Julian Suri enters PGA Championship’s final round with realistic shot

Former Duke golfer Julian Suri shot a 2-under 68 during the third round of the 100th PGA Championship on Saturday to improve to 7-under for the tournament and put himself into contention entering the final round on Sunday.

Although Julian Suri is tied for 12th place and just five shots back from the leader, Brooks Koepka, after three rounds at the PGA Championship, evidence suggests that nobody at CBS seems to know who he is or how to find him with the camera.

This writer watched the network’s broadcast on Saturday hoping to see the 2013 Duke graduate in action. However, instead of showing any of Suri’s shots — live or taped — CBS decided to devote an absurd amount of time following almost every moment from the round of Tiger Woods (including a detailed analysis of the 14-time major champion’s decision to change his shirt after his fourth hole).

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Woods is currently just one shot better than Suri.

I get it. It’s all about the ratings, and viewers want to see Woods. But surely he is not the only golfer we want to see.

I’m sure other Duke fans were tuned in and would have also liked to catch a glimpse of some coverage of Suri (unless they are readers of this site, though, most probably haven’t ever heard the news that he exists).

Now, I must admit that CBS may have actually shown a shot or two from Suri; if it did, I missed it. After all, I did step away a few times for brief bathroom breaks.

Then after Suri received no airtime as Google informed me that he had pulled within three shots of the lead and into the top 10 at one point during his round, I essentially gave up and repeatedly dozed off in my recliner for a few minutes at a time.

My eyes will be glued to the TV for the final round, though. I will be rooting for Suri to forever etch his name into the history books by winning the Wannamaker Trophy.

I’d also get a kick out of seeing the broadcast team at CBS have to express embarrassment as it scrambles to find footage from Suri’s week if he suddenly starts to climb up the leaderboard.

However, even if things don’t go Suri’s way on Sunday, the 27-year-old is doing his part to make a name for himself — other than changing his name to Tiger Woods — after now making the cut at two consecutive majors (he’s only played in three).

Suri will tee off alongside Charl Schwartzel at 2:05 p.m. EST (expect CBS to be showing Woods on the range when it happens).

Another former golfer for the Blue Devils, Kevin Streelman, was just two shots away from making the cut. As the first alternate entering the week, the 2001 Duke graduate and two-time winner on the PGA Tour did not know if he would be in the 156-player field until the day before the start of the major. Streelman shot a 71 on Thursday, and he followed that with a 70 in the second round.