TIGER WOODS emerged from a punishing fitness test with his hopes of a 15th Major title still alive.
But he will need still need to go into overdrive today to catch double US Open champion Brooks Koepka, who will start a hot favourite to land his second Major victory of the year.
ROUND THREE LEADERBOARD
1. Koepka -12
2. Scott -10
T3. Rahm -9
T3. Fowler -9
T3. Woodland -9
T6. Woods -8
T6. Cink -8
T6. Day -8
T6. Thomas -8
T6. Lowry -8
T6. Schwartzel -8
At least Woods knows he can throw everything at Koepka, who is four clear of Tiger and holds a two-shot lead over second-placed Adam Scott.
If there were any problems with his back following his spinal fusion surgery they would surely have surfaced as he tackled 29 holes in energy-sapping 32C temperatures at Bellerive.
But he came through with flying colours. Despite missing a couple of short putts for par he managed to finish off his storm-delayed second round with a four under par 66 – his lowest round in the USPGA Championship for eleven years.
That was his best score since he fired a second round 63 on the way to the last of his four wins in this event in 2007.
SUNDAY TEE TIMES (BST)
6.55pm – F.Molinari, Kisner
7.05pm – Schwartzel, Seri
7.15pm – Thomas, Lowry
7.25pm – Cink, Day
7.35pm – Woodland, Woods
7.45pm – Rahm, Fowler
7.55pm – Koepka, Scott
And he matched it in the third round 66, despite being rushed back onto the course after a short turnaround – and changing his short no fewer than four times as he lived up to his claim that he sweats more than anyone in golf!
Woods will also have to find a way to play the back nine at Bellerive with the same flair he has shown over the opening nine holes.
He is ten under par for the opening stretch, and two over for the homeward holes.
That discrepancy proved even more frustrating after his brilliant start to the third round. And a three-putt on the long 17th when he had less than 20 feet for eagle was a body blow.
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It was all so different early on. Woods birdied the opening hole by draining a 16 footer for birdie – amazingly, that is the longest putt he has holed all week.
He knocked his approach at the second inside five feet, and the roars that echoed around the course told all his rivals that Tiger was on the charge – just as he was at the Open last month.
Woods snatched the outright lead on the back nine at Carnoustie before slipping back into a share of sixth place.
He picked up two more shots to move to within two shots of the lead at eight under par this time – but the snag was the leaders still had plenty of birdie opportunities to come, and Koepka in particular was determined to make the most of them.
One multiple Major winner who will not be adding to his haul is Rory McIlroy. A ragged one over par 71 saw him slip outside the top 40.
But Matt Wallace earned a Woods-style roar when he bagged a hole in one at the 232 yard 16th.
That helped him bag a two under par 68, and at five under he was hovering around the top twenty, with fellow Englishmen Ian Poulter and Eddie Pepperell on the same mark.