SAN FRANCISCO _ Some of the best holes at Harding Park don't have tee boxes, bunkers, or even greens.
They're the perforations in the fence fabric surrounding the golf course, makeshift peep holes that give fans a free and fleeting glimpse of a PGA Championship that's otherwise closed to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clusters of curious onlookers gathered Friday along Lake Merced Blvd., which borders the 11th through 13th holes, to cheer the competitors and add a dash of energy to an otherwise quiet major championship.
While the golfers battled to make the weekend cut _ with China's Haotong Li taking the 36-hole lead at eight under par _ some lookie-loos made cuts of their own, tugging at the tarp to widen their windows of opportunity.
"There you go, Tiger, do it for the Raider nation!" fan Michael Stratakis of South San Francisco yelled through a fence hole as Tiger Woods walked off the 12th tee.
Stratakis, 26, said he hadn't been waiting long _ "only about three hours" _ to offer some words of encouragement to his favorite golfer. Woods didn't break stride, but the moment was captured on the ESPN broadcast.
"I was trying to get a wave so bad," Stratakis said, "but I got a head nod."
Is it easier to play with Woods when the holes aren't lined with galleries in the thousands?
"Hundred percent," said Rory McIlroy, who played with him the first two rounds. "It's so much easier. ... But yeah, like you can see, even the 12th hole, the tee box there alongside the road, Tiger gets on the tee and everyone goes crazy and you have to wait for them to settle down. The fact that we don't have to deal with that, and the fact that he doesn't have to deal with that every week is sort of nice."
Then, McIlroy caught himself.
"But not saying _ I still want crowds to come back and fans," he said. "It's much better to play in front of them. But it does make it easier."
Friday was balmier than the rest of the week, and some of the scores reflected that. Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Champ both shot six-under 64s to pull within striking range of Li, and two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka is in a six-way tie for second, two shots off the lead.
