SPRINGFIELD, New Jersey Jimmy Walker was one stroke ahead at the PGA Championship heading to the final nine holes with defending champion Jason Day and British Open victor Henrik Stenson chasing him.
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One of the PGA Tour’s most prolific players over the past few seasons held off Jason Day’s heroics to become the fourth first-time major victor this year.
Daniel Summerhays was third at 10 under after a 66 while there was a three-way tie for fourth at 9 under. It represented an enormous turnaround for Mickelson from missing the cut at this year’s Masters and U.S. Open, but he also raised his own expectations as a result. The other is Tiger Woods. 10 and 11 to take a two-shot lead over defending champion Jason Day.
Fourth-ranked McIlroy closed with a bogey at the par-5 18th to miss the weekend, pushing for a birdie to be sure of the weekend with the cut line in flux. Stenson shot a third straight three-under 67 in round three.
He signed for a bogey-free, three-under par final round of 67 to lift the Wanamaker Trophy and walk away with a cheque for €1.6 million.
Persistent heavy rain then left parts of the course flooded before play was finally abandoned for the day shortly before 6pm local time (11pm BST). However, the weather forecast for Sunday includes a chance for rain most of the day.
Stenson was in contention for back-to-back majors until a double bogey on the 15th ended his chances, the 40-year-old Swede having to settle for a tie for seventh with playing partner Martin Kaymer, who eagled the last in a closing 66. British Open champion Henrik Stenson.
Walker shot a 2-under 68 for an 11-under 199 total after three soggy trips around Baltusrol Golf Club.
Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb made it as far as the practice range before clouds gathered, the sky rumbled and storms dumped more rain on an already saturated golf course at Baltusrol.
Should Day win, it would come after just one day of preparation.
The Associated Press said the PGA will stick with it’s third-round pairings for both Sunday rounds.
Jordan Spieth, one of the favorites coming into the PGA Championship, shot a 4-under 32 on the back nine at Baltusrol Golf Club moving him one shot behind first-round leader Jimmy Walker.
Third-round play will resume at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, PGA officials announced. Walker and Streb were scheduled to begin their final rounds at 3:16 p.m. The hope was to complete the tournament Sunday.
South Africa’s Branden Grace added his name to the list of contenders for the final major of the year as the weather-affected US PGA Championship headed towards a tense climax.
The PGA Tour routinely plays preferred lies or “ball in hand” as some players call it for expediency and fairness issues.
It is the first time since 2011 that all four Majors in a season have been claimed by debut winners following Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.
More thunderstorms are forecast Sunday and Monday, so Kerry Haigh, PGA of America’s chief championships officer, made a decision to keep third-round pairings for the fourth round and start it early to try and finish on Sunday.
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Day surged into the lead with a 75-foot birdie putt on No. 7 from the front to the back of the green, and a tee shot to 4 feet on the par-3 ninth.
