PGA CHAMPIONSHIP DIARY | A normal day? Low, low scoring? We'll take it

Shane Lowery's approach shot on No. 13 during the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.

Oh yes. Shane Lowry. The Irishman toyed with Valhalla, and should've birdied No. 18, the easiest hole on the course, to hold the record for lowest score in a major outright. Having tied the feat, he actually said, "Probably the most disappointed anyone can ever be shooting 62. . . . To be honest, I would have liked it if I had gone home better."

Which tells you about everything you need to know. The tournament lead is shared by Xander Schaueffle and Collin Morikawa, at 15 under. Sahith Theegala is a stroke back. Lowry is two back, with Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland.

"Obviously the course was playing pretty low," Morikawa said. "A lot of guys took it low to climb their way up. I assume tomorrow is going to be the same. It was nice to make that putt on the last and kind of -- I wouldn't say cushion, but to at least be tied for the lead with 18 to go."

Anyone else think it's funny that Morikawa slipped and said he had a cushion when he's tied with Schauffele? One day, Schauffele is going to finish off a major. Maybe Sunday will be that day.

Rory McIlroy studies a putt on No. 13 during the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.

With the sun out and the weekend underway, I spent more time on the course Saturday than I yet have at Valhalla. Which isn't the best way to get the big picture of a tournament. Many great golf writers watch on TV, tough some of them are out walking. Dan Jenkins used to say he covered it from a bar stool.

The crowd was immense. I ventured onto the front nine to see Justin Thomas and others. The bottlenecks were hard to describe. I'd have had a panic attack in one of them had a medical golf cart not needed to get through and the humanity was jarred loose.

I spent a pleasant hour just off the No. 13 green, watching the approach shots and putts on the signature island green.

I wound up seeing a lot of Thomas, not really by design, but I kept trying to get far enough ahead of the top groups to avoid the biggest crowds, and wherever I settled seemed to be where he was headed.

The crowd outside the practice green before the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.

He got warm ovations everywhere he went. And he acknowledged them, sometime subtly. Whatever the crowd has going on is working. He's tied for 10th, five shots back. The concern is that he'll put too much pressure on himself to win the major in his hometown. Perhaps the last major in his hometown.

The best route might be to continue enjoying the love, and let the golf take care of itself. But I'm no golf coach. I don't even play one on television.

On the Scottie Scheffler front, it was a rough day. He shot an even-par 71, which on a day when the scores were going low, seems like a loss. But he's sitting at seven-under for the tournament. At one point, reading a putt on No. 18, squatting, Scheffler put his hand over his face and for just a second, looked like he was a bit wrung out. The week no doubt has taken a toll, and not just the arrest. Fatherhood. The emotions of it all.

In terms of news, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg told WDRB Saturday morning that the officer who arrested Scheffler did not have a working body cam. Not a surprise. For many reasons, but chief among which is that the officer was there to help investigate an accident scene. Not a high priority for body cam use. I still expect prosecutors to dispatch with this case pretty quickly.

Scottie Scheffler takes a moment before putting on No. 18 during the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.

On the picture front, for a guy who took pictures all day, I can't say I took anything particularly special. That's how it goes sometimes. I shot par. Maybe a little worse. That happens sometimes, too. I was using an Canon RF 100-500 lens from Murphy's Camera. The lens performed better than the operator, perhaps.

I've been looking forward to Sunday, because I've been told I'll get to be inside the ropes. Hopefully that's the case, and I can shoot a little bit better. I may not shoot a 62, but one can hope.

Sometimes, normal days aren't bad. And after what we experienced on Friday, we'll all take it.

Rick Bozich chronicled Justin Thomas' day and wrote a notebook. David Schuh told the story of Viktor Hovland. I took some pictures, shot a quick standup with Bozich and wrote this, then shuttled off into the sunset.

Finally think about this. My day at Valhalla began on a media shuttle with 85-year-old Art Spander, longtime San Francisco columnist now writing for his own website, arrtspander.com, climbing aboard. He's covered 50 consecutive Masters, 40 Super Bowls, is in the NFL Hall of Fame for his work. And he's writing a lot better stuff than you're reading here.

It ended with word that D. Wayne Lukas, 88, had won the Preakness Stakes.

A couple of guys playing the back nine, as my dad likes to say. There's something to be said for finishing strong.

We'll find that out again Sunday at Valhalla.

2024 PGA Championship Coverage:

• BOZICH | Scheffler's attorney says traffic chaos, miscommunication led to golfer's arrest
• PGA players react to arrest of Scottie Scheffler, and pre-dawn traffic fatality at Valhalla
• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler charged with felony assault of police at accident scene outside Valhalla
• IMAGES | Scottie Scheffler draws huge crowd on 2nd round of PGA Championship at Valhalla

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.