Cameron Smith emerges in third round at PGA Championship after cutting ties with coach Grant Field

Cameron Smith has awoken from his two-year slumber to emerge as a critical contender for a most sudden PGA Championship triumph.

Fellow Australian Min Woo Lee can also be in the combo for the Wanamaker Trophy however 2015 champion Jason Day’s hopes of successful for a second time perished in the course of the third round in Pennsylvania.

Smith and Lee will begin the ultimate round simply 4 photographs behind shock chief Alex Smalley after producing starkly contrasting third rounds at Aronimink Golf Club.

After lacking the lower at the previous six majors, Smith emerged with a 2-under-par 68, whereas Lee floor out a steely 71 that includes three bogeys and a dreaded double.

After lacking the lower at the previous six majors, the 2022 British Open champion and former world number two last week made the gut-wrenching decision to part ways with his lifelong coach Grant Field.

Field had been in Smith’s nook since he was a Brisbane junior however, after lacking the lower once more at final month’s Masters, the 32-year-old turned to Claude Harmon III, the son of swing guru Butch Harmon.

“It was a terrible, terrible conversation to have,” Smith instructed todaysgolfer.com of the choice to separate with Field.

“I’ve been seeing Grant since I was like nine years old, and he’s a really good friend as well, so it was tough.”

But the change-up has paid quick dividends this week in Philadelphia.

Golf’s sleeping big solely discovered six fairways on Saturday however, as he does, the short-game wizard scrambled brilliantly and solely wanted 28 putts for the round.

Smith loved a spectacular mid-round burst of 4 birdies in 5 holes both aspect of the flip however cursed himself for lipping out from seven ft with the possibility to tug to inside one stroke of the lead on the par-3 14th.

Smith, although, held his cool to par his final 4 holes to offer himself a successful shot on championship Sunday.

Lee fought desperately to additionally keep in competition with a rollercoaster third round.

He offset back-to-back bogeys on holes three and 4 with successive birdies on six and 7, the place he drove the inexperienced at the 397-yard par 4.

But simply as he moved again to inside a shot of the lead, Lee made a whole mess of the par-5 ninth.

Going from tough to tough after which three-putting, he racked up a disastrous double-bogey seven on a gap taking part in the second best of the week.

Deflated, Lee missed a brief birdie putt on the following gap, then dropped one other shot on 13 earlier than making birdies on 14 and 18 to clamor again into crimson figures and a tie for eleventh with Smith.

From a place of promise, Day misfired to lose all hope.

Like Lee, the 2015 champion rebounded from two early bogeys with consecutive birdies solely to additionally put up a dreaded double on the treacherous tenth gap to slide from one beneath to over par.

Playing catch-up, Day dropped three extra photographs in his final 4 holes for a 75 to wind up at 4 over, a distant 10 strokes adrift of the pacesetter.

AAP