Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesJustin Thomas walks from the 11th tee during the third round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.CHARLOTTE — Earlier this year Justin Thomas entered the final round of the U.S. Open just a stroke off the lead of Brooks Koepka. Thomas bogeyed three of his first five holes, Koepka birdied his first two and, well, that was that.
Sunday, Thomas enters the final round of the 99th PGA Championship just two back of leader Kevin Kisner, playing in the second-to-last group with Hideki Matsuyama.
“Just patience,” Thomas said of what he learned from the first experience that he thinks will help him in the second.
It’s such a cliché. Golf and its players are full of clichés. Thomas isn’t full of patience. What 24-year-old is?
RELATED: Winners & Losers from Saturday at Quail Hollow
What Thomas is full of, though, is game. He’s long off the tee and one of the game’s better ball-strikers. He has already won three times on the PGA Tour this season and four time..

Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesKevin Kisner reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the third round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.CHARLOTTE — The disappointing look on Kevin Kisner’s face walking off the 18th green Saturday at Quail Hollow Club was the first time all day that the 33-year-old showed any emotion. Going double bogey/par/bogey to close out a one-over 72 hadn’t cost him the lead at the PGA Championship, but it changed the narrative with 18 holes to play.
“I’m happy I’m in the position I’m in,” said Kisner, still one stroke ahead of Chris Stroud and Hideki Matsuyama at seven under, and two shots clear of Justin Thomas and Louis Oosthuizen. “[But] I had a chance to run away from guys and take people out of the tournament that were four or five, six back, and I didn’t do it. Now I’m in a dogfight tomorrow, and I have to be prepared for that.”
On a muggy day where the pace of play was slow and the scoring difficult, Kisner remained eerily unflappable. A birdie..

Sam Greenwood(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE — Hideki Matsuyama didn't have his best stuff Saturday in the third round of the 99th PGA Championship, but he did his best to stay within striking range of the lead. That in itself was a win for Japan's brightest talent.
Keeping the big numbers off his scorecard while the little ones escaped him, Matsuyama dug deep for a two-over 73 at harrowing Quail Hollow Club and will begin Sunday's final round one stroke behind Kevin Kisner, with whom he shared the second-round lead. Matsuyama scored one measly birdie, at the par-5 seventh hole, after lighting up the course for a bogey-free 64 on Friday.
With only one player, Louis Oosthuizen, among the top 15 on the leaderboard with a major title, the year's final major is up for grabs. But while playing partner Jason Day fell off the pace with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the final hole, Matsuyama remained within reach of becoming the first player from Japan to win a majo..

Scott HalleranMoving Day at the 99th PGA Championship grinded to a halt as par became everyone's friend at a tough Quail Hollow. But there were still plenty of things to talk about, including a Cinderella story and two shots involving trees — one jaw-droppingly difficult and another jaw-droppingly dumb. Let's get to it all with our latest edition of winners and losers.
Winner: Kevin Kisner
The Kiz played his final three holes in three over — and needed a lucky bounce off a bridge or it would have been worse — but if you start a round tied for the lead and you end it in first place by yourself, it's a good day. Playing in the final group with World No. 3 Hideki Matsuyama and former World No. 1 Jason Day, Kisner looked at ease. And as he goes for his first top-10 finish at a major, let alone his first victory, he'll tee it up with a slightly less intimidating figure in the final pairing on Sunday. Speaking of. . .
Winner: Chris Stroud
REMINDER: Less than a week ago..

Sam GreenwoodCHARLOTTE, NC – AUGUST 12: Kevin Kisner of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the third round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on August 12, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)If you asked Kevin Kisner if he would be happy with a one-over 72 on moving day at the PGA Championship, he'd almost certainly tell you no. But that's all he needed on Saturday at Quail Hollow, which played as challenging as it has all week with its lightning quick greens and treacherous pin positions. The two-time tour winner leads by one stroke at seven-under 206.
Kisner, 33, was unflappable through 11 holes of his third round, playing them in one under without making a bogey. That's when things got interesting, as he dropped his first shot of the day at the par-4 12th. He bounced back with two birdies at the 14th and 15th, but then made his worst swing of the day on his approach shot at the opening hole of ..

Stuart Franklin(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE — It's been two months since Rory McIlroy has returned from injury, a rib ailment caused by equipment testing in the offseason. However, while the 28-year-old has posted a handful of top-5 finishes in return, whispers abound that his health remains a problem.
In one regard, this makes sense: the injury already sidelined him twice this campaign, and issues such as these tend to linger. Conversely, it doesn't seem to be hampering McIlroy when he unleashes 365-yard drives.
McIlroy shed a bit of light on the matter after a 73 on Saturday at Quail Hollow, his third consecutive round over par at the PGA Championship. When asked after his round how long it would take McIlroy to get back to full strength — a bit of a loaded question, implying he's less than 100 percent — the four-time major winner was candid in assessment.
“Looking forward to 2018,” he replied.
Oof. So much for banking on a FedEx Cup title defense..