At the picturesque Whistling Straits golf course in Winsconsin, Australian Jason Day tops the leaderboard after 54 holes for the third consecutive major at the 2015 PGA Championship. The good news for Day is that rather than sharing the lead, he holds a two-shot lead over the field. More good news for Day is that he is in the form of his life. Fresh off a win at the Canadian Open this month where he finished with three birdies to steal the victory at the death, Day has continued his excellent 2015 form this week to take charge of the tournament up until this point. The bad news is that man again is on his tail, ready to pounce at any mishap. A gutsy 65 put Jordan Spieth in contention to win a third major in one year. Should he do so, he would achieve a feat that only Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan have done in the entire history of professional golf.

Day was heavily favoured before this event for good reason. Whistling Straits is a long course but it has been brought to his knees at times by Day, who like many of the greats, uses length to his advantage. In the birdie-fest that this edition of the PGA has become, Day’s driving prowess has given him ample advantage on a par 72 course with four par five opportunities. Indeed, on the 11th hole today, Day demonstrated the sheer athletic power that he possesses with an impressive 375 yard drive at the par 5 11th hole en route to an eagle to seize the lead. Yet he also complements it with a great short game. After stumbling to a double bogey 6 on the 15th hole after a poor bunker shot, he responded accordingly at the difficult 17th hole with a 30 foot birdie putt. Day has shown a capacity for clutch putting recently and he will need more of it tomorrow if he is to win his first major trophy.

Spieth has the best chance of ruining Day’s dreams. Again, at different times in this tournament it felt like Spieth was not playing brilliant golf but as Paul McGinley wisely stated on Sky Sports commentary, what makes Spieth great is his response to situations he faces. It feels that he has an extra gear to draw upon. He began his round on Friday with a couple of poor shots and his round was going tit-for-tat with playing partner Rory McIlroy, a number of shots behind the leaders. Halfway through the round, Spieth made an opportune birdie charge to distance himself from the world number one and put himself within touching distance of the lead. It was a similar story on Saturday, going through the motions at -7 through ten holes. It was then, according to Spieth, he needed to take risks. They came off spectacularly. A back nine 30 put him at -13 and only two shots off the lead. In the closing stretch, Spieth was willing every shot towards the flag and every putt into the hole. Like all great champions, his thirst for the intensity of battle can never be truly quenched. With no clear weaknesses in his game and a magic flatstick in hand, Spieth is a definite threat tomorrow.

Outside of Spieth and Day, a course yielding low scores always has potential winners from the field given the dynamics in play. If Day plays to defend his lead, chances are that he will be surpassed by someone on a hot streak. It would be foolish thus not to consider the chances of some of the other competitors, given that the unfancied Zach Johnson shot a final round 66 to overtake everyone to Claret Jug glory in the last major.

Justin Rose is a combined -32 in majors this year and has been in contention almost every week on the PGA Tour. While his tee to green game is top notch, he needs to improve his putting if he is to win. The last time a major was held at this course, Martin Kaymer was the victor and he has a chance to win again. He is usually very clinical when near the lead in a big tournament. The same can be said for Branden Grace, who will be looking to put his near-miss at the US Open this year behind him. A final round 66 or better may be enough to secure the victory for any of these players on Sunday. After those three, it will require either a meltdown from the top players or an all-time great round from further afield to win the tournament. A windier day tomorrow could test a few nerves at the top and cause some problems for Day’s towering irons but it should be no excuse for Day who is ready to land his first major title.