Koepka lead at Oak Hill as he goes for PGA Championship hat-trick

ROCHESTER, New York : Brooks Koepka will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday with a chance to claim a third Wanamaker trophy and deliver LIV Golf the major validation it seeks.

Koepka, winner of back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019, sparkled in tough, rainy conditions at Oak Hill on Saturday, mixing five birdies against a single bogey for a four-under 66. That put the American on six-under 201, one clear of Canada's Corey Conners and Norway's Viktor Hovland.

Conners, bidding to become the first Canadian man to win a major since Mike Weir two decades ago at the Masters, had held steady atop the leaderboard for much of a turbulent day when a double-bogey at the 16th knocked him from his perch.

Until then Conners had put in a disciplined error-free effort getting to two-under with three holes to play. But his ball became plugged in the deep rough on the lip of a greenside bunker and the 31-year-old dropped two shots for a level par 70.

Hovland was in position to join Koepka at the top but a bogey at the last denied the world number 11, who also signed for a 70.

Conners and Hovland had shared the second round overnight lead with world number two Scottie Scheffler. He collapsed in the miserable conditions, taking four bogeys on his first nine, including two to start his day, on the way to a three-over 73 that put the American four back alongside Briton Justin Rose (69).

Koepka heads into Sunday in a familiar spot.

The LIV Golf standard bearer also had the lead going into the Masters final round at Augusta National last month before a collapse opened the door for Jon Rahm to grab the Green Jacket denying LIV Golf major recognition.

Critics of LIV Golf have branded the Saudi-bankrolled