Golf:German Martin Kaymer led the USPGA Championship — final major of the golfing year — by two shots with eight holes to play at a windswept Whistling Straits. And it had as much to do with the collapse of overnight leader Nick Watney as his own play.
Watney was three clear with a round to go, but double-bogeyed the opening hole and triple-bogeyed the short seventh after pushing his tee shot into the rocks and from there into Lake Michigan.
With 21-year-old Rory McIlroy managing only a one-over 37 to the turn — it could have been much worse and he had kept himself in it — Kaymer’s birdies at the second, fourth and 10th made him the man to catch.
The 25-year-old was 12 under par, but McIlroy’s matching birdie on the 10th brought him back alongside former winner Steve Elkington, now 47, and big-hitting American left-hander Bubba Watson in second place.
McIlroy, who resumed three behind Watney, scrambled well early on, but then bogeyed the fourth following a bad drive. He got that shot back on the seventh, but bogeyed the next.
Watney, all the way down to joint 11th, also bogeyed the fourth, eighth and ninth in a nightmare outward 43.
His playing partner Dustin Johnson had every sympathy. He was three in front after 54 holes of the US Open in June and shot 82 to let in Graeme McDowell. Johnson this time retained his hopes of making amends by matching McIlroy’s one-over effort going out.
In the separate battle for the Ryder Cup places, England’s Paul Casey produced his best round in a long time and would have set the clubhouse lead until he bogeyed the last, where he lipped out with an 18-foot chip.
As a result he shared 11th spot with world number two Phil Mickelson, who had posted six under with a best-of-the-day 67, and had to wait to see if that was enough to lift him into an automatic qualifying spot for the US team.
Casey then confirmed that, like Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose and probably Luke Donald as well, he will not be crossing the Atlantic for the race-ending Johnnie Walker Championship.
It could leave captain Colin Montgomerie having to pick only three of them for October’s match at Celtic Manor.
“I talked to Monty and he was happy with that,” said Casey. “I said I would not be there. I think he knew — he looked and sort of knew the answer already. It’s a very difficult one and I would be devastated to miss out, but I’ve made my decision and stand by it.”
As for Tiger Woods, a 73 left him in a tie for 27th. He definitely needs a Ryder Cup wild card now, but was due to hold on to his world number one spot unless nearly all the players ahead of Mickelson fell away over the closing stretch.
Earlier Ian Poulter pulled out ahead of his final round today with a chest infection. The Ryder Cup, of course, is still six weeks away and the top-scorer two years ago has done enough already to be sure of qualifying.
Poulter — and Rose — practised with Stenson on Tuesday just hours after the Swede had had more tests for a condition that has been bothering him since The Open a month ago.
It was even thought Stenson, joint third at St Andrews, might have viral pneumonia, but even though he got a negative on that his own Ryder Cup hopes have probably been ended by shooting 20 over par for last place in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and missing the cut by 10 strokes on 11 over this week.
Poulter is due back in action at the first event of the FedEx Cup play-off series on Thursday week. By then Montgomerie will have a clearer picture of where he stands with his three captain’s picks.
Rose, Donald and Harrington — with a double bogey on the last — all missed the cut in the final major of the year. There are two weeks of qualifying left, but they and Casey all want to stay in America and the FedEx event does not count for points because it finishes after the race-ending Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Two years ago Poulter had been heavily criticised for not returning to Europe to try to earn a place, and by picking him and Casey captain Nick Faldo could not select either in-form Darren Clarke or Montgomerie.
It could cost Europe again, but while Harrington insists the match is next in importance to him after the majors he does not intend to change his schedule.
“The Ryder Cup does come first and I want to play well in the Ryder Cup,” said the Dubliner. “There is no point burning myself out.”