Follow live: Final round of the PGA Championship

For the 12th-consecutive, and final, season, the FedEx St. Jude Classic will serve as the final tune-up for the U.S. Open this week at TPC Southwind. Next season, the TOUR will return to Memphis but FESJC will be a FedExCup Playoffs event on the new calendar. There is plenty to play for this week as the winner, if not already exempt, will punch a ticket to Shinnecock Hills if this victory pushes him into the OWGR top 60. If that’s not the case I bet the $1.188 million and 500 FedExCup points the winner receives will provide an excellent consolation prize. Memphis has been the site for 60 previous editions and TPC Southwind will play host for the 18th-consecutive season. Playing to a Par-70 at 7,244 yards, the pros will be reintroduced to Champion Bermuda for the first time since Quail Hollow Club in early May. Since a 2004 renovation, TPC Southwind has annually ranked easily inside of the top 15 most difficult courses on TOUR. The last two winners on TOUR who did NOT make a birdie in the final round have both come from this event. Justin Leonard (2005) and Ben Crane (2014) found a way to get the ball in the hole and the tournament trophy on the shelf by surviving on Sunday. I’d suggest having a big lead if that’s the strategy this week! The challenging layout hasn’t seemed to bother two-time reigning champion Daniel Berger. He’s won both times he’s played this event and will look to join an exclusive club of players who have won a TOUR event in three consecutive seasons. He can get some advice from Steve Stricker, who is in the field this week, as he was the last person to complete this feat at the John Deere Classic from 2009-11. Berger joins Leonard as the only players to win this event twice since the 2004 renovation. Berger became just the second player this century to defend and the only player to do so after the 2004 renovation. He used a very similar winning formula to his maiden victory in 2016, as shown above, but his route to the title this time around was significantly different. Beginning in Round 2 he was seven shots back of a trio of leaders on 9-under-par before playing the final two rounds in 8-under to win by one. His 8-under was the co-low total from the weekend and was only matched by Ole Miss junior Braden Thornberry (a), who finished T4. Interestingly enough, those two players had the only two bogey-free rounds in the final round. Berger’s winning total of 270 (-10) was just the 10th double-figure total in the last five years and included 19 birdies against nine bogeys. The course record of 62, set by Woody Austin in 2007, was safe as 64 was the lowest round of the week. Brian Gay’s tournament record of 262 obviously wasn’t sniffed. Gay won by five shots that year and is in the field again this week. Becoming the third first-time TOUR winner in the last four years, Berger played like a season veteran even though he was the second-youngest winner since 1968. His lead was three shots after 36 and 54 holes and his winning total of 13-under 267 was also three better than the pile of studs at T2, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Brooks Koepka, who all signed for 270. Not even a closing-round 63 from Dustin Johnson (5th) could rattle the 2015 Rookie of the Year. Neither would a three-hour rain delay that same afternoon. Playing with his first 54-hole lead and from his first final pairing, gamers saw his class as he fought off those big names and some less-than-perfect conditions. They say the first one is always the toughest and I don’t think I’m going to argue! He didn’t have any pressure to win to qualify for the U.S. Open as he was already inside the OWGR top 50. Of the previous 58 events, only four international players had waltzed into the winner’s circle to claim the biggest prize. Fabian Gomez made it five in 59 as the Argentine posted all four rounds in red figures to sign for 13-under 267 and win by four shots. After Koepka co-led the first round and was one shot alone after 36, Gomez kicked it into gear with 67-66 to win for the first time on TOUR. Koepka’s weekend of 71-70 saw him share third with Mickelson, five shots adrift. Gomez began the week ranked No. 288 in the OWGR so his victory did not qualify him for the U.S. Open the following week. If you’re looking for a first-time TOUR winner, three of the last five (Harris English, Gomez and Berger) have done just that. If you’re looking for a first-timer at the event, I won’t talk you out of that angle this week either as four of the last seven winners (Lee Westwood, Johnson, English and Berger) had never played here before. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 50 in each statistic on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2010 or is a former winner. SG: Tee to Green Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  3  Luke List 12 Henrik Stenson 14 Byeong-Hun An 17 Scott Piercy 18 Tony Finau 27 *Kevin Chappell 35 Chris Kirk 37 *Charles Howell III 39 *Chez Reavie 45 *Phil Mickelson 46 J.B. Holmes 50 *Daniel Berger Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer  1  Henrik Stenson  8  Sam Ryder 10 C.T. Pan 14 Scott Piercy 15 Andrew Putnam 17 *Dustin Johnson 22 *Charles Howell 23 Cameron Percy 31 *Chez Reavie 33 Tony Finau 34 *Michael Thompson 35 Brett Stegmaier 37 Peter Uihlein 40 Byeong-Hun An 42 *Stewart Cink 45 Bronson Burgoon 46 *James Hahn 47 *Matt Jones 49 *Daniel Berger 50 Nate Lashley SG: Off the Tee Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  3  Keith Mitchell  4  Luke List 10 Byeong-Hun An 11 *Kevin Chappell 16 Tom Lovelady 19 Henrik Stenson 20 Hunter Mahan 21 Trey Mullinax 24 *Ryan Palmer 29 *Billy Horschel 33 J.B. Holmes 36 Tony Finau 38 Charles Howell III 39 Corey Conners 40 J.T. Poston 41 Grayson Murray 44 *Chez Reavie 46 *Matt Jones 48 Kiradech Aphibarnrat 49 Sam Saunders Par-5 Scoring Rank  Golfer  1  Kevin Tway  2  Luke List  4  Tony Finau 12 Austin Cook 13 Tom Hoge 14 Chris Kirk 16 Keith Mitchell 20 Brice Garnett 26 *Phil Mickelson 27 Tyrone Van Aswegen 29 Corey Conners 35 C.T. Pan 35 Peter Uihlein 35 *Harris English 38 *Brian Gay 42 Vaughn Taylor 42 Harold Varner III 45 *James Hahn 45 Ben Silverman 50 *Dustin Johnson From 1990 to 2004 TPC Southwind was over ran by bushels of birdies and played as one of the easiest courses on TOUR. The renovation after the 2004 edition changed the direction 180 degrees. The track has rated inside the top five courses in relation to par in the last 12 years with only Augusta National, PGA National, Torrey Pines (South) and The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio claiming that honor. Throw out Gay’s record-setting total in 2009 when he was on absolute fire and the winning score has not exceeded 13-under during the new phase. The course record has also stood since 2007 so there’s nothing easy about this joint. If the test here is to replicate the U.S. Open to a degree I don’t think many will argue. Ron Prichard’s design only possesses two Par-5 holes but players will need to take advantage to wipe squares off their cards. His Zoysia fairways are usually canted in the opposite direction of the dogleg so only proper shots are rewarded. Tee balls that are loose will end up in three inches of Bermuda rough making recovery shots difficult. With 94 bunkers and 10 water hazards lurking every shot has to be given proper attention. Since 2003 no course (sorry TPC Sawgrass) has claimed as many water balls as TPC Southwind, with Nos. 12 and 18 leading the way. In the last five years there have only been 10 players reach double-digits under par and half have won the event so the level of difficulty reflects in scoring. It also doesn’t help scoring when the temperatures are in the 90’s and the humidity is off the charts. The mental and physical test will both be tough this week. There is good news though! The Champion Bermuda greens are usually in perfect shape and roll true up to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. And since this isn’t the U.S. Open the pros will get a reprieve greenside if they keep the ball out of the water. TPC Southwind has chalked up the most hole-outs from off the green on TOUR in recent memory and also sits in the top five of easiest courses to get up-and-down. With green sizes averaging just 5,420 square feet most approach shots finding the putting surface will have a good chance at making par. It’s a difficult track but it’s not hard as evidenced by the recent “new” winners and pros who have won on their first try playing the course in tournament form. This tells me that the greens are stock and not the challenge this week; finding the fairways and the greens will be. The last four winning totals have been either 13 or 10-under par but no players, winner or otherwise, have posted more than 21 birdies for the week. Par is a very solid score this week and it’s obvious a few bogeys will also pop up. This will be the sixth consecutive year that Mickelson uses TPC Southwind for his U.S. Open prep. Last year he finished ninth, six shots back, with a card that included two doubles and a triple. There’s a lesson in there folks! Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention!  NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation.  

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Notes and observations from the wild third round of the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide, where Daniel Summerhays (68) surged into the lead while Jason Dufner (77) swooned, bringing several players into the tournament. Matt Kuchar, the 2013 champion here, shot 67 and was in second at 10 under, three back, while Bubba Watson (68) and Justin Thomas (69) joined Dufner at 9 under. For more coverage from Muirfield Village, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. SUMMERHAYS EYES BREAKTHROUGH Daniel Summerhays, 33, has swung from being completely under the radar to just mostly under the radar. When he left BYU for his Mormon mission to Santiago, Chile, where he perfected his Spanish and swung nothing but a taped-up broom from 2003 to 2005? Totally under the radar. He has been just mostly under the radar during his 10-year career on the PGA TOUR. Until this year. Summerhays came into this week 157th in the FedExCup standings, his best result a T16 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He was working on his swing, but all that work wasn’t showing up in his scores. He was a non-factor. Ironically, a missed cut at last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial sent him to Muirfield Village on a high note. “He called me and said, ‘Bro, I played good, it’s clicking,’â€� said Boyd Summerhays, Daniel’s older brother by four years and also his coach. (He also coaches Tony Finau.) A swing change to improve his iron game was working, and kept working Saturday. Paired with Dufner, whose game was by his own admission “pathetic,â€� Summerhays played his own game and hit a rock-solid 12 of 14 fairways and 15 greens in regulation at Muirfield Village on Saturday, which marked his best performance of the week so far from tee to green. That he is vying for his first win in his 185th career start might be a surprise to some, but not to Boyd or the other members of the small contingent of Utahans on TOUR. Summerhays has finished in the top 100 in the FedExCup for each of the past five seasons, and last year finished T8 at the U.S. Open and third at the PGA Championship. He is sneaky good. He also has some good career mojo in Ohio, having won the Web.com Tour’s 2007 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational at the Scarlett Course at OSU Golf Club. While the world was atwitter over Tiger Woods winning the 2012 Memorial Tournament, Summerhays finished T4. “Last summer was a big deal for me, playing in the final two, three groups at the U.S. Open,â€� he said. “That was probably the most nervous I’ve ever felt. That and trying to keep my job back in 2011 after my rookie year at Q-School.â€� He played through nerves, as well, in contending at the PGA at Baltusrol, won by Jimmy Walker.

“There will definitely be nerves,â€� Summerhays said of his expectations for Sunday’s final round. “I’ll probably hit a few putts with the hands shaking and everything like that. But it’s nothing that I haven’t experienced before.â€� DUFNER FALTERS Jason Dufner could do no wrong while shooting a tournament-record 14 under (65-65) through 36 holes. Alas, Saturday was a reminder that some days are diamonds, some days are stones. “Today was pretty pathetic on all accounts,â€� said Dufner, who bogeyed four of his first five holes, missed a 2 foot, 9 inch putt at the fifth, and ranked -4.799 in strokes gained: putting. “So [I] have to play better tomorrow.â€� After righting the ship to go 1-under from holes 6-10, Dufner laid up at the 11th hole only to spin his approach shot into the water and make double-bogey 7. His sudden struggles gave new life to the chase pack, some of whom were surprised to find themselves back in the tournament. “I will say this: super classy, Duf—he was nothing but class out there, always,â€� Summerhays said. “He was always cheering me on. ‘Good shot. Great job.’ So that’s definitely a good lesson for me to learn. It went about as bad as it could for him today, and he was nothing but class.â€� CALL OF THE DAY BUBBA BACK IN THE MIX Bubba Watson continues to obliterate the back nine at Muirfield Village. One day after he toured the inward nine in 31 strokes, he got through it in 30 strokes to post a third-round 68 and move into position to end his slump. A nine-time TOUR winner and two-time Masters champion, Watson came into this week at 118th in the FedExCup standings. The free-swinging lefty and his caddie Ted Scott have had to stay patient all season, and Saturday was no exception, as Watson made no birdies and shot 38 on the front nine. Then he birdied the 10th hole and eagled the par-5 11th, and the floodgates opened even as he dealt with a heckler for part of the back nine. “We knew that a birdie would come eventually,â€� Watson said, “and somehow it just came in bunches, so it worked out.â€� Watson was second in strokes gained: putting (+2.798) in round three, and is seventh for the week (+3.792). “I feel good,â€� he said. “It’s always nice to have a chance.â€� HAHN SHOOTS ‘DISAPPOINTING’ 65 James Hahn started the day in a tie for 60th place, but after a two-putt birdie at the par-5 15th hole he was 9 under par on the day. He had just reeled off 10 birdies in a span of 13 holes, he seemed to be threatening the course record (61) as he walked to the 16th tee. A young boy held his arm over the rope and urged him to finish strong. Hahn smiled and slapped the kid’s hand and continued onto the tee, out of earshot. “I jinxed him,â€� the boy said. “He jinxed him,â€� the boy’s father said, chuckling and shaking his head. Yep, he jinxed him. Hahn bogeyed 16 and 17 before his 13-foot birdie putt on 18 lipped out, giving him a 65 that left him “disappointed,â€� he said, for what might have been. At 5 under, he is eight off the lead. “I guess any sport is very mental,â€� Hahn said, laughing at the high-five moment. “Walking from 15 to 16, a little kid just kind of gave me a high five and said, ‘You’re going to break the course record today.’ I said [in my head], ‘Are you serious?’ The first time we talked about it the whole day.â€�

The pin at 16 was back-left, and Hahn played it safe but watched as the wind blew his tee shot into the right greenside bunker. He blasted out to just under five feet but missed the putt. “I don’t know how that doesn’t go in,â€� he said.
 He split the fairway at 17, but left his 190-yard approach right of the green. He misjudged the chip shot, his ball rolling 14 feet too far, and bogeyed again. Poised to end on a high note, he watched as his 13-footer for birdie lipped out on 18.

“Those are the ones—it just happened to be a coincidence,â€� Hahn said. “But you never know what would happen if the little kid didn’t call me out. It’s almost like a baseball pitcher and guys saying, ‘Hey, you’re pitching a perfect game! Did you know that?’ It’s like, No.

“He looked like 8, 9, 10 years old. Probably 12 years old. But it’s all fun. We’re here to entertain.â€� ODDS AND ENDS Justin Thomas, tied for third and just four off the lead, would take the FedExCup lead with his fourth victory this season. He is currently third in the FedExCup, 415 points behind leader Dustin Johnson and 10 behind Hideki Matsuyama. Johnson missed the cut, and Matsuyama sits T65. A win comes with 500 FedExCup points. … Kuchar, who won the 2013 Memorial Tournament, would join Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Tom Watson as two-time winners of the tournament. Kenny Perry has won the Memorial three times, while Tiger Woods leads the pack with five victories at Jack’s place. … Rickie Fowler shot what he called a ho-hum even-par 72, remained at 8 under par—and gained a shot on the leader (Summerhays at -13 as opposed to Dufner at -14). Fowler finished second here in his first start in 2010. … Pat Perez, who is 17th on the list to make the U.S. Presidents Cup team that will play at Liberty National Sept. 28-Oct. 1, had a chance to impress captain Steve Stricker as the two played together Saturday. Perez did just that, as they each shot 69. “I like Pat,â€� Stricker said. “I think he’d be great in the team room. He tells you what he thinks. You could tell he wanted to play well today. I told him he’s going to have to go on a good run.â€� … Hideki Matsuyama, David Lingmerth and William McGirt were first-time TOUR winners as they won the last three Memorials, respectively. Of the top 10 on this year’s leaderboard only Summerhays and Jamie Lovemark (70, T6) haven’t won and would keep the streak alive. … Si Woo Kim, who won THE PLAYERS Championship three weeks ago, withdrew after hurting his ankle hitting a bunker shot on the 17th hole. He was 5 over par at the time. … Stewart Cink’s 4-under 68 in round three marked his 54th round of par or better. Another such round Sunday would put him in a tie with three-time Memorial Tournament winner Kenny Perry, at 55. The record belongs to Jay Haas, who has 68 rounds of par or better at this event. SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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