JIM FURYK AND Jason Dufner exchanged the lead of the PGA Championship on Saturday while Sweden’s Jonas Blixt fired a bogey-free 66 at Oak Hill to grab the clubhouse lead.

Meanwhile, defending champion Rory McIlroy battled into contention at the PGA Championship with a birdie-birdie finish in Saturday’s third round while leader Dufner faltered and other challengers charged.

On a day when Oak Hill played havoc with much of the field, McIlroy fired a three-under par 67 to seize the clubhouse lead at three-under 207 for 54 holes at the $8 million event, the year’s final major tournament.

A day after matching the all-time low round in a major with a 63 on a rain-soaked course, Dufner found trouble in the deep rough and tricky greens under ideal conditions.

Dufner, who squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play at the 2011 PGA Championship, led by two when the day began but took a double bogey at the fifth and followed a birdie at the seventh with a bogey at eight.

That opened the door for fellow American Furyk, the 2003 US Open champion. After bogeys at the second and third, Furyk birdied the par-5 fourth and par-4 eighth.

Both Furyk and Dufner began the back nine with a birdie to stand on eight-under. Furyk followed with a birdie at 12 as the back and forth fight continued.

Swede Henrik Stenson put himself in the mix with a birdie at the 13th to reach seven under.

Blixt was fourth in the clubhouse on six-under par 204 through 54 holes with Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia still on the course at six under.

Americans Steve Stricker and Webb Simpson were hot on their heels and England’s Lee Westwood and defending champion Rory McIlroy were in the clubhouse on three-under 207.

Blixt, who won last month at the US PGA Greenbrier Classic to earn a berth into the year’s final major, fired the day’s only bogey-less round, opening and closing with birdies and adding two more at the fifth and ninth holes.

McIlroy, who has struggled much of the year, battled into contention with a birdie-birdie finish on a day when Oak Hill played havoc with much of the field.

McIlroy birdied the par-3 sixth, took his only bogey of the day to start the back nine, then birdied the par-5 15th and closed birdie-birdie on two of Oak Hill’s most difficult holes.

“I probably made up three, three and a half shots on those last two holes,” McIlroy said. “I’ve got another 18 to play and hopefully I can keep playing the way I am.”

There were only seven players ahead of McIlroy as Oak Hill took back much of what players gained Friday.

US Open champion Justin Rose of England saw his title hopes take a major tumble with three bogeys and two double bogeys in the first seven holes, leaving him one-over for the tournament and reeling.

Germany’s Martin Kaymer also collapsed, following a birdie at the first with back-to-back bogeys and a birdie at the seventh with three bogeys in a row to land on level par.

World number one Tiger Woods fired a three-over par 73, dooming his bid for a 15th major title at four-over 214 for 54 holes. He made bogeys at the first and par-3 third after finding the rough off the tee, birdied the par-3 11th but bogeys at 16 and 17 dropped him back.

“It was hard for me. I didn’t play very well,” Woods said. “I didn’t hit it very good, didn’t make anything, kept blocking every putt. So it was a tough day.

“I didn’t start off very good and I didn’t finish very good. In the middle part I was grinding just to kind of hang in there around par.

“It’s just one of those weeks where I didn’t quite hit it well enough and didn’t make enough putts.”

Second-ranked Phil Mickelson, who won the British Open three weeks ago, struggled to a 78 — matching his worst-ever PGA Championship round — and was 74th on 10-over 220, making bogeys on three of the last four holes as well as a double bogey and triple bogey.

(C) AFP 2013

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