CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The closest competitor to PGA Championship leader Scottie Scheffler is a 42-year-old from Sweden who’s played only four PGA Tour rounds all year because of a hamstring tendon injury.
That would be Alex Noren, who’s 8-under par and three shots behind Scheffler after shooting a 5-under-par 66 on Saturday.
Noren, ranked No. 72 in the world, has played in 184 PGA Tour events without a victory, having finished runner-up three times.
He has, however, won 10 times on the DP World Tour.
“It feels good,’’ Noren said of being in contention. “I got it together.’’
While shelved with the injury, he’s been spending time with his family and coaching his daughter’s softball games.
“It was a lot easier to have this break when I’m 42 than when I was younger,’’ he said. “As soon as I kind of could play, I thought I was in sort of the same form I was in before I got injured. I’m fortunate to be in this position this early.’’
He called the injury a “bad injury’’ as far as golf, but it allowed him to live a normal life at home.
“But I couldn’t swing a club, I couldn’t jump or run,’’ he said. “I could walk kind of slowly and live a normal life. I could coach my kids. Spent a lot of time with the family. It’s been quite nice.’’
Now he has a chance to capture the biggest victory of his life on Sunday if he can chase down Scheffler.
Of the past 40 PGA Championships, 37 of the winners were within four shots of the lead entering the final round. If that holds to form on Sunday, that would mean only Noren, Davis Riley and J.T. Poston have a chance to catch Scheffler.
The only time that Noren has entered the final round of a major championship among the top five on the leaderboard was at the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (T-5 after 54, finished T-19).
Keegan Bradley closed his third round going par on 16, par on 17 and birdie on 18 — 1-under-par through the treacherous “Green Mile’’ finishing stretch.
That got him to 5-under par, six shots off the lead entering Sunday’s final round.
“Proud of the way I finished up those last three holes,’’ Bradley said. “I think are the toughest three finishing holes in the world. What a way to finish.’’
The mud ball issue has not gone away for the week.
“You have to really hang tough, because there’s still wicked mud balls out there,’’ Bradley said.” I had a couple that were violent. You’ve just got to hang tough.’’
Saturday was the first time in Scheffler’s major championship career that he shot the outright best round of the day (65).
Scheffler, who has shot 69-68-65 this week, is the ninth player overall, and first since Dustin Johnson in 2020, to shoot in the 60s in the first round of a PGA Championship and then improve his score in both the second and third rounds.
Scheffler has been the 54-hole leader in a major two previous times (2022 and 2024 Masters, winning both).
He has been in the final group of a major championship three previous times (2022 and 2024 Masters and 2020 PGA Championship).
The only major championship in which Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm all were among the top 10 on the leaderboard entering the final round of a major championship was at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
