jordan Spieth, chasing the career Grand Slam, moves up the leaderboard with a third-round 68 at the PGA Championship; Three-time major champion moves to level par ahead of final round at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course
Saturday 22 May 2021 20:50, UK
Jordan Spieth was left frustrated not to make a bigger push towards the PGA Championship lead, despite producing a much-improved display during his third round at Kiawah Island.
The three-time major champion bounced back from rounds of 73 and 75 to post a four-under 68 on the Ocean Course, mixing five birdies with a lone bogey in benign conditions on the South Carolina coast to move back to level-par for the tournament.
Spieth holed a 12-footer to save par at the first but missed an opportunity from half the distance at the par-five next, before following a 30-foot birdie at the third by chipping in from off the green.
The former world No 1, who can complete the career Grand Slam with a victory, failed to convert opportunities over his next three holes but carded back-to-back birdies from the 10th, before cancelling out a 15-foot birdie at the 16th by dropping a shot after a wayward tee shot at the next.
"I can't really say that it should have been a lot lower, but this is a round where I'm walking up the 18th going, man, this could have been special today," Spieth said. "I had four or five really with no pace on it lip out today.
"Obviously had a couple [of putts] go in, but it felt like one of those really good six or seven-under rounds that ended up being four. But very pleased with climbing back to even.
"I hate being over par at a golf course. It's like my biggest pet peeve, regardless of when it is in the tournament, and I just hate seeing an over-par score next to my name. It's nice to be tied with the course with a chance to beat it tomorrow."
Spieth struggled on the greens during his tied-ninth finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson and suffered from a cold putter once again during the first two days of this week's major, although felt like he saw signs of improvement with the putter during his third round.
"It's just a stroke thing," Spieth added. "I know exactly what it is. I'm just trying to trust it on the course, and it's difficult.
"It's a move just like any kind of swing move where it needs some repetition and it needs trust and it needs a couple results, and all of a sudden I'm pouring it in.
"When I look at it on video or how I need to calibrate it, I'm like, 'okay, yeah, no wonder it feels that bad on the course' and that's better than it being perfect and feeling poorly and not performing on the course. Today was a bit better."
Who will win the 103rd PGA Championship? Watch the final round on Sunday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf and 7.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
