Five storylines going into Sunday at the PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky – Valhalla Golf Club knows how to produce drama. The last time it was the stage for a PGA Championship Sunday, Rory McIlroy reigned supreme in the dark. Fourteen years before that, Tiger Woods outdueled Bob May in an epic final-round slugfest.

What will Valhalla provide this time around? It’s certainly set up for heroics. Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are tied atop the leaderboard at 15-under, with six more players within three shots of the lead.

Here are five big storylines going into the final round of the PGA Championship.

1. Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele should be comfortable in contention

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, the co-leaders at 15-under, won’t have to think back too far to remember the last time they were in contention in a big moment.

Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler were in the last group Sunday at the Masters Tournament in April, but Morikawa shot a final-round 74 to tie for third as Scheffler won.

Although Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship almost immediately after turning pro, he’s had a bit of a lull since then.

“Yeah, I'm going to tap in just kind of that mental state I've been in,” he said. “Not only those two (major victories), but in other tournaments I've played well in. I think the goal for me tonight before my tee time is just to be as mentally sharp by that first hole.”

At Augusta, he said, he could have done with some more self-talk before starting the round. As a result, he said, he wasn’t mentally sharp and a couple bad holes took him out of the tournament.

Schauffele, who has not won since the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, had the final-round lead as recently as last Sunday, when he was the frontrunner at the Wells Fargo Championship before being overtaken by a surging Rory McIlroy and left in the dust over their final nine holes. What’s more, Schauffele also has eight straight top-20 finishes in the majors, the most on TOUR, but is seeking his first trophy to go with his seven TOUR wins and a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He also has shot two 62s, the lowest score ever in a major, but the first time he did so, in the first round at last summer’s U.S. Open, he faded to a tie for 10th.

All of which begged the question of whether he might be helped by playing with no lead to protect at Valhalla, and whether it might free him up to know he needs to stay aggressive.

“No, you want the lead,” Schauffele said. “Against these guys, you want as many shots as you can possibly take, no matter how nerve-racking it can be.”

2. Can a resurgent Viktor Hovland capture major No. 1?

Viktor Hovland entered the week in the wilderness. He may end the week with his first major championship.

The reigning FedExCup champion has struggled mightily to replicate his breakthrough 2023 campaign. Ahead of the PGA Championship, Hovland had yet to finish inside the top 15 in any event this season and was outside the top 80 in the FedExCup.

Returning to swing coach Joe Mayo might be the perfect course correction. Hovland rekindled his relationship with Mayo last week, traveling to Las Vegas for instruction. With Mayo’s help, Hovland won three times during the 2022-23 PGA TOUR season, hoisted the FedExCup trophy and had his best opportunity to win a major at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. But the two parted ways over the offseason as Hovland sought a different direction.

Hovland’s time away from Mayo was primarily spent trying to achieve heightened control. He left the 2023 season unsure whether his play was sustainable. He felt the way he swung it in 2020 and 2021 was more conducive to the consistency he craved. He started working with Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist and went down “other rabbit holes.” His willingness to scour for answers, wherever they may come from, is part of what has made Hovland great. It also appeared to be the catalyst for Hovland’s performance dip.

And in his first tournament back with Mayo, Hovland has shined. The Norweigan is two shots back entering the final round of the PGA Championship. Hovland shot a bogey-free 66 on Saturday. A well-rounded game has propelled him. Hovland ranks inside the top 30 in every strokes gained category (off-the-tee, approach, around the green and putting). That’s a roadmap for success.

3. Can anyone get major No. 2?

Any major championship victory is career-defining. For some, it’s the long-awaited validation of an impressive career. For others, it’s a stepping stone to greater heights. But the list of major champions is long. In total, 232 golfers have won a major, and history looks upon more than a few as flukes.

A few contenders at this year’s PGA Championship have the chance to join the more exclusive club of multi-time major winners, a category free of doubt and full of generational golfers. Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau are all in contention entering Sunday’s final round. All would capture major No. 2 with a victory. Fair or not, the jump from one major to two is drastic in the eyes of history… and its players. Of the 232 golfers to win a major championship, only 87 (roughly 38%) have won two.

“To win multiple, you're kind of a bit of a different level,” Lowry said after a historic third-round 62 that tied the lowest round ever at a major. The Irishman won the 2019 Open Championship.

Nothing is deserved in golf, but Rose, 43, has the requisite accolades – 23 worldwide victories, six Ryder Cup appearances and an Olympic gold medal – of a multi-time major winner. He claimed his lone major victory at the 2013 U.S. Open.

“That's what's motivating me to stick with it and keep working hard is to try to give myself like the Indian summer of my career,” said Rose, 12-under after a Saturday 64. “Try to still steal one or two of these to really make it a fantastic career.”

Only 18 holes separate one of the three from reaching the next level.

4. After eight straight American winners at the PGA, this leaderboard is a melting pot

The PGA Championship has had eight straight American winners; the last player not born in the United States to raise the Wanamaker Trophy was Jason Day in 2015.

This year’s leaderboard, though, is a melting pot.

Lowry of Ireland shot 62 to reach 13-under par, two off the lead. Hovland of Norway shot 66 and is also 13-under. Rose of England (64, 12-under) and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland (66, 12-under) aren’t too far back to win.

Lowry and Rose played together – along with 2015 PGA champion Day (69, 6-under) – and racked up 10 birdies between them on the first eight holes. Who had the honor?

“Yeah, me,” Rose said. “Shane was like, ‘Geez, I can't get the honor.’ I thought it would be nice to make bogey up No. 9. He was getting a bit irritated.”

Added Lowry, who missed a birdie putt for a record 61 at the last, “I went out there with a job to do today, and my job was to try to get myself back in the tournament, and I definitely did that.”

The top three players on this year’s leaderboard are Americans but are a portrait of Southern California multiculturalism, adding to the melting-pot vibe at this PGA.

Morikawa (67, 15-under, co-leader), who grew up in Los Angeles, has Chinese and Japanese ancestry. Schauffele (68, 15-under), of San Diego, has Japanese and German ancestry. Sahith Theegala, who grew up in Orange, California, has Indian heritage.

“I haven't been in this spot before,” said Theegala, whose chip-in birdie at the 15th hole was the highlight of his 5-under-par 31 on the back nine. “My other nice spot in a major was a mega back door. Didn't really get in the top 5, two holes left in the tournament.

“It's going to be a different feel tomorrow,” he continued. “I felt a lot of those feelings today and was able to overcome the nerves and stick to my process.”

Also in the top 10 going into Sunday: Dean Burmester of South Africa (68, 11-under, four back) and Thomas Detry of Belgium (70, 10-under).

5. Is there another record round out there?

Valhalla has already yielded two of the lowest scores in major championship history. Schauffele and Lowry tied the major championship scoring record with rounds of 62s. Schauffele’s came in the first round, grabbing a lead he hasn’t relinquished, while Lowry shot up the leaderboard on Saturday with a 62 that included 161 feet of made putts.

In most major championships, any golfer who hopes to win on Sunday must enter the day within a few shots. Per Justin Ray, 40 of the last 41 men's major winners have been within four shots of the lead entering the final round. Twelve of the last 13 PGA Championships were won by a player within two of the lead at the end. The only exception to both was Justin Thomas, who was seven shots back entering the final round of the 2022 PGA Championship.

That suggests there are only a few genuine contenders. But very few majors have produced scores like this.

The cut settled at 1-under on Saturday morning, the third time in major championship history that it was under par. The other two instances occurred at The Open Championship (1990, 2006). It’s just the second time a major championship has featured two 62s (2023 U.S. Open). So, while the odds may be low, plenty of golfers on Sunday believe they could make history.

“I feel like I have done the most important part of putting myself at least within striking distance,” said Thomas, who is 10-under and five shots back after a Saturday 67. “I'm going to need a really good front nine tomorrow to work my way in the mix.”

It’ll take a really good back nine, too. Let’s see if someone can conjure it.