PGA Championship Live: Round 4

With Connel Barrett
August 15, 2010


What kind of odds could you have gotten for Phil to tie/beat Watney (this AM)

Agreed, Brian. I'm interested to hear Watney's post-round comments. (He's currently 6-under.) Did the pressure get to him? Just one of those days? He didn't appear terribly tight, based on his pratice-session ball-striking and body language. But once you get between the ropes, pressure does bad, bad things. I think guys like Jack, Tiger -- you know, the greats -- are freaks of nature. They actually like the pressure.

5:19pm -- Kaymer's 4-footer for birdie on 12 singes the left edge. Ooooooh. Par, when birdie was expected. He stays one ahead of Watson.

5:16pm -- Bubba pulls within one, birdie on 14, his second straight. He's no. 1 with a mullet.

5:14pm -- Kaymer got up and down on no. 11, an escape worthy of Wisconsin-native Harry Houdini. Kaymer then stuck an iron on the par-3 12th to about four feet. OK, now I'm wavering about the playoff. Kaymer looks tough to catch.

5:11pm -- Let's go to the phones (said in my best Larry King voice). David Crowe chimes in on our message board:

This is easily the most exciting tournament of the year. I can't see how it doesn't end with a playoff - this will make or break a few careers

I agree -- it feels like a playoff looms, David. Though the finish will have to be sublime to top the drama at this year's Masters, what with Phil winning in dramatic style, and Amy being there to greet him. I have yet to reach for the hankie.

5:06pm -- Kaymer's lob is loverly. He'll have 3 to 4 feet for his par on no. 11.

5:03pm -- Kaymer's approach runs through the green on 11 and into a nasty, nesty lie, calling for a funky/delicate pitch-flop. Then, Bubba drops a putt from downtown Sheboygan on no. 13. Birdie! He's two behind. And maybe less, depending on how Kaymer scrambles on 11. (Dang, that Watson putt was longer than his mullet.)

5:00pm -- Unforced error from Kaymer, who drew a nice lie in the rough off the 11th fairway but laid it up into the right rough. Still, it looks like he has another reasonable lie. Meanwhile, up ahead on the green, Elk makes a brilliant par-saving putt from 8 feet to remain 2 behind, at 10-under.

4:55pm -- Mac is back! He makes birdie on no. 10 from 10 feet, to get back to 10-under and even on his final round.

4:54pm -- Kaymer makes a loose swing with driver on the par-5 11th, but he gets a little lucky: His ball avoids a bunker and appears to have a good lie.

4:51pm -- I say this every time I live-blog a major, but it bears repeating. Feherty likes to talk about the difference between major winners and pretenders: The winners love the spot light. They feel comfortable in the big moment. Think back to McDowell laughing and talking to the cameras on the 72nd hole at Pebble, or King Louis' cool serenity last month at the Old Course. Right now, Kaymer seems completely comfortable. He looks like he wants the responsibility of winning a major. We shall see...

4:49pm -- Kaymer's birdie putt on no. 10 falls dead center. A perfect stroke. He would have made it if the cup was half the size. He's bogey-free on his day, and has a two-shot lead. He'll be very tough to beat coming in. The 25-year-old has shown no Watney-esque signs of nerves. Based on the way he's playing, someone's gonna have to come and get him.

4:45pm -- Cool shot: Kaymer strokes a bitey, three-quarter wedge inside of 20 feet on no. 10. He's playing like a man who knows how to win a major. With five wins on the European Tour, he knows how to close out a big tournament. Johnson overcooks his approach on 9, from the rough. With a flyer lie, it bounces into the back rough. A big mistake with a 9-iron.

4:40pm -- The steady German Martin Kaymer downshifts to a 3-wood off no. 10 tee and stripes it nicely, finding the right side of the fairway. A smart play off the tee.

4:38pm -- 47-year-old Elkington makes birdie on no. 10, to get to 10-under, in second alone! Leaning heavily on his short game, Rory bumps his chip on no. 9 to a few inches, to stay at 9-under. And Zach Johnson just joined Elk at 10-under, burying a long-distance birdie on no. 10.

4:35pm -- I feel like we're watching three majors in one: U.S. Open brutality with a British Open layout for the PGA Championship title.

4:32pm -- Brutal course setup + high winds + Sunday pressure = doubles and triples. Case in point: Jason Day, who just dang-near whiffed his greenside pitch from the rough on 9, then gouged his fourth shot onto the green, 18 feet past. A likely double-bogey for the man currently in second.

4:27pm -- Leader Kaymer found rough on no. 9 and left his second short of the green but in the fairway. He'll have a good look at getting up and down to stay in the lead at 11-under, a shot ahead of Jason Day.

4:23pm -- And a scramblin' Rory Mac can't salvage another par putt save. He makes bogey on no. 8.

4:22pm -- On 7, Johnson mis-reads his par putt. It misses left. Bogey. "A lot of guys bought a ticket for a trainwreck" on 7, Faldo says. Watney makes his three-footer for triple on 7, dropping down to 8-under, three shots out of the lead.

4:19pm -- Oh, Nick. From a hinky, sandy lie right of the green, Watney fails to reach the surface. His fourth finally reaches the back of the 7th green. He's looking at a soul-crushing triple-bogey.

4:16pm -- Watney's now considering whether to take a lateral drop near the rocks where his ball entered Lake Michigan, or to re-tee it. Stand by! Meanwhile on no. 10, Bubba pulls his birdie putt that would have gotten him to 10-under. And Furyk makes bogey on no. 9 to drop to 8-under. On no. 8, Jason Day will have to work for his 5-foot par putt to stay at 10-under.

4:13pm -- Watney pumps his tee shot on no. 7 way right into the Great Lake. Splash. A very awkward silence follows. Cue Feherty from the gallows: "It's a lateral, I believe. You can drop it in Michigan."

4:10pm -- Rory Mac rolls it in, for birdie on no. 10. He throws in a subtle fist-pump. He's one behind.

4:09pm -- Rory's hole high on the par-3 7th, about 12 feet away. A good look at birdie. Back on no. 18, Tiger holes out for his 73. He'll finish the year without a major victory at Augusta, Pebble, St. Andrews and here --  which seemed unthinkable one year ago.

4:05pm -- Watney curls his birdie into the left side of the cup on no. 6, pulling him into a share of the lead with Kaymer.

4:03pm -- Watney pulls putter for his second on no. 6 and smacks it 10 feet past the hole, which he'll have left for his birdie.

4:02pm -- The 500-yard par-4 finishing hole is currently playing at a punishing 4.8 scoring average, Sir Nick tells us.

4:00pm -- Rory Mac is a bit off his game thus far today, missing a fairly easy 6-footer for birdie on no. 6. Par for Mac. He remains one-over on his round and birdie-free. Off the tee on no. 6, both Watney and Johnson pull driver and find the fairway left and short of the green. Well placed shots. They both have nice looks at getting up-and-down for birdies on the short par 4.

3:56pm -- Kaymer's game looks major-ready! He left his tee shot on no. 7 short of the green, but a cozy little chip will leave a gimme tap-in par, to remain in the lead.

3:54pm -- I do believe that if Elk finds a way to win today, at age 47, he'll be the oldest major winner since Jack at the '86 Masters, at age 46.

3:51pm -- Elk lips out for birdie on no. 7! He'll tap in for par.

3:49pm -- Watney's 12-footer for birdie on no. 5 runs of out fuel. Par for Watney on the par-5. Meanwhile, Kaymer taps in for par on no. 6. Back on on the fifth, Johnson drains his short birdie putt on no. 5 to get back to 10-under.

3:47pm -- Talk about "old school!" Elkington (47) has a putt on no. 7 to get to 10-under, to join his fellow frost-top Jim Furyk (40) in second place. Not bad for a couple guys who likely spent the morning watching "Matlock" reruns.

3:41pm -- "Old Man" Furyk is showing these young whippersnappers a thing or two. He's snuck into a tie for second place, at 10-under (along with Watney.)

3:39pm -- Lost opportunity for Rory, who was just over the green in two on the par-5 fifth. A poor chip and poor putt will likely lead to a par for the big-hitting Rory Mac, who had to be thinking no worse than birdie.

3:36pm -- True fact: Watney is a huge fan of hip-hop music. So, time for a pep-talk! He should remember that sometimes in golf, "It Takes Two" putts (Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock), and off the tee you may "Push It" (Salt-n-Pepa), because major pressure can make for a "Hard Knock Life" (Jay Z). But if he can "Keep Ya Head Up" (2 Pac), even if he finds a "Juicy" (Notorious B.I.G.) lie in the rough, he can still win, which is "All About the Benjamins" (Puff Daddy w/ Lil Kim, the Lox and Notorious B.I.G.)

3:34pm -- We have a new sole leader: Martin Kaymer, at 11-under.

3:31pm -- Watney misses a tough 15-footer on no. 4. He'll make bogey. Feherty says of that putt, "It was easier to read the last health-care bill."

3:29pm -- OK, correction! Watney found sand, not rough. From a good 60 yards, Watney hits a nice bunker shot and leaves himself 15 feet uphill for his par on no. 4 to remain in the lead.

3:27pm -- Yikes. Watney just wiped a high cut way right into some deep, nasty stuff with his second shot on the par-4 fourth. I can't imagine him saving par from what must be an underground lie. Johnson also leaves his approach well short of the green, though in the fairway.

3:24pm -- Can Watney keep it together, after that double-bogey start? His mental-game instructor Mo Pickens -- a smart guy who I've had the chance to interview -- no doubt would remind his man that he's still leading the PGA Championship, and to focus on the next shot, forgetting about what happened at No. 1.

3:21pm -- At last, Rory Mac's short game can't salvage another par, as he makes bogey following a poor chip on the par-4 fourth.

3:19pm -- Well, he won't become the World No. 1, but Phil taps in for a sweet 67, to finish at 6-under.

3:15pm -- Watney's birdie putt on no. 3 trundles left of the hole. He'll tap in for par. Meanwhile, Johnson's 5-footer for par burns the edge. Bogey for Johnson, who drops into second place.

Watney and Kaymer share the lead.

3:13pm -- Kaymer joins the leaders at 11-under, making birdie on the 4th hole. It's getting awfully crowded up there.

3:11pm -- Rory's the pick of Golf Magazine contributing teacher A.J. Bonar. "I really like Rory because he not only has all the shots, but he believes he was meant to win majors," Bonar says. "He's entitled. And he loves links-type courses. I think Rory wins his first major today."

3:09pm -- Another escape for Rory Mac! He pours in a 5-footer for par on the par-3 third hole, after a brilliant bunker shot. He's even on the day.

3:07pm -- Co-leaders Johnson and Watney both tap in for pars on no. 5. But there are eight players within two shots of the lead.

3:05pm -- Bubba makes eagle on no. 5, getting him to 9-under, just two off the lead.

3:03pm -- Wow. What a start. I did not see that three-shot swing coming. And Watney's up-and-down for par on no. 2 is no gimme.

3:00pm -- With a 6-iron, Johnson scares the cup, then trickles some 25-30 feet left of the second hole. What looked like disaster now is shaping up like a two-putt for par. From 125 yards, Watney's third shot scoots off the left side of the green, onto the collar.  

2:57pm -- Watney chops out of the rough on the par-5 second hole, to find the fairway. Next, from a terrible, tangly lie, Johnson lashes his ball from the rough and back into the fairway. Good recoveries for both leaders.

2:55pm -- And just like that, Phil is only four back! But he's likely out of time. His tee shot on the par-3 17th finds the right-center portion of the green.

2:53pm -- Fore left! Johnson tugs his drive way left on the second hole. Watney follows suit, his ball just trickling into the left rough. McCord: "We're gonna find out real soon what Watney's made of."

2:51pm -- Amazing -- just like Johnson at Pebble Beach at the U.S. Open, Watney looked relaxed and had a great practice session. Everything pointed to a strong start. And just like DJ, disaster struck almost immediately. There's just so much more pressure on Sunday than on Saturday.

2:48pm -- Johnson drains his short birdie putt to tie Watney for the lead. A three-shot swing! Wow. Just like that, we have co-leaders.

2:46pm -- Watney's 6-foot bogey putt slides by the right side. Double for the leader. His 3-shot lead is now one... and Johnson has a birdie putt.

2:44pm -- After putting his second shot into a greenside bunker on no. 1, Watney dumps it into the rough. Danger! Danger! Bogey or double?

2:42pm -- We should discuss the World Golf Rankings situation. Phil has clawed his way into a current tie for 13th, while Woods is now tied for 34th. According to the rankings, here's how Phil can take over as World No. 1 by day's end: Phil wins. (Highly unlikely but not impossible.) Phil finishes second, and Tiger's outside the top 3. Phil finishes third and Tiger's outside the top 11. Most feasible: Phil finishes fourth and Tiger finishes outside the top 46.

Hmmm. Stay tuned.

2:39pm -- Rory Mac conjured a sickeningly good bunker shot from 40 yards, knocking it to a couple feet and tapping in for par -- when bogey or double seemed very likely. A great escape for the 21-year-old Northern Irishman.

2:37pm -- Wisely pulling fairway wood, Watney appears to find the right side of the first fairway. Three shots back, Dustin Johnson pulls driver and rips it right down the middle. "That's ridiculous!" Faldo says. It's Sunday, Nick. Thou shalt not covet.

2:35pm -- Whoa! A rough start for Rory Mac, who just sent his approach shot over the first green, and into the back bunker -- after hitting driver into a fairway bunker. Bogey seems very possible.

2:32pm -- Don't be shy with questions, comments and/or epithets. I'll get to as many as I can.

2:31pm -- Hey, golf fans. Welcome to Sunday at the PGA. I've be live-blogging the entire final round, slaving over a hot keyboard just for you.(You're welcome.) I'm psyched! It's a fascinating leaderboard, with the poised-beyond-his-29-years Nick Watney looking to hold his 3-shot lead. Can he do it? Let's find out.

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