ROCHESTER: Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka shrugged off rain-soaked conditions and boos from spectators Saturday to fire a second straight four-under par 66 and grab a one-stroke lead at the PGA Championship.

Koepka, among US stars who jumped to the Saudi-financed LIV Golf League from the PGA Tour, sank a 47-foot putt at the par-4 17th hole for his fifth birdie to finish on six-under 204 at soggy Oak Hill.

That was good enough for a one-stroke ahead over Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Canadian Corey Conners, with LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau fourth on 207. All three shot 70 on Saturday.

Koepka and DeChambeau, high-profile players in the PGA Tour-LIV split, were booed by the crowd when they were introduced on the first tee. But both turned jeers into roars with spectacular shot making.

“I love when the fans are on you, cheering for you, or giving you crap if you screw up,” Koepka said. “That’s the beauty of it. I want that atmosphere.”

After a day-long deluge, Koepka birdied the par-5 fourth and par-3 fifth, took his lone bogey at seven, then sank birdie putts of 15 feet at 12 and 18 feet at the par-5 13th before his penultimate-hole bomb.

Hovland, ranked 11th, was set to share the lead in quest of his first major title but found a greenside bunker and made bogey at 18.

In his slog across the water-logged layout, Conners made clutch par saves and birdie putts from inside four feet at the eighth and nine feet at the par-3 15th, but was undone by a double bogey six at 16.

DeChambeau was two-over on the day after a bogey at 13 but nearly drove the 14th green to set up a birdie and made an eight-foot birdie putt at 15.

He wasn’t thrown off by his poor reception at the start.

“I don’t care. It’s not a big deal,” DeChambeau said. “They’re going to do that no matter what. I appreciate the fans, them doing that to me. I’ve got no problem, either way. It still was fun today.”

Justin Rose shot 69 to share fifth with second-ranked American Scottie Scheffler on 208, four adrift.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy fired a 69 to stand seventh on 209 with five birdies and four bogeys in a roller-coaster round.

Rahm, last month’s Masters winner, fired a 72 to join Jordan Spieth on 216. Spieth fired a 71, his low round this week.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2023