The third round of the 2025 PGA Championship is in the books and things are set up for a wild finish on Sunday. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler played phenomenal golf to take a lead, but late on Saturday, it appeared as though Bryson DeChambeau was the one in control.
Then Quail Hollow’s Green Mile took the LIV Golf star down a peg.
As DeChambeau approached the 16th tee, he sat at 8-under with a one-shot lead.
But like so many others, 16 added a stroke to DeChambeau’s card with a bogey five. But it was 17 that truly turned his tournament on its head.
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Considered one of the most difficult par-3s on Tour, the two-time U.S. Open champion sent his tee shot into the drink. He would ultimately card a double and sign for a 2-under 69, bringing him to 5-under overall.
Following his round, DeChambeau detailed what happened at the Green Mile.
“16 didn’t feel like I played that hole terrible,” he said. “Just hit the tee shot a little farther right because I knew the wind was hauling down off the right and I could have hit it through the rough and pushed it out to the right.
“17, hit a great 9-iron exactly the way I wanted to. The wind just pumped it,” DeChambeau said with a straight face.
“Nothing I can do. Wind flipped from being neutral off the right like it was on 4, I believe, and it just was almost straight in and we misjudged that, considering
on 16 we thought it was playing almost a little downwind.”
He could be seen after his tee shot trying to move the ball with his mind. But May the 4th was a couple of weeks ago.
But he remained in a positive mindset as he searches for his first PGA Championship title. When he finished his round, DeChambeau was just three back of Scheffler and in contention.
Then the World No. 1 did what the World No. 1 does, as Scheffler dropped the hammer. He closed his day going 5-under over his final five holes to enter the clubhouse at 11-under.
When Bryson finished his round, he was still in a very positive mindset.
“I’m three back with one round to go in a major championship. So I can’t complain
too much,” DeChambeau said.
One must wonder how he feels now being six back to the world’s best entering Sunday.
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