Unbelievable.

A trick shot from Spanish 22-year-old Jon Rahm. He's found himself in a tricky spot in the 18th on the slope leading into the stream. Inside of taking his shoes off and having a paddle in the water to play his next shot, Rahm choose to hit the ball one handed with his back to the green and club down by his right ankle.

Remarkably he's found the green in three.

The second hole and at least this par four is under 500 yards. For Kisner it is 183 yards with a six iron and both he and Stroud find the putting surface. Neither are close but maybe we will see a long putt and some excitable shrieks from the crowd.

Thomas holes for his birdie! Not an easy putt measuring a good 15 feet but he fancied it the moment it left his putter. He was marching on after it straight away. The American is back where he started at -5 and into third place.

A scrappy second hole for Matsuyama, not a great chip and he then misses for par from five feet, the first time he has bogeyed it all week. Two back now for the Japanese player with all that expectation upon him.

Brad Nelson PGA meteorologist worryingly says there are thunderstorms in the area. He also says there'll be a 'feels-like' temperature of 37 degrees today. Not nice for the players.

Dressed in a very summery bright pink Justin Thomas whacks his second into the heart of the green on hole number two. He'll have a chance to right the wrong of his bogey on the first in a few moments...

But no, Kisner's opening putt drifts past the right edge and he starts with a par.

Not a great opening chip for Stroud with his third shot and he is still not closer than Kisner's second. He cannot hole and drops to five under, two back, maybe three in a moment.

We now have a three-way tie for fourth placed at four under. Another American Grayson Murray birdies the second hole to join Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Thomas three shots behind the leader. Four men from the States in the top six players, none of them have won a major. Excellent depth in the sport across the pond.

Not many had Kevin Kisner down as the man to be leading on this monster Quail Hollow course which measures 7.600 yards.

The above table shows how he compares in the stats against his rivals and suggests it has been quiet consistency rather than any spectacular play that has taken him to the top of the leaderboard.

He has not hit long off the tee or been lethal on the greens but his accuracy in finding the putting surface means no player has hit fewer bogeys than his five after three rounds.

Rankings correct ahead of Kisner's round.

Stroud has flown his second shot through the green at the first and he will have a tricky up and down from the rough. Kisner starts superbly, a sweetly struck iron shot to 10 feet and he will have an immediate chance to extend his lead.

Oh no. Jordan Thomas will be desperate to go back and start his round again. The American has managed to find three different bunkers on his first three shots on the first hole. His third bunker shot flies out of the sand and across the green leaving a 20 footer for just a bogey.

He makes it! To be honest that's a result from where he was.

Ken Brown
BBC Sport commentator

He's a local boy, he knows the course. He's found a lot of fairways. Occasionally he's got into trouble and played recoveries, but he will be under huge pressure today.

A warm welcome for Kisner, who has his dark glasses tucked away on the back of his cap. No problems with the opening drive, it cuts the corner of the dogleg and is nicely on the fairway. Stroud, in those vivid checked trousers redolent of the 1930s music hall stage, finds the rough out to the left but we can see it so he may have a decent lie.

Louis Oosthuizen is wearing strapping on his right forearm again today after he picked up an injury hitting a shot from the tree roots in his third round. He started the day just two shots back that's now stretched to three. Not the start the South African was after. A bogey on the first.

He's the only player within five shots of Kevin Kisner to have won a major remember.

Ken Brown
BBC Sport commentator

For Matsuyama to win a major would be huge for the game of golf in Japan.

He is under a lot of pressure. He has got the game. He hits high and long but can he stand up to the pressure?

It's an unusual swing Matsuyama has, with a long pause at the top, but he has pitched it to four feet and he looks in the mood in his dark wraparound shades. Is he going to get himself level with Kisner after only one hole?

Hideki Matsuyama, as I think we all know by now, is bidding to become the first Japanese player to win a major.

The population of Japan was 127 million last year so there will be a fair bit of expectation on him but the 25-year-old looks extremely composed as. PGA vice-president Suzy Whaley introduces him with a flourish in her pronunciation. He has carried his opening drive more than 300 yards down the middle of the fairway.

Playing partner Justin Thomas hits it even longer, but he drifts into a fairway bunker at this monster of an opening hole, 524 yards, for a par four.

Image source, Getty Images

Leader: -7 Kisner

-6 Stroud, Matsuyama;

-5 Thomas, Oosthuizen

-3 Murray, F Molinari (2), Woodland (3)

-2 Brown (2), Reed (1), DeLaet (1), Reavie (3)

-1 Kang (3) Day (6), Streb (7), Fowler (6)

E Kuchar (9)

Selected others:

E D Johnson (18), Poulter (13)

+1 Casey (5), McIlroy (18), Wood (7)

+2 Spieth (15), Stenson (5)

+11 Westwood (18)

The bright white trouser-wearing duo of Ian Poulter and Jordan Spieth have reached the par five 15th.

Poulter finds himself in the greenside bunker after two shots while the American is just short of the green. The Englishman is all in white and is camouflaged as he drops into the sand only to play a delightful chip within a couple of feet. Spieth does the same from the front edge. Birdies apiece.