Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

He's clearly feeling it down that last hole and it's such a shame because he's played such a good round of golf.

He just got out of his routine I think on hitting into the green and then things start going wrong. It's amazing how much your mind plays games with you.

Rory McIlroy finds his direct path to the green blocked by tree branches so plays a low cutter that is a little short of gas as it reaches the green and so trundles back down the slope.

These chips have to be so precise and he looks far from thrilled as his ball skips nine feet past.

Can he drop this one in? Course he can and that matches Xander Schauffele's par.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler is rewarded with a first birdie, with a well-judged right-to left putt from over 10 feet.

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Oh no! Jhonattan Vegas takes off his cap and is scratching his head after finishing a brilliant day with an awful double bogey at the 18th.

A poor bunker shot did the damage as his ball fell off the green, but it was a nervy stab at a bogey putt before he eventually knocked it in for six.

It was a nervy start to the round too after sleeping on the overnight lead, but he'd been in total control of his golf ball for most of the round, until that final hole.

Vegas trudges off with just a two-shot lead now after that, which has brought a lot of the chasing pack right back into things.

Still a great tournament for him though, so it'll be a big mental test now to try and ignore that late slip and focus on the positives of being the clubhouse leader at the US PGA Championship.

A simple two-putt par for Luke Donald on the 17th gives him a three-shot advantage over Keegan Bradley in the battle for Ryder Cup captaincy bragging rights.

And that's because Bradders has opened with a bogey on the first after driving into the trees.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

There have obviously been some low scores out there and quite a few guys have played the back nine really well, which as we know is the tougher of the nines.

It [a good score] is doable, the course is drying out so it will encourage a little more distance off the tee and shorter irons into the greens, so they can be a little more aggressive.

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Matt Fitzpatrick leaves a long birdie attempt a little way short on the par-three fourth, but knocks in the par putt for stay at four under for the tournament.

Playing partner Jon Rahm is one over through four holes and level par overall - the Spaniard is in that "betwixt and between" position where a decent round could springboard him up into contention, while a couple more drop shots could result in him not being around for the weekend.

This is tremendous stuff from Luke Donald, who goes pin-seeking on the short 17th after negotiating the long par-four 16th in regulation.

His iron into the green takes a hop towards the hole and has a look in before trundling 10 feet on. Another big birdie chance coming up

Xander Schauffele is putting first from 16 feet and tickles his effort down towards the cup. This isn't going to drop but it's a gimme par.

Now here comes Rory....the Northern Irishman sinks his putt to an enthusiastic roar that might well rise a few decibels if he drains a few more.

Scottie Scheffler, rather prods at his effort and knows immediately he'll need to tap in to walk off with a four.

Tommy Fleetwood is on a run of three pars after that opening dropped shot, while Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry has had four pars after his opening birdie.

Both will be conscious of the cut line but they are entering the scoring part of this course - holes 7-15 are generally giving up more birdie opportunities.

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Rory McIlroy finds a second consecutive fairway. A suggestion that things may be trending upwards today with driver in hand after he hit just four in 14 goes on Thursday.

That enables him to play a glorious second from 130 yards with just a sand wedge and he sticks his ball into birdie range.

If these first three holes are anything to go by, Matt Fitzpatrick is going to be entertaining today.

He's found another birdie to put him back to four under.

Decent start for the lemon-shirted Yorkshireman.

Shot gone for Robert MacIntyre after a scruffy second. Drive into rough, thrash into sand, splash out and miss the 20-foot par putt.

Nothing more to see here.

Stress-free par for Jhonattan Vegas at the 17th.

He'll go down the last with his four-shot lead intact.

Three important early par putts. Two made. One missed. And Xander Schauffele, the only player to actually get on the green with his second is the man to drop a shot.

A terrible start from the American.

After a positive start for Matt Fitzpatrick, he's immediately coughed his birdie back with a bogey at the second.

He drops back to three under par.

An appreciative nod from Jhonattan Vegas as he passes the rake that has saved his bacon on this 17th hole.

Friend for life.

With loads of green to play with Scottie Scheffler runs his ball down to five feet. Despite having a far tougher shot, Rory McIlroy also escapes the sand and spins his effort inside the ball of the world number one.

Xander Schauffele doesn't have enough gas on his putt and will face a tricky par attempt from four feet or so, down the sloping surface.

Someone is smiling on Jhonattan Vegas!

An outrageous slice of luck for the leader as his tee shot drops short of the 17th green, bounces off a bunker rake and rolls all the way onto the putting surface to within 20 feet.

He looks bemused - but in a very happy sense.

I told you the stretch here is tricky - the 17th and 18th holes are the two hardest on the course and the players today have felt their teeth.

Many people have had their scorecards burned by these two nigglers - and that's what Jhonattan Vegas is looking to avoid.

Scottie Scheffler is miles left from that wayward tee shot and the fans around his ball make a tunnel for him to lump his second towards the first green. This is going right though and finds the sand.

Still he'll probably be happy with that unlike Rory McIlroy, whose nine iron skitters off the green into the left-hand bunker.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele is the only one on the putting surface in two.