Club professional Michael Block admits he is hoping to avoid a return to reality for as long as possible after his US PGA Championship heroics.

Block almost stole the show from winner Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill, making a hole-in-one during the final round while playing alongside Rory McIlroy and finishing in a tie for 15th place.

The 46-year-old’s display captured the imagination of the spectators and his tie for 15th secured a place in next year’s US PGA at Valhalla, followed soon after by invites for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour and June’s Canadian Open.

“I’ve said it a lot, but it’s just a dream,” Block told a pre-tournament press conference at Colonial.

“I’m just cruising. I’m actually kind of glad that at this point I haven’t come to the reality about what’s happening so I can actually play pretty good golf.

“I think if I sit down and think about it too much, I’m not sure I could swing the club on Thursday.

“There’s a lot going on and I really apologise to all my friends and fans and PGA members out there that have texted me. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you.

“I literally scroll and scroll and scroll and it’s never ending. I can’t even get to the bottom of any of my feeds to even see how many or who’s seeing me. So it’s been crazy.”

Among the messages Block has been able to reply to was one from his hero Michael Jordan, the former basketball star telling Block that his performance was “why he loves the game of golf so much”.

“I’m a big Jordan guy my whole life,” Block said. “I was a little kid in Iowa saving 100 bucks for a pair of Jordans back in the day. Pretty darn cool, to say the least.”

Block also revealed he became friends with baseball star Albert Pujols after being paired with him in a golf tournament in California and will be attending his wedding in the Dominican Republic in December.

And although he, understandably, has never received such attention before, he has been around the professional game for long enough to get a sense of how it works.

“I’ve been around it in a weird kind of small way in little bits here and there over the last 10 years,” the Block said. “So I’m somewhat comfortable with it.

“It’s just weird now where I come up through a gate and the guys at the gate are screaming ‘Block Party’ when I’m going through – and the guy making me an omelette gave me knuckles and said I did awesome last week.

“I mean, that’s the part where it’s a little beyond me at this point. So it’s cool, but I’m trying to enjoy it.

“I don’t really know what the future is going to hold whatsoever. I’m not trying to guess what’s going to happen. I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.

“I just show up on Thursday and tee it up with Min (Woo Lee), which is a buddy of mine, which is great – so super comfortable pairing – and just have fun. Whatever comes of it, comes of it. I’ll enjoy it one way or the other. I’ve got a great life both ways so it’s good all the way.”

William Knibbs defied the odds to be crowned the Jamaica National Amateur Golf Champion on Sunday at the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine.

Knibbs entered Sunday's final day three strokes behind leader Zandre Roye but after rounds of 74 and 72, he shot a 73 for a combined score of 219 to win by four strokes. Roye opened with a 71 on Friday and followed up with 72 on Saturday but it all fell apart on Sunday when he shot four birdies, six bogeys and three double bogeys for a score of 80 for a combined score of 223.

Knibbs was almost in disbelief that he managed to come from behind to claim victory.

"I was three strokes back after day one. I saw that there were opportunities throughout both the first two days where had I capitalized a little better I could have had better scores and been closer to the lead so today (Sunday) I just tried to avoid as many mistakes as possible and let the good golf come to me," he said while expressing his delight at winning another national title.

"It feels great to join Justin Burrowes as the second multiple-time winner of this event. I knew I was playing well coming into this week and through the first two days I was really playing well, just didn't get the most out of my game so today I came a little earlier and put in a little extra practice and try to grind out a good result today."

Last year's champion Oshae Haye, who was in fifth place going into the final day ended in third place with a score of 238 (81, 80, 77).

Three golfers Dr. Mark Newnham, Sean Morris and William Lee tied for fourth place after posting 241 each over the three days.

Michele McCreath was crowned the female champion for the first time. She was the only entrant in the female category.

"Absolutely" happy to win even though "it was a challenge. The course was very difficult and the conditions were very tight but it does feel wonderful at this stage of my career in golf to be winning."

Robert Chin won the Men Super Senior section with scores of 80, 78 and another 78 in the final round for a total score of 236. Mike Gleichman came from behind to grab second place after ending on 239 (84, 80 and 78), while Dorrel Allen was third on four strokes back on 240 (88, 75, 77).

Tiger Woods has officially withdrawn from next month’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Woods pulled out of the Masters during the third round in April, saying at the time it was due to plantar fasciitis.

However, the 47-year-old then had a subtalar fusion procedure in New York to address the problem caused by a previous fracture of his talus, a bone in the ankle joint.

The 15-time major winner did not contest last week’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill and the USGA confirmed he will also miss the US Open while announcing that 33 more players are now exempt for the year’s third major.

Twenty five of those players earned their place courtesy of being ranked in the world’s top 60, including world number 18 Tyrrell Hatton and major winners Patrick Reed and Jason Day.

Woods feared his leg would have to be amputated due to the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021.

He made a remarkable return to action 14 months later and finished 47th in the Masters, but withdrew from the US PGA following a third-round 79 and skipped the US Open before missing the cut in the 150th Open at St Andrews.

Woods will hope to defy the odds to compete in July’s Open at Royal Liverpool, where he won a third Open title in 2006 in his first tournament since the death of his father Earl two months earlier.

On the eve of the US PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka was asked about the possibility of being selected for the Ryder Cup.

US team captain Zach Johnson had dismissed Koepka’s runner up finish in the Masters as “one good week” and claimed he could not accurately assess the form of LIV players in their own events.

Knowing that performing well in majors was effectively his only chance of impressing Johnson enough to earn one of his six wild cards, Koepka had a simple solution.

“If you go second, first, first, first, it would be kind of tough not to (get a) pick, right? If you go handle business, I feel like I should be fine,” Koepka said.

It sounded an ambitious goal but not any more after Koepka claimed his fifth major title and third US PGA Championship at Oak Hill, holding off a determined Viktor Hovland and a charging Scottie Scheffler to win by two shots.

There may be no need for a wild card now. Koepka has jumped from 22nd to second in the Ryder Cup standings, with the top six qualifying automatically and Johnson selecting six wild cards.

And his place on the team, despite playing on the Saudi-funded LIV circuit, was immediately welcomed by one of the men he had just beaten into second place.

“I want to win the Ryder Cup. I don’t care about tours or anything like that,” Scheffler said.

“It’s something we talked about when we finished (at Whistling Straits) a year and a half ago. We want to beat those guys in Europe. It’s been a long time since we’ve beat them.

“Whoever the best 12 guys are that make a complete team, it’s different than individual tournaments. We want a team of guys that are going over there together to bring the cup back home, and that’s all I really care about.”

Koepka is just the 20th man in history to have won five or more majors, matching the totals of Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson, Byron Nelson, JH Taylor and James Braid, the latter pair each winning five Open titles before 1913.

“It’s crazy,” the 33-year-old said. “I try not to think of it right now. I mean, I do care about it. It’s just tough to really grasp the situation kind of while you’re still in it, I think.

“Probably when I’m retired and I can look back with Jena (his wife) and my son and kind of reflect on all that stuff, that will be truly special, but right now I’m trying to collect as many of these things as I can. We’ll see how it goes.”

The chances of Koepka again becoming a dominant force in majors – he won four in eight starts at his peak – looked exceedingly slim as he suffered a number of career-threatening injuries.

He rushed back from surgery after shattering his kneecap in order to compete in the 2021 Masters, but missed the cut and did so again 12 months later, revealing this year at Augusta that had prompted him to try to punch out the back window of his car in frustration.

Koepka also admitted his decision to join LIV would have been harder if he had been fully fit at the time, while confessing on the Netflix documentary ‘Full Swing’ that he would “pay back every dollar I ever made” to regain the feeling of winning a major for another hour.

“It’s very hard to explain,” the former world number one said. “I mean, it was a lot worse than I let on to you guys, let on to everybody. I think maybe only five, six people really know the extent of it, all the pain.

“There’s a lot of times where I just couldn’t even bend my knee. The swelling didn’t go down until maybe a couple months ago, so that’s almost, what, two years? It’s been a long road.

“But look, that’s who I am. I’m open and honest. I know I seem like this big, bad, tough guy on the golf course that doesn’t smile, doesn’t do anything, but if you catch me off the golf course, I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

Asked if he considered retiring when at his lowest ebb, Koepka said: “I don’t know if I considered retiring, but I knew if I couldn’t play the way I wanted to play then I was definitely going to give it up.

“I mean, the thought definitely kind of crossed my mind.”

Rory McIlroy believes having lower expectations paid dividends as he battled to a top-10 finish in the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy had cut a subdued figure before play got under way at Oak Hill, a legacy of his dispiriting missed cut in the Masters as his latest attempt to complete a career grand slam ended prematurely.

The 34-year-old was also feeling under the weather and struggling with his long game, but followed an opening 71 with three straight 69s to finish two under par, seven shots behind winner Brooks Koepka.

“I’ll look back on this week as proud of how I hung in there and I guess (proud of) my attitude and sticking to it, not having my best stuff,” McIlroy said.

“I guess I just came in here trying to play a golf tournament, honestly not thinking about getting myself in contention. I honestly didn’t feel like I had a chance of winning this week.

“I feel sort of close but also so far away at the same time. It’s hard to explain. I feel like sometimes it was the worst I could have played, but then at the same time it’s like the best I could have done.

“It’s weird. It just doesn’t feel quite where it needs to be and I just need to go back home and work on some stuff. I guess just try to figure it out.”

Asked if having lower expectations had worked in his favour, McIlroy added: “Yeah, 100 per cent.

“I was more accepting of things out there and I think it’s hard. The previous major championship at Augusta, all I think about is winning, winning, winning, to try to win that green jacket.

“I then don’t really think about just playing a tournament and the cadence that goes along with getting into rounds and whatever.

“I go to the second tee on Friday afternoon and I see I’m already 10 back of Brooks or whatever. So then I’m thinking, ‘oh, geez, I have no chance of winning’, and things sort of crumble.

“It’s just like being a bit mentally fragile because you’re so focused on the one thing you’re trying to do when, in essence, you just need to play a golf tournament and see where the chips fall at the end of the week.”

Club professional Michael Block has a sneaking suspicion his life has changed forever thanks to his sensational performance in the US PGA Championship.

Block enjoyed a barely believable week at Oak Hill, making the cut in a major for the first time, playing with Justin Rose in the third round and then firing a hole-in-one on Sunday while playing with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.

The 46-year-old’s display captured the imagination of the spectators and his tie for 15th place secured a place in next year’s US PGA at Valhalla, followed soon after by invites for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour and June’s Canadian Open.

“This week’s been absolutely a dream,” Block said. “I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I knew if I just played my darned game that I could do this.

“I always knew it. I had this intuition that it was going to happen. I always saw myself coming down the stretch with Tiger Woods. I was like, I’m going to do it, even if I’m 45 or whatever it is, I’m going to come down the stretch at an event with Tiger.

“It just happened to be that I was in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, and I had Rory McIlroy in my group.

“I wasn’t coming down the stretch to win, but at the same time, Sunday at a major with the crowd here at Rochester was unreal.

“My life’s changed, but my life’s only changed for the better. I’ve got my family. I’ve got my friends. I’ve got the people that really love me and care about me here. It’s an epic experience.”

Asked why he had proved so popular at Oak Hill, Block added: “I’m like the new John Daly, but I don’t have a mullet, and I’m not quite as big as him yet.

“I’m just a club professional, right? I work. I have fun. I have a couple boys that I love to play golf with. I have a great wife. I have great friends. I live the normal life.

“I love being at home. I love sitting in my backyard. My best friend in the world is my dog. I can’t wait to see him.

“But, yeah, it’s been a surreal experience and I had this weird kind of sensation that life is going to be not quite the same moving forward, but only in a good way, which is cool.

“I want to get more phone calls. I want to get more exemptions. I want people to start calling me and saying, ‘we want you in our event because it makes it better’. That’s great to me.”

Brooks Koepka admitted his fifth major title was the “most meaningful” after winning the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Koepka won his first four majors in the space of eight events from 2017 to 2019, but suffered career-threatening injuries and a loss of form before joining LIV Golf last year.

The former world number one also felt, in his own words, that he had “choked” by failing to convert a four-shot lead after six holes of the third round of the Masters at Augusta National.

There was no repeat of such failings at Oak Hill as Koepka held off the challenge of Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to claim a third US PGA title and move into the automatic qualifying places for the US Ryder Cup team.

“It feels damned good,” Koepka said. “Yeah, this one is definitely special.

“I think this one is probably the most meaningful of them all with everything that’s gone on, all the crazy stuff over the last few years. But it feels good to be back and to get number five.

“When I look back at where we were two years ago I’m just so happy right now. I’m kind of at a loss for words. This is the coolest thing.

“There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this one. Life has changed a lot for me but this one is super gratifying for me.

“I don’t know how many guys have won five times but to be in with those names is incredible. I’m not sure as a kid I even dreamed about doing it.”

Quote of the day

“There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this one” – Koepka reflects on his fifth major title after overcoming various injuries.

Shot of the day

Club professional Michael Block’s amazing week included making a hole-in-one on the 15th while partnering Rory McIlroy in the final round.

Round of the day

Five players shot 65 in the final round but Koepka’s 67 was compiled amidst the highest pressure and he responded superbly to every setback.

Statistic of the day

Club professional Michael Block made many, many times his usual hourly rate for lessons with his amazing performance at Oak Hill.

Easiest hole

The reachable par-four 14th offered up an essential scoring opportunity, with three eagles and 27 birdies leading to a scoring average of 3.632.

Hardest hole

The par-four seventh played as the toughest hole with runner-up Scottie Scheffler making one of just four birdies on the final day. Winner Brooks Koepka was one of 31 players to make bogey as it played to an average of 4.421.

When is the next major?

The US Open takes place at Los Angeles Country Club from June 15-18.

Brooks Koepka struggled to put into words what it meant to win his third US PGA Championship and fifth major title after an impressive victory at Oak Hill.

Koepka carded a final round of 67 to finish two shots ahead of Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, whose share of second place was enough to take him back to the top of the world rankings.

Koepka will climb from 44th to 13th in the updated standings and also moves into the automatic qualifying places for the United States Ryder Cup team.

The 33-year-old won his first four majors in the space of eight events, but suffered injuries and a loss of form before joining LIV Golf last year, having previously suggested those switching to the Saudi-funded circuit would be “selling out”.

“This is incredible, this is wild,” Koepka said. “When I look back at where we were two years ago I’m just so happy right now. I’m kind of at a loss for words. This is the coolest thing.

“This one is definitely a lot sweeter. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this one. Life has changed a lot for me but this one is super gratifying for me.

“I don’t know how many guys have won five times but to be in with those names is incredible. I’m not sure as I kid I even dreamed about doing it.

“I’m not trying to prove to anyone else that I can still play. I can still do it and I like the way things are starting to come together. I think when I’m healthy I think I’m back to where I was during that good stretch.”

Hovland has finished fourth, seventh and second in the last three majors and his closing 68 was a considerable improvement on final rounds of 74 in both last year’s Open Championship and this year’s Masters.

“It sucks right now, but it is really cool to see that things are going in the right direction,” Hovland said.

“If I just keep taking care of my business and just keep working on what I’ve been doing, I think we’re going to get one of these soon.

“Brooks is a great player and now he has five majors. I mean, that’s a hell of a record right there. It’s not easy going toe to toe with a guy like that.

“So I feel like I belong out here, I just have got to get a little bit better and hopefully it goes my way the next time.”

Scheffler was left to rue birdie putts which lipped out on the first and ninth as he was unable to put any early pressure on Koepka.

“I had two of the worst lip-outs that I have ever seen today,” he said. “The balls were trickling and I thought I was ready to take a step like they were going in.

“One horseshoed at trickle pace, and the other one lipped out and stayed about an inch from the edge. In order to win these tournaments the putts have to fall in. They didn’t fall, but I put up a good fight.

“I gave the guys on top of the leaderboard something to think about and I kind of made a little bit much a move, but Brooks just played some fantastic golf this week. He played too good this weekend for me to catch up to him.”

Six weeks after feeling he “choked” in the final round of the Masters, Brooks Koepka held his nerve to overcome a spirited challenge from Viktor Hovland to win the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Koepka carded a closing 67 to finish nine under par and claim his third US PGA title, his fifth major overall and the first for a player on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League.

Hovland traded blows with Koepka until a costly double bogey on the 16th, but a birdie on the 18th deservedly gave the Norwegian a share of second place with Scottie Scheffler on seven under.

Koepka took a one-shot lead over Hovland and Corey Conners into the final round, having enjoyed double that advantage following 54 holes of the Masters in April.

The 33-year-old carded a closing 75 at Augusta National to finish second to Jon Rahm and felt he had choked under pressure, but exorcised those demons at the first opportunity.

The former world number one made a flying start with a hat-trick of birdies from the second and was momentarily four shots clear before Hovland matched his birdie on the fourth.

Hovland also birdied the fifth to close the gap and was within a single stroke when Koepka pushed his drive on the sixth into Allen’s Creek and was unable to save par.

Koepka doubled his lead with a birdie on the 10th, only to then see his approach to the next plug in a greenside bunker.

After blasting out to 12 feet, Koepka saw his par attempt lip out and although he bounced back immediately to birdie the 12th, he could not shake off a resolute Hovland.

The 25-year-old, who was in contention for the third consecutive major, took advantage of the par-five 13th to keep the pressure firmly on and both men birdied the short 14th to effectively turn it into a two-horse race.

However, in a carbon copy of what happened to Conners in round three, Hovland drilled his second shot into the face of a fairway bunker on the 16th to run up a double bogey.

Koepka’s birdie gave him a four-shot lead and he could afford to bogey the 17th and par the last to complete an impressive victory.

Scheffler had got within two of the lead thanks to birdies on the 10th, 13th and 14th, but had to wait until the 18th to pick up another shot and complete a superb 65.

World number one Rahm, commentating for CBS following a closing 71 which left him seven over par, had been full of praise for Koepka after his blistering start.

“He is a player that, when he gets in contention, is like a shark in the water,” Rahm said.

“He smells blood, especially on these types of courses. It suits his mentality of being even keel, plodding along and taking opportunities when they come.

“He came out aggressive and I don’t think people realise how dangerous some of these hole locations are. To be that precise (on the second) to give yourself three feet straight up the hill is incredible.”

Open champion Cameron Smith recorded the joint lowest round of the week to date with a closing 65 and insisted no one should be surprised that he and fellow LIV players like Koepka were able to compete at the highest level.

“I gave up on that narrative about six months ago,” Smith said with a smile. “I think there’s been a few guys that have been trying to kick it along a little bit.

“We’re still out there. We haven’t forgot how to play golf. We’re all great golfers out there, and we know what we can do, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Rory McIlroy began the day five shots behind Koepka and made the ideal start with a birdie from tap-in distance on the first, but bogeyed two of the next three holes and eventually signed for a third straight 69.

McIlroy at least had the best seat in the house for an extraordinary performance from playing partner Michael Block, the 46-year-old club professional making a hole-in-one on the 15th in a closing 71 that secured a place in the field at Valhalla next year.

Justin Rose was within three of the lead when he birdied the first and chipped in to save par on the second, but had to settle for a closing 71 to finish one under.

Compatriot Tyrrell Hatton was left to rue a nightmare opening round of 77 after subsequent scores of 68, 69 and 67 proved what was possible and left him in a tie for 15th.

Club professional Michael Block’s fairytale week at the US PGA Championship continued with a hole-in-one in Sunday’s final round at Oak Hill.

Playing alongside four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, Block’s tee shot on the par-three 15th slammed straight into the hole for an eagle to get him back to level par for the day.

The 46-year-old, who is the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, struggled to believe what had just happened, saying: “No, no. No way. Rory did it go in?”

After retrieving his ball Block realised that it had damaged the hole and that there would be a slight delay while that was repaired.

“I will cause that delay every time, I don’t care,” he told his caddie.

Brooks Koepka stumbled after a flying start to set up the prospect of a thrilling finish to the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Koepka took a one-shot lead over Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland into the final round, six weeks after enjoying double that advantage following 54 holes of the Masters.

The four-time major winner carded a closing 75 at Augusta National to finish second to Jon Rahm and felt he had “choked” under pressure, but looked set to exorcise those demons in style when he stormed out of the blocks on Sunday.

Koepka holed from four feet for birdie at both the second and third and completed the hat-trick from double the distance on the par-five fourth.

Hovland also birdied the fourth to remain three behind and picked up another shot on the next to close the gap after Koepka’s own attempt had caught the edge of the hole and stayed out.

Koepka showed a first sign of frailty with a pushed drive into Allen’s Creek on the difficult sixth hole, the resulting bogey allowing Hovland to get within a shot after he saved par from a greenside bunker.

Both players then bogeyed the seventh to bring several players back into contention, with Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau both three off the lead.

World number one Rahm, commentating for CBS following a closing 71 which left him seven over par, had been full of praise for Koepka after his blistering start.

“He is a player that, when he gets in contention, is like a shark in the water,” Rahm said.

“He smells blood, especially on these types of courses. It suits his mentality of being even keel, plodding along and taking opportunities when they come.

“He came out aggressive and I don’t think people realise how dangerous some of these hole locations are. To be that precise (on the second) to give yourself three feet straight up the hill is incredible.”

Open champion Cameron Smith had recorded the lowest round of the week to date with a closing 65 and insisted no-one should be surprised that he and fellow LIV players were able to compete at the highest level.

“I gave up on that narrative about six months ago,” Smith said with a smile. “I think there’s been a few guys that have been trying to kick it along a little bit.

“We’re still out there. We haven’t forgot how to play golf. We’re all great golfers out there, and we know what we can do, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton was left to rue a nightmare opening round of 77 after subsequent scores of 68, 69 and 67 proved what was possible and left him on course to finish just outside the top 10.

Zandre Roye enters Sunday’s play in the Jamaica Golf Association's National Amateur Golf Championship with a three-stroke lead following a second round score of 72 for an overall score of 143.

Roye, who opened the championship on Friday at the Caymanas Golf Club in St Catherine with a 71 leads William Knibbs who shot a 72 after an opening round of 74.

Dr. Mark Newnham occupied the third spot after posting scores of 78 and 72 for an overall total of 152, nine strokes off the lead.

The defending champion Oshae Haye was 18 strokes behind the leader after a rough first round of nine over par 81 and eight over par 80 in the second round for a combined total of 161.

In the Men Super Senior Category, Robert Chin was the sole leader with scores of 80 and 78 for 158 overall. He sits four strokes ahead of his brother and former Jamaica Golf Association president Peter Chin, who has an overall score of 162 on the back of 85 in round one and 77 on Saturday.

Radcliff Knibbs and Dorrel Allen were joint third on 163 each.

Sunday starts with 7:00 am tee time.

The top three golfers - Roye, Knibbs and Dr. Newnham will tee off at 9:20 am.

Brooks Koepka vowed there would be no repeat of his Masters mistakes as he looked to emulate Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus by claiming a third US PGA Championship title.

Koepka held a one-shot lead over Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland heading into the final round at Oak Hill, six weeks after enjoying double that advantage following 54 holes of the year’s first major.

The four-time major winner carded a closing 75 at Augusta National to finish second to Jon Rahm, but looks primed to claim his first major since the 2019 US PGA at Bethpage.

Asked what were the main lessons he had learned from Augusta, the former world number one said: “To just never think the way I thought going into the final round. I think that was a big thing for me.

“I won’t do it again the rest of my career. I promise I won’t show up like that on Sunday.

“I was just told that I think only Tiger and Jack have won three (US PGA titles), so that would be pretty special to be in a list or category with them.”

Four major champions were within five shots of Koepka’s lead, with fellow LIV player Bryson DeChambeau three behind on three under and Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler both two under.

Rory McIlroy, who is a member of Oak Hill, was another stroke back on one under.

Quote of the day

“I love when the fans are on you, cheering for you, or you know, giving you crap if you screw up” – Koepka had no problem with the raucous crowds in upstate New York.

Shot of the day

Arguably the luckiest shot of the day at least, Scottie Scheffler saw his second shot on the seventh hole skip through Allen’s Creek and on to dry land.

Round of the day

Brooks Koepka carded a second consecutive 66 to take a one-shot lead into the final round.

Statistic of the day

Good news for everyone within four shots of Koepka’s lead, although recent evidence suggests all is not lost for the likes of Rory McIlroy either.

Easiest hole

The short par-four 14th again played as the easiest hole, yielding 30 birdies and just three bogeys for an average of 3.645.

Toughest hole

There was not a single birdie recorded on the 485-yard ninth hole, with 33 players making bogey and four making a double bogey for a scoring average of 4.539.

Weather forecast

Mostly sunny skies and breezy conditions return for the final round with highs warming into the low 70s. A west to northwest wind of 10-15mph, gusting to 20mph, will help with the drying and make it feel cooler at times as well.

Key tee times (all BST)

1850 Justin Suh, Tommy Fleetwood
1900 Rory McIlroy, Michael Block
1910 Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler
1920 Corey Conners, Bryson DeChambeau
1930 Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland

Tommy Fleetwood will take inspiration from previous final-round heroics after playing his way into contention for the 105th US PGA Championship.

Fleetwood defied miserable conditions at Oak Hill to card a third round of 68 and set the early clubhouse target of one over par.

The Ryder Cup star was six shots off the lead when he signed his card, but can call on the memories of his record-equalling final round of 63 in the 2018 US Open as he bids to claim a maiden major title.

“It would be the low round of the day if somebody did do it,” Fleetwood said with a smile when asked by the PA news agency if a 63 was possible at Oak Hill.

“Who knows? Didn’t think it was on at Shinnecock but it happened there and it’s obviously something that happens very rarely.

“But I think you just have to go out and hit your shots and play well and see what score you can get. I played really, really well today in tough conditions and actually gave myself a bunch of chances on the front nine.

“You saw guys going low on the back nine yesterday. Any golf course there’s chances out there if things are going your way and you hole some putts.

“We’ll see what Sunday brings, but always nice to have good memories of being able to go low on a major Sunday in your memory bank and who knows? Start off hot and we’ll see.”

Fleetwood’s entire round was played in persistent rain but as conditions eased for the later starters, Canada’s Corey Conners led the way on five under after starting his third round with seven straight pars.

Conners led by one from Norway’s Viktor Hovland, with Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka a shot further back. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were another two strokes back after 12 holes.

Earlier in the day, Jordan Spieth admitted his wrist injury had cost him a number of shots after carding a third round of 71 to lie six over.

Spieth, who needs to win the US PGA to complete a career grand slam, was a doubt for the year’s second major after withdrawing from last week’s PGA Tour event due to “severe pain” in his left wrist.

“I’ve been doing a lot of recovery [on the wrist] every day since I injured it,” Spieth said.

“But on course there’s been a couple of scenarios where I bailed out of a couple shots that if it weren’t a factor I wouldn’t have, and unfortunately those shots did affect my score.

“I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case here but it’s only been a couple of times.

“My normal swings, it’s not an issue. It’s just when you’ve got to really flick under a flop shot or a bunker shot – I had that today where I just don’t have the confidence in it not making it worse, so I just bail a little bit.

“I probably cost myself a few shots on that. But coming in here I kind of figured that might be the case.

“It’s nothing major, but it’s significant enough that I would have liked to have had two or three weeks off before this event just to feel like I got prepared.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton had defied the conditions to card an impressive 69, a round compiled alongside 2021 winner Phil Mickelson, who had made the cut for the 100th time in his major championship career.

Mickelson is the fourth player to achieve that feat after Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson and also tied the record for the most cuts made in the US PGA, joining Nicklaus and Ray Floyd on 27.

The six-time major winner may have wished he had not made the weekend however, carding a birdie-free 75 which left him on 10 over par.

Jordan Spieth admitted his wrist injury had cost him a number of shots after battling miserable conditions on day three of the 105th US PGA Championship.

Spieth, who needs to win the US PGA to complete a career grand slam, was a doubt for the year’s second major after withdrawing from last week’s PGA Tour event due to “severe pain” in his left wrist.

The former world number one received intensive treatment and was able to compete at Oak Hill with the wrist heavily strapped, carding rounds of 73 and 72 to make the halfway cut on the mark of five over par.

Spieth then carded four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in a third round of 71 played in persistent rain on Saturday, adding to the challenge on a course where just nine players were under par at the halfway stage.

“It’s just really difficult to keep everything dry,” Spieth said.

“It starts with the grip and then from there, if you get water on the ball or the driver face, the ball can really go anywhere. I was holding my driver face down as I was getting ready to hit and I would set up and hit it pretty quickly.

“I’ve been doing a lot of recovery [on the wrist] every day since I injured it but on course there’s been a couple of scenarios where I bailed out of a couple shots that if it weren’t a factor I wouldn’t have, and unfortunately those shots did affect my score.

“I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case here but it’s only been a couple of times.

“My normal swings, it’s not an issue. It’s just when you’ve got to really flick under a flop shot or a bunker shot – I had that today where I just don’t have the confidence in it not making it worse, so I just bail a little bit.

“I probably cost myself a few shots on that. But coming in here I kind of figured that might be the case.

“It’s nothing major, but it’s significant enough that I would have liked to have had two or three weeks off before this event just to feel like I got prepared.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton had defied the conditions to card an impressive 69, a round compiled alongside 2021 winner Phil Mickelson, who had made the cut for the 100th time in his major championship career.

Mickelson is the fourth player to achieve that feat after Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson and also tied the record for the most cuts made in the US PGA, joining Nicklaus and Ray Floyd on 27.

The six-time major winner may have wished he had not made the weekend however, carding a birdie-free 75 which left him on 10 over par.

Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland shared the halfway lead on five under, with Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Suh two shots behind.

England’s Callum Tarren was another stroke back alongside four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, with Justin Rose on one under and Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on level par.