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Walker battles back into US PGA lead
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Walker battles back into US PGA lead

Jimmy Walker will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the US PGA Championship after a brilliant back nine moved him ahead of defending champion Jason Day at Baltusrol Golf Club.

Jimmy Walker

Both players were facing 36 holes on Sunday after heavy rain and storms washed out half of the previous day and, while the rain continued to pour down in New Jersey, they both kept their composure to register impressive third rounds.

Walker began the third round two shots ahead of Day but trailed the World Number One by two shots at the turn before coming home in 32 to get to 11 under and open up a slender advantage.

Jason Day

Day's bogey-free 67 put him in an excellent position to defend his title, while Open champion Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka were at nine under, two shots clear of Robert Streb, William McGirt and Hideki Matsuyama.

Due to the lost time on Saturday, the fourth round had got under way at 8.40am and 2008 champion Padraig Harrington was making a move with two birdies in his first seven holes to get to six under.

That put him alongside Branden Grace, Webb Simpson and Daniel Summerhays who were all yet to begin their final circuit.

Walker made bogeys on the third and fifth and although he picked that shot back up on the next, a bogey on the eighth meant he had gone from two ahead to two behind the lead in nine holes.

He came to life on the back nine, though, putting his approach on the 11th to six feet and then holing from 27 feet on the next. Another sensational approach and an excellent nervy left-to-righter on the 15th got him to double figures for the second time this week before he took advantage of the last.

Henrik Stenson

"I just made a couple of loose swings," said Walker. "Finally I settled in and said, 'Let's hit a good shot into six'. I did and it felt good and I said, 'Man, I'm swinging at it good. Let's just keep trusting that'. And finally after that I started making some really quality golf swings, shots right at the flag, good ball control, good distance control, so it felt good."

Day rolled in a 74-foot putt for birdie on the sixth and when he made another gain on the ninth he had a two-shot lead. But eight straight pars were to follow as the field reeled him in before a closing birdie.

"I played pretty good today," said Day. "I gave myself some opportunities out there to really shoot a low one but unfortunately didn't really take them.

"We've got one round to go so there's still a lot of golf to be played. Jimmy got in at 11 so we're all chasing him.

It would be nice to go back to back but I'm really trying to focus just to get that one foot in front of the other and go from there - Jason Day

Stenson is looking to win a second Major Championship in 14 days after his brilliant victory at Royal Troon and he made an excellent start as he put his approach to the third hole to four feet.

When he bogeyed the tenth he was three off the lead but another approach to four feet on the 11th gave him the shot straight back and further birdies on the 14th and last got him back in contention.

Koepka has been struggling with an ankle injury and had not played since withdrawing from the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational at the start of the month but he was bogey-free with birdies on the second, 12th, 15th and last.

Tyrrell Hatton fired a 66 to sit at five under, a shot clear of a group including Grégory Bourdy, Scott Hend, Martin Kaymer and World Number Three Jordan Spieth.

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