US PGA Championship 2019: third round – as it happened

After two low-scoring days, Brooks Koepka went into battle mode as Bethpage Black bared its teeth ... and he goes into the final round seven clear, a PGA Championship record.

11.59pm BST

Brooks Koepka wasn’t at his best today by a long chalk. But a battling birdie at 13 settled him just as his game was beginning to get a tad scrappy. Nobody made serious inroads, and he goes into the final round with a massive seven-shot lead. That’s a PGA Championship record. But a player has come back from seven behind at the 54-hole stage to win before: John Mahaffey in 1978. The man who let that one slip was Tom Watson, so if he can crumble, anyone can. But of course chances are we’ll all be turning up for a procession as this outstanding player looks to retain his title and make it four majors in the last eight. See you tomorrow afternoon! Thanks for reading! Nighty night!

-12: Koepka
-5: Varner III, Janewattananond, List, D Johnson
-4: Matsuyama, Wallace
-3: Schauffele, Cantlay, Scott, Spieth
-2: van Rooyen, Kang
-1: Fowler, Lee
E: Willett, Glover, Bjerregaard, Reavie, Fleetwood, Rose

11.52pm BST

... leaves it a couple of feet short. But that’s par, and he’s putting his name to a 70.

11.51pm BST

Two putts for Jordan Spieth. Par, and a disappointing 72. He’s still -3, though, and still inside the top ten. Koepka then lines up his birdie putt and ...

11.48pm BST

Koepka rips his drive down the 18th. Up on the green Scott pars and signs for a 72; he’s -3. A disastrous 78 for Daniel Berger, who clatters down the standings to +4. Then Spieth and Koepka find the green in regulation. The leader will have a look at birdie from 15 feet for a 69.

11.43pm BST

Koepka leaves his 25-foot birdie putt four feet short. He’s missed from a shorter distance than this today. But he’s not doing it twice. In it goes. Dustin’s scrappy finish ensures his seven-shot lead is restored. Koepka’s been poor by his own stratospheric standards today, but nobody’s made a serious move towards him. Although to be fair, Bethpage Black is beginning to live up to its reputation again.

-12: Koepka (17)
-5: Varner III (F), Janewattananond (F), List (F), D Johnson (F)
-4: Matsuyama (F), Wallace (F)

11.40pm BST

It’s Dustin Johnson meltdown time! He quits on his flop, and sends his ball falling softly into the bunker in front of him. OK ... it’s not quite a complete capitulation, because he flops out from sand to kick-in distance, limiting the damage to bogey. But it’s extremely damaging nonetheless. He signs for a 69, -5 overall, and the chance to go toe-to-toe with Koepka tomorrow in the final group - perhaps the only real chance of applying pressure on the runaway leader - has been carelessly frittered away.

11.36pm BST

Dustin arrows his second at 18 straight at the flag ... but it’s half a club short, and lands not in the sand, as he’d have hoped, but on a hillock between the bunkers guarding the front of the green. That’s in deep nonsense. Meanwhile over on 17, Koepka gently eases his tee shot into the heart of the green. I think we all know which way this is going.

11.34pm BST

Koepka tugs at his par saver, and that’s a totally needless bogey. The lead’s only - only! - six now. It’s a big last hole for Dustin Johnson now, if he’s to retain any scrap of hope going into the final round. And he’ll probably need Koepka to stumble further as he plays the final two holes. The next 30 minutes will decide whether we’ve got the semblance of a mano-a-mano duel tomorrow, or the procession that we’ve been expecting.

-12: Koepka (16)
-6: D Johnson (17)

11.31pm BST

Dustin wangs his drive at 18 into the List Bunker down the right. He won’t want to be making bogey here - well, duh - but the thing is, par will ensure he goes out in the last group with Koepka. If he does drop a shot, Harold Varner III will be going out in the last group instead.

11.29pm BST

DJ taps in for his par, but List can’t make his. It’s a miserable bogey-bogey end to List’s round, and he’s forced to settle for a 69. Koepka meanwhile finds the 16th in regulation, but only just, the wind having picked up. And he’s left with a long putt that he leaves six feet short. A bit of work to do there.

11.24pm BST

List clips his sand shot at 18 to six feet. A chance to save par. DJ chops gently from the back of 17 to two feet, and will surely save par. Wallace nearly drains his birdie putt, but he’ll have to settle for par. It’s a 70 today, and he ends the day at -4.

11.20pm BST

List’s drive at 18 finds sand down the right. He’s got a good lie, but doesn’t quite catch his second and ends up in more sand front right of the green. Wallace splits the fairway and finds the centre of the green. He’ll have a medium-length look at birdie. Koepka meanwhile blooters a big one down 16, while DJ flies another par-three green, this time at 17.

11.14pm BST

On 17, List flops high, and flops well, but it’s all he can do to stop his ball 12 feet past the hole. Work to do for his par. He can’t make it. He slips to -6. Wallace gets up and down for his par. Koepka meanwhile looks like making his birdie putt on 15, but the ball stops one turn short. It couldn’t have been closer. Ditto for DJ on 16, as a birdie putt from 30 feet shaves the right of the cup.

-13: Koepka (15)
-6: List (17), D Johnson (15)

11.10pm BST

Koepka’s ball is buried deep in the rough. But he doesn’t spend all that time in the gym for the sake of it. He powers through the filth and whips his ball into the heart of the green. He’ll have an uphill look at birdie from 12 feet. Sensational. By way of contrast, Spieth tries a similar shot from a similar position, but can only hoick his ball into the bunkers at the front, and nearly falls backwards in doing so. Koepka is almost playing a different game, like Tiger all those years ago. As the great man suggested himself in his press conference last night.

11.05pm BST

Wallace’s tee shot at 17 disappears into the thick stuff to the right of the green. He’s not far from the pin, so not much green to work with. List follows Wallace over there. He’s further wide, and with the pin tight on the same side, that’s a real test. Koepka meanwhile misses another fairway, this time left at 15, but the way he wedged from the thick stuff at 13, does it really matter?

11.02pm BST

Dustin makes bounce-back birdie at 15. His reward for a wedge to five feet. He’s -6 again. Matt Wallace scrambles a par at 16 having found himself out of position from the tee. He’s -4. This’d be quite a bunfight if it wasn’t for SuperBrooks.

-13: Koepka (14)
-7: List (15)
-6: D Johnson (15)
-5: Varner III (F), Janewattananond (F)
-4: Matsuyama (F), Wallace (16), Spieth (14)
-3: Schauffele (F), Cantlay (F), Scott (14)

10.58pm BST

A wonderful end to the round for young Jazz Janewattananond! He whips his approach at 18 pin high to eight feet, and rolls the straight birdie putt in with confidence. He signs for a superb 67 and at -5 will be performing at the business end of the tournament tomorrow. Meanwhile a no-fuss par for Koepka at the 14th.

10.54pm BST

Harold Varner III birdies the last in textbook fashion: a perfect drive, an approach hit to five feet, and a putt rolled gently in. He signs for a flawless 67 and moves into a tie for third. The 28-year-old from Ohio, whose best performance at a major is a tie for 66th at the 2016 Open at Troon - is the new clubhouse leader.

-13: Koepka (13)
-7: List (15)
-5: Varner III (F), D Johnson (14)

10.50pm BST

Koepka is able to get a clean swish at his approach, and bundles a lovely shot to 12 feet. He judges the right-to-left trickler perfectly, and that’s a birdie met with a broad smile. He knows he got away with that drive. Tiger Woods got a couple of extremely fortunate breaks in the trees at 11 en route to winning last month’s Masters. Koepka, who missed out at Augusta by one shot, might consider that payback time by the golfing gods.

10.46pm BST

Bogeys at 10 and 12 look to have derailed Matt Wallace, but he’s just sent his approach at 15 from 160 yards to 18 inches. A kick-in birdie that takes him to -4. Jazz can’t get up and down from sand at 17 after dunking his tee shot into the bunker front right. He’s also -4, though going the wrong way. And DJ putts his second effort up from the bottom of the bank at 14. It goes flying 12 feet past, but he rolls in the one coming back to limit the damage to bogey. A two-putt par for List at 15.

10.42pm BST

At the par-five 13th, Koepka has a route through the trees, and powers his second down the right side of the fairway. He gets to within wedging distance, though his ball’s snagged in the rough, so he’ll struggle for control. Meanwhile List finds the 15th green in two, having found himself lying decently. And on 14, DJ flops up from the back onto the green ... nearly, but his ball topples back from the top of the bank towards his feet! Trouble here.

10.38pm BST

It’s all getting a bit scrappy as Bethpage Black bears its teeth at last. Koepka flays a dreadful drive into the trees down the right of 13. List finds the rough to the right of 15. And Dustin flies his tee shot over the green at 13, and he’s in a bit of trouble down the swale at the back. That went 20 yards long! In some much-needed competence news: Jazz gets up and down from sand at 16 to save his par.

10.36pm BST

A disappointing 72 for Tommy Fleetwood. He’s level par. His partner Louis Oosthuizen signs for an equally deflating 73. He’s +1. Also looking a bit glum: Dustin Johnson, who sends his drive into the rough down the right of the par-five 13th, and has to settle for par. He stays at -6.

10.32pm BST

Another birdie for Luke List, who moves into second place all by himself! After picking up shots at 12 and 13, the 34-year-old from Seattle - whose best performance at a major to date is a tie for 33rd at the Masters 14 years ago - makes it three in a row at the short par-three! He sends his tee shot to 13 feet and strokes in the putt with great confidence. Back on 12, Koepka’s birdie putt stops one turns short of dropping, and suddenly his lead is only five. Birdie for Spieth: he’s -3.

-12: Koepka (12)
-7: List (14)
-6: D Johnson (12)
-5: Janewattananond (15)
-4: Matsuyama (F), Varner III (16), Scott (12)

10.27pm BST

Koepka rediscovers his mojo at 12. He’s forced to step away from his approach when some doofus yells out during his backswing. But then he sends a high draw into the green from 200 yards, leaving himself a 12-footer for a birdie. If that goes in, it’d seriously demoralise a field that, momentarily, had a whiff of hope, albeit as faint as they come.

10.24pm BST

Jazz goes leftfield - Ornette, anyone? - as his drive at 16 flies into the gallery. He gets a lucky bounce off some poor punter’s bonce, and that’s a fortunate break, because his ball was flying towards the fescue.

10.21pm BST

Birdie for Hideki Matsuyama at 18. He signs for 68, and he’s -4 going into the final round. Nothing really happened for his partner Rickie Fowler today; a 71 for the perennial major bridesmaid, and he’s -1.

10.19pm BST

Koepka’s 25-foot birdie putt is always missing miles right, from the second it leaves the face of the flat stick. He’s got the speed all wrong too, sending it five feet past. Given what happened on 9, this is a test coming back. But he makes it ... just, the ball catching the cup on the extreme right. That should have steadied the ship a little, though he may note that his lead is now only six - only six! - because it’s a birdie for Dustin Johnson at 12, who puts an end to a post-turn wobble of his own. He’s -6 ... as is Luke List , whorattles in a reasonably straight 40-footer on 13.

-12: Koepka (11)
-6: List (13), D Johnson (12)

10.13pm BST

Koepka looks to have steadied himself with another monster bash down 11. But he pulls his wedge in. He leans after it anxiously. The ball pitches on the bank to the left of the green. Thick rough. But it sneaks out, just, and nestles on the fringe. That’s a friendly little bounce, rather than a huge break - he wasn’t too far off line - and he should be able to make par easily enough from there.

10.10pm BST

But nobody seems prepared - or able - to launch any sort of challenge that’d further crank up the pressure on Koepka. Janewattananond can’t get up and down from the fringe at the front of 14. Bogey, and so the gap at the top remains seven strokes. A long putt drained by Adam Scott at 11 bucks the general trend of backwards movement, though: a birdie that brings him back to -4 after going out in 37.

-12: Koepka (10)
-5: Janewattananond (14), List (12), D Johnson (11)
-4: Varner III (14), Scott (11)
-3: Schauffele (F), Cantlay (17), Matsuyama (17), Wallace (12)

10.05pm BST

Koepka’s second at 10 flies out left from the rough. He hopes to find his ball in the bunker, but it’s snagged in the grass to the side. A weak chip leaves him plenty to do for his par. But we’ve been here before with Koepka. A 20-footer for his par. But that one slips by the right, and this is the first serious spot of turbulence he’s hit all week. To further illustrate, before that missed tiddler at 9, he was 33 out of 33 from five feet and in.

10.02pm BST

Thing is, Koepka can afford a wee stumble. Nobody’s making a move. It’s back-to-back bogeys for Dustin, who finds rough from the tee box at 11 and is always out of position. He’s -5. Janewattananond fails to hit a birdie putt on 13, then sends his 7-iron at the par-three 14th into the deep rough at the front. Luke List joins the chasing pack, though, chipping in at 12 to rise to -5. And Harold Varner III is going along nicely, and under the radar to boot: birdie at 4 and then another at 13, and he’s in fifth spot at -4.

9.58pm BST

Then Koepka sends his birdie putt a couple of feet past the hole ... and pulls the par putt! It horseshoes out! An audible collective sharp intake of breath from the gallery. But that’s SuperBrooks! SuperBrooks? A super-rare bogey. And now he’s missed the fairway at the difficult 10th, his drive sneaking into the thick stuff down the right. The only way Koepka won’t win is if Koepka sets about throwing it away. He won’t be panicking yet, but he’s played quite a few scrappy holes in a row since making birdie at 5. Time for a deep breath.

-13: Koepka (9)
-6: Janewattananond (13), D Johnson (10)
-4: Varner III (13), Wallace (11), List (11)

9.52pm BST

Justin Rose sends a tramliner into the cup at 12. That wipes out the bogey he’d made at the previous hole. He’s -3. A huge smile on his face as the gallery celebrate that wild and wonderful putt. Jordan Spieth meanwhile makes a dog’s dinner of 9, finding greenside sand, leaving himself a 50-foot putt, sending it six feet past. He can’t make the bogey putt, and the double sends him crashing down to -2.

9.47pm BST

Jazz Janewattananond nearly drains a 30-footer on 12, but par will suffice. He’s the real deal, this young man. A star in the making, and -6. Another huge prospect, Xander Schauffele, signs for a 68 and ends the day at -3. And Dustin Johnson yips a three-footer for par on 10, and this is officially now a procession. Especially if Koepka knocks in the 20-footer for birdie he’s set up for himself at 9.

9.38pm BST

Koepka bounces his ball down from the bank and nearly rolls it home for a chip-in birdie. He’s got nerves of steel. In fact he might be 100 percent steel. He retains his seven-shot lead, and he’s not even playing that well ... by his own standards, that is. A superhuman superhero. Is it a Tiger? Is it a Golden Bear? No, it’s SuperBrooks. Par for Spieth too. Wallace meanwhile misses a short par putt on 10 and walks off in a funk. He slips to -4.

9.32pm BST

Birdie for Dustin Johnson at 9. Big drive, wedge close, putt in. Koepkaian. He reaches the turn in 32, moving to -7. Meanwhile Koepka himself tries to work his tee shot at 8 off the bank on the right - Adam Scott nearly holed in one using this tactic a few minutes ago, only to miss the birdie putt - but the ball snags in thick rough. A tricky up and down ... for most people, but look what he did at the last.

-14: Koepka (7)
-7: D Johnson (9)
-6: Janewattananond (11)
-5: Wallace (9)
-4: List (9), Scott (8), Spieth (7)

9.27pm BST

Koepka’s luck is in. Sort of. He’s got a decent enough lie, all considered, and a route between the trees to the green. But he gets a flyer and his ball bounds through the back. He’s in the thick stuff. He punches out to 15 feet ... and drains the par saver. He’s got the lot, this guy. What moxie. Spieth meanwhile makes a good long two-putt from the fringe at the front. They’re still -14 and -4 respectively. And a fine par saver for Janewattananond at 11. He remains at -6.

9.24pm BST

Adam Scott missed a tiddler on 17 yesterday. He’s just repeated the trick at 7 today. He slips back to -4. Par for Mickelson at the last, and he’s signing for a 76. Jazz sends his second at 11 straight at the flag, 25 feet short. He sends the birdie putt on the right line, too, but overhits it and the ball ends five feet past. A tester coming back.

9.17pm BST

If there’s going to be any sort of drama tomorrow, there’s going to have to be a hell of a lot of it today. In other words, Brooks Koepka will have to do quite a few stupid things. Like this, perhaps. He aims well right on the 7th tee, hoping to draw his ball back onto the fairway ... but sends it straight towards the trees. Much will depend on the lie, but he could be in a spot of trouble there. Meanwhile Spieth sends his down the track with much less fuss.

9.13pm BST

Koepka’s birdie putt is always missing on the high side. Never going in. Par. A chance for Spieth to close that ten-shot gap, but he misreads, sending the putt way too much to the right, and that’s a miserable par in the circumstances. They stay at -14 and -4 respectively. Meanwhile on 10, Janewattananond curls in a 15-foot left-to-right birdie putt, and moves into a share of second!

-14: Koepka (6)
-6: Janewattananond (10), D Johnson (7)
-5: Wallace (8), Scott (6)

9.08pm BST

Jordan Spieth has clearly decided that he may as well go for broke. His tee shot at 6 finishes on the downslope and in the first cut. But he still manages to get some spin on an attacking approach. His ball lands six feet in front of the flag, takes three bounces, and very nearly goes in for an eagle two. But he ends up four feet past. That’s a great chance for birdie. Problem is, his playing partner hits his 14th consecutive green in regulation. Koepka will have a ten-footer for another birdie, too.

9.05pm BST

Phil Mickelson has made one par since the turn. He’s played eight of the holes on the back nine. Sadly, he’s made just the one birdie, at 15. He’s dropped shots at 10, 11, 12, 14, 16 and now 17. Here’s to Pebble Beach being kinder as the veteran Californian tries to complete the career slam on home turf. He’s +6, and at least he should be able to hit the road fairly early tomorrow afternoon.

9.00pm BST

Spieth bashes his ball out of the sand, but he can’t get any action on the ball and it whistles 25 feet past the hole. A test to save par now. And he can’t pass it. A bogey that drops him back to -4. So that’s him ten shots behind Koepka, who converts his birdie chance.

-14: Koepka (5)
-6: D Johnson (6)
-5: Janewattananond (9), Wallace (7), Scott (5)
-4: List (7), Spieth (5)

8.56pm BST

Spieth hasn’t brought his A-game at the weekends lately. His average round on Thursday and Friday this year has been 69.1; his scores on Saturday and Sunday have averaged 73.1. It looks like that might be playing on his mind, because from the middle of the fairway at 5, he dumps his approach into the bunker at the front ... and his ball is well plugged. A fried egg. In true match-play style, Koepka puts the boot on Spieth’s throat by wedging to two feet. An almost certain birdie.

8.50pm BST

DJ takes iron off the tee at 6 to leave himself a full wedge into the green from the top of the hill. Smart play, because he lifts his second to six feet. Not so smart is pulling his birdie putt to the left of the cup. A little twitch of the putter before he made his stroke. He stays at -6. What a chance gone! Meanwhile Daniel Berger continues to struggle: having bogeyed 3, he drops another at 5 and he’s down to -2.

8.48pm BST

Up on 6, Luke List holes out from a bunker for birdie, to cancel out the bogey he’d made at 3. He’s back where he started at -4. His playing partner Matt Wallace makes birdie too, his second in three holes, and he’s in red figures for his round now after making bogey at 1. He’s -5 overall. Belated news of Adam Scott: he’d birdied 4 to grab back the shot he’d dropped at 3.

-13: Koepka (4)
-6: D Johnson (5)
-5: Janewattananond (8), Wallace (6), Scott (4), Spieth (4)
-4: List (6)

8.44pm BST

Spieth takes his medicine at 4, flipping into the centre of the green, settling for a likely two-putt par. He stays stuck at -5. But Koepka has a buffer to play with, so despite not having much green in front of him, he whips out of the sand to 12 feet, leaving himself a birdie putt. It shaves the left side of the hole, a dimple away from dropping. Just pars for the final pair, one of the few really good birdie opportunities spurned.

8.37pm BST

A downhill ten-footer for DJ at 5. A birdie chance that trundles past the hole. His first par of the round, after opening birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey. He’s -6. Back on 4, Spieth sends his approach well left, down a swale covered in the thickest, most verdant grass. He’s not got going yet at all. Koepka meanwhile finds a bit of trouble himself, having driven into the first cut down the left. His 8-iron lands in a bunker at the front of the green. A little chink of light for the field, perhaps?

8.35pm BST

Par for Janewattananond at 7. He remains at -5. So here’s the shape of Jazz to come, swiped from yesterday’s blog. Nicknamed after his dad’s penchant for be-bop, swing and scat, the 23-year-old from Bangkok has only played in one major tournament before, last year’s Open at Carnoustie. He missed the cut, but the young man is tipped for great things. He’s already got three wins on the Asian Tour, the latest victory at this year’s Singapore Open, where he saw off Paul Casey with a weekend’s work of 65-65. His first win came at the 2017 Bangladesh Open, a triumph he credited to a fortnight spent as a monk inside a Thai temple.

8.32pm BST

And with that, John has left us. He’s done one! We’ll see him again tomorrow. Whether we’ll see any sort of drama tomorrow is another issue. But all is not lost, because we’ll be able to run the rule over young Jazz Janewattananond instead. Birdies at 3, 4 and 6, and the young Thai is the hottest property out on the course. He’s -5, and looking in the mood to announce himself, Sergio ‘99 style.

-13: Koepka (3)
-6: D Johnson (4)
-5: Janewattananond (6), Spieth (3)

8.26pm BST

Koepka’s tee shot on the par-three third was another piece of precision engineering. Spieth’s was hit with a far lower trajectory and he will be doing the sand dance in the bunker. He looks to be feeling the burn of playing alongside Brooks, as did Tiger yesterday and on Thursday, ending up finishing 17 shots down. DJ, meanwhile, has grabbed another birdie. He’s in second at -6, just the seven shots down on Koepka.

8.22pm BST

As it stands, after Scott makes bogey at the third.

-13: Koepka (2)
-5: Spieth (2), Johnson (3)
-4: Scott (3), Jazz (5), Wallace (4),Kraft (3), Berger (2)

8.17pm BST

Koepka’s lie was just fine, you know, and his second was excellent, far better than Spieth’s near-shank. Another birdie chance for the leader while Spieth makes a further mess of his birdie attempt from distance and has to putt before his playing partner has his third. Spieth does make par before Koepka sinks his birdie to go to -13. Moving Day for him too, then? DJ meanwhile, who has been eventful, wallops a drive into what looks like heavy-ish rough. Justin Rose makes up for his three-putt with birdie on the fourth.

8.06pm BST

Koepka at the second whacks his tee shot down the fairway. Has it landed in a pitching mark? Let’s see. Spieth’s wood shot loops to the left and is in far less danger than he thinks; he is unsighted by some trees. Dustin Johnson goes to -5 by making a birdie. Justin Rose has dropped to -3 after three-putting the third.

8.01pm BST

Well well! Koepka misses his birdie putt at the first, pulling it to the left. There is plenty of noise from the gallery. The putt for par is far more solid. But he could have been further ahead. Spieth plays it safe and claims par.

7.58pm BST

Spieth plays it safe to the first green. Koepka steps up almost immediately as Spieth’s ball settles and his chipped iron shot is within birdie range. More of the same from him. This is approaching Manchester City at Wembley status, a procession.

7.56pm BST

Adam Scott plays a pearler of a third shot to give himself a chance of par. Berger, meanwhile, seems to have damaged the hole with his rim-shot of a second. The ref has to intervene to make sure all is fit and proper. Scott duly steps up to sink it. Berger makes par, meanwhile. DJ, on the second, can’t keep his chip from the semi-rough down and has to fringe-putt. He can’t make it count and loses the shot he gained on the last.

7.52pm BST

Here comes Koepka in the final pairing, and he will go first ahead of Spieth. His drive lands on the fairway, as expected and within 40-50 yards of the green. Spieth takes his shot, and it whips right and then curves back to land on the left-hand fairway. Berger, meanwhile, hits the flag with his second on the first and suffers for it. The ball drops down the flag but bounces a decent way out. Hideously unlucky. Adam Scott, meanwhile, had to dig out his ball from the rough for a lay-up. Jazz Janewattananond has gone to -4 with a neat putt for birdie.

7.43pm BST

Kelly Kraft takes advantage of a drop to play a decent second to the green but misses his birdie putt. DJ booms one in close, far closer and claims a birdie to go to -5. The radar seems to be working for him. Adam Scott, who hit that 64 yesterday, tees off on the first. “Uh oh,” says a spectator as it lands in some heavyish rough. Daniel Berger goes next, with a total wally in the crowd punning hard with “burgers for everyone!” - (geddit). Despite that, Berger goes dead centre of the fairway.

7.38pm BST

Matt Wallace gave himself chance of par at the first, with a nice chip shot, then missed his putt. He drops down to -3. That all looked a bit nervy for someone who needs to make a charge. Adam Scott approaches the first with Jordan Spieth. Adam Scott needs to begin like he did yesterday, with three birdies on the first three.

7.33pm BST

DJ is out and about! And he crashes his opening drive down the middle of the fairway. He’ll be going round today with Kelly Kraft, who is only playing because Justin Thomas withdrew with a wrist injury. He’s looking to grab this opportunity with both hands, John Daly ‘91 style, though flaying his first drive into the punters down the left isn’t the best start. This pairing could be a lot of fun.

And with that, I’ll hand you over to the lovely John Brewin. See you again in a bit!

7.30pm BST

But he doesn’t make it. Van Rooyen sends his putt a couple of feet past, and has to settle for par. Better news for Justin Rose, who booms a big drive down 1, wedges to five feet from 100 yards, and tidies up for a lovely opening birdie. Simple when you do it like that. He’s -4. Time for our first updated leader board of Moving Day, then!

-12: Koepka
-5: Spieth, Scott
-4: Rose (1), Berger, D Johnson, Kraft, Wallace, List
-3: Schauffele (7), Matsuyama (5), van Rooyen (3)

7.25pm BST

So having said all that, it’s another birdie for Xander Schauffele, who sends his second at 7 to 12 feet, and calmly guides the birdie slider into the hole. He’s -3. And it looks like Erik van Rooyen might be making his second birdie of the day at the par-three 3rd, nearly slam-dunking his 4-iron straight into the hole. He’s six feet from moving to -4.

7.20pm BST

Pretty much as expected, there’s not been a load of hot scoring action today. Plenty of decent scores - 68s for Shane Lowry and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, 69s for Adam Long, Abraham Ancer, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau - but nothing sensational. And of all the lads out there right now, it’s only Lucas Glover who’s as good as two under for his round. This could be a day for the purists.

7.13pm BST

A birdie for Erik van Rooyen at the opening hole. A lovely approach to six feet by the 29-year-old South African. He’s -3. Patrick Cantlay picks up his first shot of the day at 4; he’s -2. Hideki Matsuyama pitches to four feet at the par-five 4th and he’ll convert for birdie to move to -3. And Tommy Fleetwood, having gone close with birdie putts at 1 and 2, creams his tee shot at 3 to four feet. He should make his first move of the day ... but he tugs the short one to the left, and remains at -2. Very poor. The wheels came off Tommy’s truck on the back nine yesterday, and this hasn’t been the ideal start.

7.05pm BST

The Ryder Cup’s going to be here in 2024. These galleries! It’s going to be sensational.

7.03pm BST

A nice splash of local colour on the 9th green. Tyrrell Hatton lets a six-foot birdie chance slide by, and spins around 360 degrees, arms out in despair, wondering why it didn’t drop. A lone voice in the crowd rasps loud and clear in a thick New York accent: “Aw c’maaaaaaaan! Wha’da we pay foooooorrrrrrr?!” Perfectly timed to pierce the silence. Hatton taps in and trudges off, hush descended again, a lovely understated denouement to the skit. Hatton’s +1 by the way.

6.51pm BST

Lucas Glover’s having a good week here. No wonder, seeing he won the US Open at Bethpage Black in 2009. He’s out in 33, after birdies at 8 and 9, -1 overall. The 39-year-old South Carolinian’s only other showing of note in the majors was a fifth-place spot in the PGA, a couple of months after his US Open win, 2009 very much his annus mirabilis. Nowt since, though it’s easy to forget he was a very early adopter of the hipster’s beard, so hats off to him for that.

6.45pm BST

Finally a little movement nearer the top of the leader board. Birdie for Hideki Matsuyama at the 1st, and he immediately rises to -3. Xander Schauffele meanwhile picks up a shot at 3, and he’s -2. Schauffele’s record at the majors is outstanding, by the way. The 25-year-old Californian has only played in eight previously, and he’s already got two top-six finishes at the US Open, and ties for second at both the Open and last month’s Masters. This is the manner in which Brooks Koepka was quietly gathering major-championship experience at a similar age. Just sayin’.

6.40pm BST

Another bogey for Phil, who might not be going in the right direction but at least is giving his loving punters bang for their buck. Another comically bad drive, this time down the left of 6, forces him to hack out into greenside sand. He doesn’t go particularly close with his splash out, and he slips into the black at +1. The thing is with Mickelson, even when he’s no longer a factor, it’s difficult to take your eyes off him. What a carry-on. We’ll miss the old boy when he’s gone.

6.35pm BST

Rory pars the last and that’s a 69. He’s +2, having left a few shots out there on the greens. Meanwhile Brooks Koepka has arrived on site. He’s sauntering around in the carefree manner of a man in his slippers popping down the shop for a can of chocolate Nurishment, a Pot Noodle and 20 Bensons. He’s probably not done that exact thing himself too often, but you get the picture. Point is, he’s looking extremely chilled out, and that doesn’t augur well for the field. Or the poor bugger who has to keep rewriting those damn record books.

6.27pm BST

Mickelson, his head just about poking out of a wild thicket, somehow manages to hoick his third shot into the centre of the 5th green. But he can’t escape with a par, the 20-footer he’d left himself too much. His last four holes have featured two birdies and two bogeys. Whither a par? Speaking of which, here’s how Lucas Bjerregaard started his round: birdie, double bogey, bogey, eagle. That’s some way to stay put at level par. That’s entertainment, folks. Next stop Broadway.

6.21pm BST

Another birdie for Mickelson, who nearly drains a monster eagle putt on 4. He’s -1. So what’s he done next? Flown his drive into deep rough down the left of 5, that’s what. He then slashes his second into even thicker, taller stuff to the right of the green. God speed Lefty. Meanwhile McIlroy sends his tee shot at 17 over the flag to ten feet; he’ll have a look at birdie. But the putter remains cold. Par. He’s +2.

6.16pm BST

Sam Burns bogeys 11. That means there’s no player out on the course doing better than two under for his round today. (Burns is level par overall.) That rain earlier in the week really softened up the course for the first two days of this tournament, allowing Brooks Koepka and, to a slightly lesser extent, Adam Scott and Danny Lee to fill their boots. Anyway, the early signs suggest the scoring will be higher today. Time will tell. Less movement on the leader board perhaps, although if that’s the case it opens up the possibility of someone putting a freak card together and making a charge at the king. I’m grasping at straws in the hope of outrageous drama, aren’t I.

6.05pm BST

It’s been a bit of a struggle for poor old Rich Beem today. Having carded the lowest score on the back nine all week yesterday - 30 shots - he came back in 43 today. A double bogey at the last put the tin lid on it, the result of being forced to chip out from a greenside bunker sideways, away from the hole, due to his awkward lie. But the 2002 champ is still all smiles, soaking up the warm applause from a loving gallery, despite signing for an 82 and propping up the entire field at +16. Like we said earlier, he’ll always have Hazeltine.

6.00pm BST

Rory’s flat stick is letting him down. This isn’t breaking news. First up on 14, a six-foot par putt is sent marginally offline, and slingshots round the cup and back towards him. Bogey. Then a birdie chance on 15, from similar distance, is prodded gingerly and meekly dribbles off to the left. Two shots carelessly sent into the ether, and he’s +2 when he really should be up at level par. Factor in that bogey at 10 from prime position in the centre of the fairway, and the two-time PGA champ still isn’t quite on it this week.

5.56pm BST

Phil the Thrill continues along his own unique path. His tee shot at the par-three 3rd, a 6-iron, is sliced 30 feet off line down a bank to the left. It’s a proper jungle down there, and from knee-high fescue he batters out as best he can. He’s now in shorter stuff by the green, though shorter most definitely doesn’t mean short. It’s still thick nonsense. He does extremely well to whip his ball to a couple of feet, but that’s the shot he’s just picked up handed back to the field. He’s level par again. We wouldn’t have him any other way.

5.51pm BST

An absolutely ludicrous birdie by - who else? - Phil Mickelson! He sends his drive into deep filth down the left of 2. No worries! He socks his second pin high to 17 feet, then curls in the putt to send the gallery wild. He’s -1, and a high finish this week will set him in good stead for next month’s tilt at his personal holy grail at Pebble Beach. Jason Day nearly gets away with a wild one as well, at 15, spraying his drive into the concession stands to the right of the hole, then finding the deep bunker front left, and splashing out along a huge left-to-right break to eight feet. Exquisite. But he yips the par saver. Shame, for that escape would have been truly daft. He’s +2.

5.45pm BST

In lieu of meaningful action, here’s today’s essay from Hubert O’Hearn. “That -12 looms in front of the field like an iceberg in front of an ocean liner. We need to be honest in that Brooks Koepka would have to have an almighty collapse to lose from here as I doubt anyone else will reach that score. He’s not Greg Norman with all those horrible memories to contend with as when he tossed away the lead against Nick Faldo at the Masters. If – if – Koepka is going to lose this, the precedent would be Arnold Palmer at the 1966 US Open at Olympic Club. Arnie had blasted and swashbuckled his way to a six-stroke lead until he got hung up with the idea of breaking Ben Hogan’s record for largest win, most strokes under par and so forth. Hubris went to war with common sense and, as it does, hubris won. Palmer started clattering drives into trees, eventually handing the trophy over to Billy Casper. He of course didn’t know it at the time, but that was Arnold’s last real good chance at a Major save for a heroic attempt at Oakmont a few years later. Personally, I hope Koepka doesn’t get caught up in the dramatic and repeat that failure. Golf has lacked a real, authentic, consensus #1 player for a few years now and I’d like to think the grand old game has found one again.” Anyone desirous for even more on the King’s pain can click below.

Related: The Joy of Six: Sporting chokes | Scott Murray

5.35pm BST

Young Sam Burns is enjoying his debut at the PGA Championship. The 22-year-old from Louisiana briefly hovered near the top of the leaderboard on Thursday, eventually posting 70. He followed that up with a 72 yesterday. Now he’s opening up for fun: birdies at 6 and 7, followed by a 40-footer for another birdie on 9. He reaches the turn in 32, and he’s -1 for the tournament. He’s also the hottest player out on there right now, proof that while the course may be toughening up, it’s still possible to make a score.

5.30pm BST

Bethpage Black appears to be a tougher proposition today. It’s been three days since the rain now, and the sun’s beating down in the summer style. That means the fairways and greens are harder. Great for distance, but only if you’re going arrow-straight; some of these fairways are pretty narrow and a bigger bounce either way could dispatch the ball into the thick stuff. Then of course there’s the added difficulty in holding the greens, and there’s plenty of cabbage-related trouble around those too. So plenty of potential for fun ahead. Of course, the way things have been going, Brooks Koepka may become only the 11th player in history to shoot a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour anyway, just to prove a point. We sort of jest, but you wouldn’t necessarily rule it out completely, would you.

5.20pm BST

One of the very early starters, Shane Lowry, is in with a 68. That goes very nicely alongside yesterday’s 69; he’ll be ruing that opening-day 75. He’s +2. None of the pyrotechnics of last year’s second-round 64 at Bellerive, but it’ll do. Kiradech Aphibarnrat will also heave a sigh whenever he thinks of Thursday. He shot 76 on day one, but has followed it up with a pair of 68s. Like Lowry, he’s in the clubhouse at +2.

5.10pm BST

After a fair old period in the doldrums, the 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson’s career is firmly back on track. Last year he won the unofficial fifth major, the Players, and made the top ten at the US Open. Last month he finished in the top five at Augusta, by some distance his best showing at the Masters. And he’s just outside the top 20 here, having made birdie at 3 to move to level par. Meanwhile back on 1, the 27-year-old Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, conqueror of Tiger at the WGC Match Play, curls in a massive left-to-right breaker on 1 to immediately rise to -1.

5.00pm BST

Rory drops a shot at 10, failing to get up and down from greenside sand. He nearly repeats the trick at 11, but splashes out well from a plugged lie to ten feet, about the best that he can do, and rolls in a gentle left-to-right par saver. He’s +1.

4.55pm BST

The 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett is having a decent week. Opening rounds of 71 and 70, and he left a couple of shots out on the greens too. He opens today with birdie, the reward for an approach from 120 yards to eight feet. He’s level par overall. This is shaping up to become a most welcome confidence builder, given he’s done very little of note in the majors since his signature Sunday at Augusta. Meanwhile coming behind him, his compatriot Paul Casey drains a long putt on 1 to move to level as well.

4.50pm BST

So how are these doughty PGA pros doing today? Both Labritz and Vermeer started the day at +4. The former has slipped down the rankings after going out in 37, then making a double at 10. He’s +8. The latter has been much steadier: he’s one over for his round through 12. Jertson, in the best nick of the three after 36 holes, has started badly with double at 1 and bogey at 2, and slips to +3. A wild tee shot cost him at 1. “This week doesn’t benefit the straight hitter who hits it short, and doesn’t benefit the long hitter who hits it crooked,” he explained earlier this week. “You need to do both here.” Having worked on 125 patents for Ping, he knows what he’s on about.

4.40pm BST

Three PGA professionals have made the cut. That represents the largest contingent of pros to make the weekend since the PGA introduced the 20-player Club Professional exemption 13 years ago. Marty Jertson, vice-president of fitting and performance at Ping, designed the manufacturer’s 410 driver, and used it while shooting 72 and 69 on the opening two days. Rob Labritz, the director of golf at GlenArbor in Bedford Hills, New York, shot 69 yesterday too, a big improvement on Thursday’s 75. And Ryan Vermeer, director of instruction at Happy Hollow in Omaha, Nebraska shot 70-74, saving himself yesterday by making a six-footer on the 18th.

4.30pm BST

Should Brooks Koepka close this out - and as our man Ewan Murray writes, “if he does not successfully defend the Wanamaker Trophy, he will have suffered one of the most serious major capitulations of all time” - he’ll join a star-studded list of multiple PGA champions. Just two solid rounds, and he’ll be popping up at the bottom of this list:

5: Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus
4: Tiger Woods
3: Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead
2: Jim Barnes, Leo Diegel, Denny Shute, Paul Runyan, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Dave Stockton, Ray Floyd, Lee Trevino, Larry Nelson, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, Rory McIlroy

4.20pm BST

The best performer on the back nine this week? No, not Brooks Koepka. It’s the 2002 champion Rich Beem. The 48-year-old veteran barely plays these days, though never turns down his guaranteed invite for this tournament as a former winner. Nobody expected Beem to make the cut, not least the man himself, who assumed he’d be picking up the microphone over the weekend for his usual duties as a very entertaining and informative pundit on Sky Sports. But he came roaring home yesterday, with birdies at 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18. Back in 30, and that’s a best-of-week total over those last nine treacherous holes! He survived the cut by one shot, though might be questioning the sagacity of doing so right now: bogeys at 1, 2, 7, 8, 10 and now 11, and he’s propping up what’s left of the field at +10. Hey, he’ll always have Hazeltine.

4.10pm BST

Here we go, then, folks. It’s a gorgeous day at Bethpage Black. It’s Moving Day! The leading bunch won’t be out for a couple of hours, so let’s while away the time on the relative whimsy of the earlier starters. Rory McIlroy, the pre-tournament second favourite ahead of Brooks Koepka for some reason, was one of those. He just about managed to bodyswerve the cut yesterday with a blistering run of birdies towards the end of his round, at 4, 5, 6 and 8. All hope of winning gone, the shackles off, he’s giving it plenty today. Two big cracks to find the green at the par-five 4th, followed by a 35-foot putt, and that’s an eagle. Then a quite stunning 5-iron into the par-three 8th, a gentle fade that stops 21 inches from the hole. Too little, too late, of course, but it’d be good to see the Players champion finish strongly with next month’s US Open in mind. He’s up to level par.

12.18pm BST

It seems like only yesterday when Gary Woodland set a new record for the best 36-hole score at the PGA Championship, starting 64-66 at Bellerive last August. But Brooks Koepka is rewriting everything. At Bethpage Black - where a combined total of six players finished under par in the 2002 and 2009 US Opens - he’s shot 63-65. That’s overtaken Woodland’s 130 by two; Koepka’s cakewalk is, at 128, the lowest 36-hole total in major-championship history.

It doesn’t end there. Here’s the defending champion’s last five rounds in PGA Championship competition: 63-66-66-63-65. His current seven-shot lead is the largest at this stage in PGA Championship history, knocking Nick Price’s five-shot 36-hole advantage in 1994 out of the park. And putting the tin lid on it, since the 2016 PGA, Koepka’s cumulative score in the majors is 67 under par. This is absurd. Preposterous. Homeric. The man is on a plane of his own right now.

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