US PGA: Jim Furyk leads by one shot after the third round at Oak Hill
American veteran Jim Furyk has a one-shot lead going into the final round of the US PGA Championship.
Last Updated: 12/08/13 12:34am
Overnight leader Jason Dufner is Furyk's closest pursuer but Swedish duo Henrik Stenson and Jonas Blixt are right in contention, while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy are six shots back and not completely out of the running.
Furyk began the day two shots off the pace and suffered early setbacks, dropping shots at the second and third.
But his putter soon heated up and birdies at four, eight, 10 and 12 saw him storm back up the leaderboard.
He dropped a shot at 15 but bounced back with a fine birdie on the ultra-tough par four 17th to reach nine-under and added a brave up and down par at 18 to put himself in pole position to win the second major of his career.
Dufner finds water
Dufner started with four pars and led by three at one point as his rivals faltered but he found water at five and made a double-bogey six.
However, he was solid after that, dropping a shot at eight but making birdies at seven and 10, and then making a good par save at the last for a 71.
The in-form Stenson is a shot further back on seven-under after a steady 69 while his compatriot Blixt shot a hugely impressive 66 to reach six-under and stand alone in fourth.
The Swede had finished his second round poorly but was immaculate here, making four birdies and not carding a single bogey.
A level-par round of 70 kept Steve Stricker at five-under and he is alongside Masters champion Adam Scott, a double-bogey at 16 chiefly to blame for his slightly disappointing 72.
Westwood and McIlroy make progress
Next come Westwood and McIlroy, who could thrust themselves right into contention with good rounds on Sunday after making progress up the leaderboard to finish six shots back, at three-under.
Having finished with a flourish on Friday to make the cut, McIlroy played the first 12 holes of his third round in level par but birdied 13, holed from 50 feet for another on 17, and then chipped in on 18 to card a 67.
Westwood had three birdies and a bogey to go out in 33 and matched two birdies with two bogeys coming home to finish with a 68.
Dustin Johnson shot a brilliant 65 and he is in a group of three at two-under, alongside fellow Americans Kevin Streelman and Roberto Castro.
But US Open champion Justin Rose, who began the day just three shots off the pace, endured a nightmare round, making two double-bogeys as he played the first five holes in six over par and finishing at one-over after a 77.
Tiger Woods went round in a mediocre 73 to finish on four over and is set to go another year without adding to his collection of 14 major titles while Open champion Phil Mickelson is next-to-last among the cut-makers after an ugly 78 left him at 10-over.