Watson closes in on PGA Championship lead before late fade

By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — It’s been a long time since Bubba Watson contended for the PGA Championship. And he was right there for a while on Saturday. An up-and-down third round at blustery Southern Hills put Watson tantalizingly close to the lead until he faded late with some trouble finding fairways and greens over the back nine. A putter that was razor sharp in a round of 63 on Saturday blunted down the back stretch. Still, a 3-over 73 was good enough to keep the 43-year-old within sight of the youth movement at the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.