What a day’s golf, then! It’s a toss-up between Robert Streb’s ball-on-string 63, as he becomes the latest man to match the record major mark, or Jason Day’s seven birdies in eight holes. Or how about Patrick Reed’s 65, or co-leader Jimmy Walker’s 66, or young Emiliano Grillo’s 67, or... we could be here all day. Suffice to say: you’ll join us again tomorrow, won’t you? See you for Moving Day!
-9: Walker, Streb
-7: Grillo, Day
-6: Stenson
-5: Kaymer, Reed, Koepka
-4: Matsuyama, English, Fowler, Donaldson
Rory McIlroy’s dismal tournament ends in appropriate fashion. He duffs two pitches up the bank from the thick stuff to the right of 18, can’t knock in the third from the fringe, and he’ll definitely be going home. He taps in for bogey, a 69, and at +3 he’s off home. That’s two major championship cuts missed this year. He doesn’t look content at all. He’ll be back. Phil Mickelson meanwhile lags up carefully to make sure of his birdie. He’s +1, and will wonder what could have been without that ludicrous triple-bogey at the opening hole. Still, that’s a 70, and he’s here this weekend. And Jason Day flops up to ten feet, can’t make his birdie, but that’s a brilliant 65. He’s right in the mix!
Robert Streb carefully rolls his birdie putt across 9, and he’s signing for a major-championship 63! He joins Jimmy Walker at -9! The 29-year-old from Oklahoma finished in the top ten last year at Whistling Straits. He’s got a share of the lead at the halfway mark this time round! His last four rounds at the PGA: 67-67-68-63!
Day decides to take a lash from the rough down the right of 18 with a fairway wood. He fires his ball between the bunkers to the right of the green. Rory whistles his second, a long iron, there too. Phil however batters his approach straight at the flag, and will have two putts from 25 feet for the birdie he needs to guarantee his weekend participation. Though nothing’s totally clear right now. The cut’s moved out to +2 for the minute, so they could both be saved anyway. Still plenty of golf to be played before we know exactly what’s going on.
Robert Streb’s distance control has been sensational today. His tee shot at the par-three 9th is yet another pin-high approach, and he’ll have two putts from 15 feet for a best-of-week 64. If he knocks in the birdie putt, he joins the 63 Club, two weeks after Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson matched the record major mark at Troon. Meanwhile Jamie Donaldson has made a quiet but very significant move up the leaderboard. Birdies at 14 and 17, and he signs for a 67 that places him handily at -4. Ditto his playing partner Adam Scott, who has birdied 14, 15 and 18 to move to -3. These lads are not out of it, but they’ll need to move, move, move tomorrow.
Day is showing signs of nerves after going so well for so long. He takes an iron for safety off the 18th tee, and slices it into the trees down the right! He gets a lucky bounce out, though will he risk going for the green in two? Streb meanwhile doesn’t hit his birdie putt on 8. It dies off to the left and he stays at -8.
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Rory needs two birdies. He missed from three feet on 16, an absurd putt after a stunning tee shot. Now he finds the bunker at the front of 17 in two, seriously underhits the bunker shot, leaving himself a 25 footer to pick up the stroke he desperately needs - and sinks the birdie putt! He’s +2, and in with a shout once again! This is absurd! He celebrates, but there’s something that suggests his heart’s not totally in it. Mickelson meanwhile misses his birdie effort from six feet, failing to commit to the putt, and at +2 he still needs something too. Finally Day leaves his birdie putt high on the left. That’s two pars in a row, the birdie hot streak over. But at -7, he’ll be looking for a little something on the last. Just like Brooks Koepka, who gets up and down from the bunker to birdie and sign for a fine 67. He’s -5.
Day’s third into 17 is arrowed straight at the flag. He’s 15 feet short, but he’ll have a look at yet another birdie. Streb meanwhile clips his second at 8 pin high. He’ll have a 12-footer to join Walker in the lead! Some magnificent golf going on right now, albeit in very kind conditions.
Day hooks big from the 17th tee, towards the Jimmy Walker Hospitality Tent. It’s not quite as wild as the leader before him, but it’s on a tight lie on the dusty ground in front of the boozy do. There will be some discussions regarding a free drop, obstructed backswings, lines of sight, movement of crowds, etc. He drops onto utter filth, but cuts a stunning iron round the Walker Tree and onto the centre of the fairway. A small boy, no more than six, who clearly knows his onions, skips and dances in front of Day, and keeps doing so until he gets the high five he’s after. To Day’s credit, working under extreme pressure at a major championship, he takes time out to keep the young lad happy. Meanwhile back on 7, Robert Streb looks like he’s in a bit of trouble, only on the fringe at the front, 40 feet from the hole and facing a difficult two-putt. But he only needs one! He rattles it in, and is currently -8, one off the lead, and one birdie away from a major-record-tying 63!
Trouble here for Phil Mickelson! He splashes out from the bunker at 16 to five feet, then watches in horror as his par putt horseshoes out. The bogey knocks him down to +2, and with the projected cut at +1, he needs a birdie now. McIlroy should be in the same boat, but he waves his putter round like a divining rod and pushes a dismal birdie tiddler wide right of the hole. It didn’t even shave the side of the cup. That is awful. “Wow!” he mouths, unable to believe what he’s just done. Stuck at +3, he still needs two birdies if he’s going to guarantee his participation this weekend. But to be honest, he looks like he can’t wait for 2016’s major season to be over. Day lags up from 30 feet for his par. A par!
The leader Jimmy Walker leaves his long birdie putt across 18 five feet short, then tugs his par putt to the left. It’s a bogey to finish. A nervous end to his round, understandable given he’s in pole position at a major championship for the first time in his career, but it’s still a 66, and after yesterday’s 65 he’s -9 at the halfway mark. And still two clear of the field.
-9: Walker (F)
-7: Grillo (F), Day (15), Streb (15*)
-6: Stenson (F)
Robert Streb joins the party at -7. He sends his second at 6 straight at the flag, and rolls in a 15-footer for his sixth birdie of the day. Some exceptional golf being played at Baltusrol, in very agreeable conditions it has to be said: not too much heat, no wind, and a soft, responsive course. But you’ve still got to make the shots. Day finds the middle of the par-three 16th, and looks disgusted with himself for not going close. Mickelson finds the bunker to the right, while Rory, who at +3 needs two birdies in the last three holes to make the cut, slams his to three feet. He’s started this particular quest well!
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What’s Walker done here?! His drive at 18 is hooked dangerously close to the water down the left. And indeed he’s got himself wet. He drops and whips a long iron into the heart of the green. He’ll have two putts for another par scramble, but this is a slightly scrappy end by the tournament leader. At the other end of the scale, the ludicrous fare being served up by Jason Day. He slips his latest birdie putt into the cup, and having made seven in the last eight holes - and after a double-bogey at 7, too! - the defending champ has a share of second!
-10: Walker (17)
-7: Grillo (F), Day (15)
-6: Stenson (F), Streb (14*)
Rickie Fowler has made a late move here. He whips his second at 18 to five feet, and knocks in the eagle putt. He’d birdied 17, too, so suddenly he’s up to -4, and right in this tournament again! Meanwhile Jason Day really is on it. He drives into rough down the left of 15, then sends a perfectly judged second pin high to six feet. He’s got that for seven birdies in eight holes! This is getting daft now. Meanwhile Grillo pars the last to sign for a superb 67. He’d have been signing for a 66 had he hit his last 20-footer. But at -7 he’s got second spot to himself. For the minute. “You’re right of course about 17,” counters Hubert O’Hearn, talking my language, “although I’d bet my bottom dollar the PGA moves the tees up on Sunday to put the green within risk/reward range.” Yes please, that sounds like a plan!
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Jason Day is on the mother of all birdie blitzes! Six in seven holes! He’s not happy with his approach to 14, sent over the flag, 30 feet too far. A lot of complaining as he strides towards his putt. But he trundles it down the green, and you know it’s going to drop from a good ten feet away! It gently slides from right to left before completing its journey, right in the middle of the cup. He punches the air in delight! This is astonishing! Meanwhile up on 17, Walker nearly drains his long birdie putt; that would have been super-improbable after finding the booze tent and hitting a tree. Par sounds about right. But this leaderboard is sensational now!
-10: Walker (17)
-7: Grillo (17*)
-6: Stenson (F), Day (14), Streb (14*)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F)
After those crazy opening seven holes, Hideki Matsuyama has been very quiet. An eagle, two pars, two birdies and two bogeys, then ten pars in a row. But he finishes at 18 with another birdie, for a superb 67 that has him sitting nicely at -4. Koepka pushes a short par putt right on 15, and he’s back to -4. Grillo very nearly makes his long par saver on 8, the ball dying off to the left with its last turn; he’s back to -7. And that could be costly, because the leader Jimmy Walker, in thick rough beneath a tree down the left of 17, lashes straight, long and onto the green. He’s there in regulation. If he can make his two putts, he’ll be carding a very eventful par.
Walker drives into the hospitality tent down the left of 17. He gets a free drop - the boozing punters are disappointed that he’ll not come upstairs and play it off the beer-stained carpet - and will take his second off the dirt in front of the stand. Just before he addresses the ball, it topples backwards, but it’s clear as day that he did nothing to make it move. So no penalty there. He then very nearly hits a stunning recovery into the middle of the fairway, but clips a tree down the same side of the hole. So he’s severely out of position here on the longest hole. He’s not the only one in trouble, though. Grillo is in a tight spot to the left of the 8th green and, shortsided, can only loop his chip over the flag, leaving a 20-foot par putt coming back.
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Mickelson splits the fairway at 14, then sends a smooth second to four feet. He simply has to make the birdie putt, but gives it way too much on the left. A par, and a missed opportunity to reach level par for the tournament. Worse news for Rory McIlroy, who took a flyer from sand with his second, and was unable to get up and down from the back. The downhill chip to four feet wasn’t at fault; the drive, sand shot and putt were, though. His putting has been woeful this year, but there’s quite a bit of his game not functioning correctly. Plenty of time to get things right for Augusta, huh. But he’s back down to +3, and as things stand, he’ll need a couple of birdies to make the weekend. Jason Day, however, the world number one and defending champion, is making a serious move. A second clipped from a fairway bunker to four feet, and the putt sunk for a fifth birdie in six holes! He should double bogey more often.
-10: Walker (16)
-8: Grillo (16*)
-6: Stenson (F), Streb (12*)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Koepka (14), Day (13)
Walker punches his ball out of the tight rough at 16 to ten feet, and calmly rolls in the saver. That’s a stunning up and down, when under pressure to maintain his two-shot lead in this tournament. He stays at -10 Koepka meanwhile bounces straight back from bogey at 13 by landing his second at 14 to 12 feet and stroking in the left-to-right slider. He’s back to -5. “One thing I really like about Baltusrol is that it ends with par 3,5,5,” writes Hubert O’Hearn. “I can’t think of another championship course with that structure, but the beauty is that theoretically, theoretically, anyone within five shots of the lead could make it up on those last three holes. Let’s hope it happens - a closing stretch for the ages.” Yes please! Only problem is, 17 is so long that eagle is a pipe dream to most of the field. Maybe not Dustin. But you can spot the flaw there.
Walker pulls his tee shot at the par-three 16th between the bunkers on the left. That might be a tight lie. He’ll do well to get up and down from that position. Gregory Bourdy is still at -4, but only after bogey at 1 and another birdie at 2, the latter a fine response to his first dropped stroke of the day. And Robert Streb gets up and down rather brilliantly from very thick rough to the back of 3, saving his par to remain at -6.
Walker drives into the rough on the right of 15, and can only reach the front apron with his second. He’s faced with a big ridge running across the green, so chips instead of putts, to a couple of feet. What a fine scramble. He stays two clear of Grillo, who has just parred 6. Meanwhile back on 12, neither Mickelson nor McIlroy can make their mid-length birdie putts, but Day tucks his away for a fourth birdie in five holes. He’s -4 now, and what a position the world number one would be in now, had he not thinned one out of that bunker at 7.
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Jason Day looks in the mood to make a serious move now. His tee shot at 12 lands six feet to the right of the flag. Mickelson and McIlroy aren’t miles away either. Streb curls in a 20-foot left-to-righter on 2, and he’s -6. And Koepka is in a bit of trouble down 13, driving into thick stuff down the right, unable to do much more than hack it further along the same side of the hole and into a bunker. He splashes out to six feet, but can’t make the par saver and slips back to -4.
Mickelson makes his birdie putt at 11, so he’s back to +1. What he’d give to play that opening hole again. Rory pops his away too; he’s +2. Par for Day, who wasn’t miles away from draining a 30-footer for four birdies in a row. He stays at -3. Meanwhile Grillo spurns his chance to level things up with Walker at the top, racing his putt at 5 three feet past the hole. He knocks in the return, but suddenly he’s two behind, because Walker hits a gorgeous second at 14 to three feet, in goes the putt, and he’s now two clear. This is high-quality golf.
-10: Walker (14)
-8: Grillo (14*)
-6: Stenson (F)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Koepka (12), Streb (10*)
You might have noticed the name of Gregory Bourdy, creeping onto the bottom of the leaderboard. The 34-year-old French journeyman has birdied 13, 15 and now 18, reaching the turn in a flawless 33. Up on 5, Grillo slaps his second pin high to eight feet. He’ll have a look at birdie to regain joint ownership of the lead. Meanwhile Mickelson - who scrambled par at 10 after hitting that poor punter - fires his second at 11 straight at the pin, leaving a ten-footer for a birdie that’d take him to where he started. McIlroy should move to +2 after nearly spinning one back into the cup from the fairway. He’ll tap in for his birdie.
Jimmy Walker knocks in another long putt, this time on 13! A 40-footer! It’s back-to-back birdies, and he takes sole leadership of the PGA again! Meanwhile down the leaderboard it’s back-to-back birdies for Jhonattan Vegas as well, at 7 and 8: he’s -3. And three in a row for Jason Day, who strokes in a 15-footer to move to -3. And if that’s not enough to sate your birdie lust, it’s three on the bounce for Brooks Koepka, the latest one at 11! As Danny Boon once said: it’s all happening!
-9: Walker (13)
-8: Grillo (13*)
-6: Stenson (F)
-5: Reed (F), Koepka (11), Streb (9*)
-4: Bourdy (9*)
Jamie Donaldson pushes a par tiddler straight right of the hole at 10. It’s a daft one that drops him back to -2. Andy Sullivan misses a short one at 9, his third dropped stroke in four holes. He reaches the turn in 35, -2 overall. Meanwhile a marvellous exchange on Sky. Butch Harmon tells a story about going down to Phil Mickelson’s house and setting him elaborate chipping challenges for cash. “I can’t tell you how much money I lost.” Sky commentator Ewen Murray replied: “I bet you eventually got it back.” No response. END OF COMMUNICATION.
Brooks Koepka reached the turn in 33, and now he’s knocked his second to four feet at 1. In goes the putt, and he’s -4. Birdie for Robert Streb at 18 - he had a good look at eagle from 12 feet, and should have done better - but he’s -5. Up on 12, Walker rakes in a monster to join Grillo in the lead! Meanwhile on 10, Mickelson hits another drive straight left, and clatters some poor bugger upside the head. Rather strangely, all of the victim’s friends find it highly amusing and start to frolic around in glee, literally adding insult to their stricken pal’s injury.
-8: Grillo (12*), Walker (12)
-6: Stenson (F)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Streb (9*)
-4: Koepka (10)
Day knocks in his birdie putt, and he’s bounced back from that double with two birdies in a row. He reaches the turn in 34, back where he started at -2. Mickelson had sent a brilliant tee shot to six feet, but hits a bobbler that slides off to the left. He stays at +2. And Rory can’t get up and down from the bunker on the right. Bogey. He’s out in 33, one under for his round, but at +3 he’s going home this weekend unless he gets a wriggle on.
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Thanks to Nick there. So after Jason Day’s Phil Mickelson tribute act down 7 - drive into the trees, escape whistled into sand, thinned bunker shot, missed short putt - he’s responded rather well to double bogey. A birdie at 8, and now a tee shot at 9 to ten feet. A chance to get back to level par for his round. As for Mickelson himself, he birdied 8 too, and with the projected cut now taking in everyone at +2, he’s got his head back above water. Rory’s in good nick too after those birdies at 4 and 6, but he’s just fizzed his tee shot at 9 into the bunker. A bit of work to do there.
McIlroy’s in the sand on eight, doesn’t catch his recovery shot flush and it catches the edge of the green, but rolls back like a cartoon character trying to get up a hill on a sub-standard bike. He looks vexed. His first putt gets to within striking distance but he played for a spot of left-to-right that didn’t materialise. He takes a quick break in the shade - for even the finest sportsmen need to shelter from the yellow sun - before sinking it for par, staying on +2. Meanwhile Andy Sullivan slides a 15-odd footer just past the hole, missing birdie but holds on for par and is -4.
Meanwhile, you’ll all be relieved to learn Scott Murray is back from his break, so will take you home from here. Cheers!
Here’s an update from Ewan Murray, on Henrik Stenson being in the zone and shooting for back-to-back majors.
Stonker of an effort from Jimmy Walker, chipping from the scrub just off the green to just shy of the hole. He sticks it home and is now within one shot of the lead. Meanwhile, Day double-bogeys from absolutely nowhere and drops to -2.
-8: Grillo (10*)
-7: Walker (9)
-6: Stenson (F)
John Daly! He’s still plugging away. He lands in the bunker and plays a nice shot to get out of trouble, but he’s +6 and unless something extraordinary happens he’ll miss the cut.
Grillo hoiks his tee shot into a bunker, and requires a very fancy bit of wedge-work to get the thing anywhere near the flag. He pulls a nice shot out of the bag to get on the green, but he’s still left with a ticklish, to say the least, couple of putts for par but makes them and takes the turn still at -8.
Another birdie for McIroy, who strokes in with little bother at six. He’s still +2, but it’s all looking a little brighter for him. Jason Day goes just past the hole at six, and curses the very gods that it didn’t break left as expected. He saves par to stay at -2.
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A stunning long iron into 18 from Emiliano Grillo. It’s whip-cracked straight at the flag. Well, almost. It lands ten feet to the left of the pin, and he’ll have a very good look at eagle from there. The putt’s a terrible misread, though, sent out to the left, never coming back. Still, that’s a birdie, he’s out in 32 strokes, and he’s two clear at the top. Meanwhile Robert Streb is also very much in the New York groove. He lashes another iron to gimme distance, this time at 15. A third birdie in five holes.
-8: Grillo (9*)
-6: Stenson (F), Walker (7)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Sullivan (5), Streb (6*)
And with that, I’ll hand you over to Nick Miller for a little while. Back soon!
Andy Sullivan is on a roll: he flicks his tee shot at 4 pin high to six feet. He’ll have a little left-to-right downhill tickler for back-to-back birdies. In it goes! And he’s on a roll in a wider sense, having tied for 23rd at the US Open and 12th at the Open. It’s an upward trajectory all right. Well, he’s tied for fourth here at -5. Meanwhile Robert Streb has started strongly, with birdie at 11 and now another at 14, having sent his approach stone dead. He’s -4. And bogey for Ross Fisher at 11, which drops him to -3 and takes him off this ...
-7: Grillo (8*)
-6: Stenson (F), Walker (7)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Sullivan (4)
-4: Streb (5*)
Bother for the leader Grillo down 17. He’s always chasing par after a poor drive, and ends up in a tangled lie to the left of the green in three, and shortsided. He flops into the centre of the green, but that’s left him a 20-foot par saver. No bother! He gently strokes it into the cup, one of those that’s always going in from the second it leaves his putter. He stays at -7. Birdie at 3 for Andy Sullivan, who moves to -4. And Billy Hurley III has just knocked in Birdie IV in VI holes at XV. He chips in from the rough and the former Marine is -2!
Mickelson, McIlroy and Day pepper the flag at 4. Well, not quite pepper. A light seasoning. But all three with makeable birdie chances from 15 feet. Day is up first. He’s got a tricky left-to-right curler. He reads the line perfectly, but just doesn’t hit it. Mickelson’s has a slight tilt taking it off to the right. Pair of pars. But McIlroy rolls his fairly straight one into the cup. A proper clatter. Very confident! Where’s this Rory been for the last 18 months? Anyway, he’s back to +3. If he can get something going, well, it’s a big ask, but you never know.
Phil Mickelson is pin high at 3, albeit 30 feet from the flag. No matter! In goes the putt, as easy as you like. How could he miss that last short one, only to rake that in? Golf, that’s how! He’s back to +3, and you can be damned sure he isn’t giving this one up. What an opening to his round, though. I still can’t quite get over that. Jason Day leaves a long putt, up and over a ridge across the green, eight feet short. He lets the par saver slide by, and he’s back down to -2. Meanwhile up ahead on 4, Jamie Donaldson clatters a gorgeous iron to five feet, then yips the birdie effort. He stays at -3, but looks thoroughly gutted at the missed opportunity to mix it near the top of the leaderboard.
Grillo doesn’t hit his fairly simple, straight, uphill birdie putt at 16 at all. That’s pretty poor. But the motor skills are given a jangle when you lead a major for the first time, I guess. Par, and he stays one ahead of Stenson and Walker. Back on 4, Brooks Koepka, who had birdied 2 only to hand the shot back at 3, knocks his tee shot to five feet and steers in the gentle right-to-left breaker. He’s -3. And Jamie Donaldson rolls a 20-footer across the long par-four 3rd for his second birdie of the day. He’s -3. But Hideki Matsuyama can’t get up and down from a bunker at 7, and his topsy-turvy round topples him back down to -3. Two pars, two birdies, two bogeys and an eagle so far today. That’s entertainment.
We have a new leader! The supremely talented 23-year-old Argentinian Emiliano Grillo! He’s faced with a 50-footer up 15, and glides in a right-to-left slider for his third birdie of the day! He moves to -7, a shot clear of Henrik Stenson. It’s not as though this hasn’t been coming: he tied for 17th at the Masters, and 12th at the Open. Two high finishes from four starts. His tee shot at 16 is highly decent too, a 4-iron fired straight at the flag, leaving a 15-foot uphill putt. Birdie meanwhile for Jimmy Walker at 5, after sending his approach to eight feet and knocking in the putt.
-7: Grillo (6*)
-6: Stenson (F), Walker (5)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F)
-4: Matsuyama (6), Fisher (1*)
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Day rolls a 20-footer across 2 to move to -3. McIlroy meanwhile makes a fairly workmanlike par. His approach was nothing better than decent, over the flag to 15 feet, and he never looked confident over the left-to-right curling putt. Adrift at +4, he needs to do better than this. But he seems strangely energy-free. Mickelson, rather impressively, given what happened to him on 1, wedges to six feet. But slightly less impressively, he misreads a slight right-to-left breaker as a straight one, and the chance for a bounce-back birdie is gone. Hideki Matsuyama makes one, though, sticking his approach at 6 to 18 inches. He’s back to -4.
While Mickelson was carrying on down the 1st, Emiliano Grillo was sending his second at 14 to eight feet, and rolling in the birdie putt. He’s got a share of Stenson’s lead at -6. A bogey for Matsuyama at 5, and he’s back down to -3. Daniel Summerhays finished with an eagle, and a round of 67 that catapults him to -3. And there’s an opening-hole birdie for Jamie Donaldson, who moves to -2.
Mickelson’s first ball is obviously still bouncing down the highway, Tin Cup style. So he concentrates on his provisional. It’s by a cart path, near a bush, in a footprint or tyre track. He gets a free drop. He then whips a flyer towards the house situated back right of the hole. Luckily the ball doesn’t fly over the fence and into the pool, but stops near a tree in front of it. He punches up towards the green, but doesn’t make the putting surface. Another chip up, plus a putt, and that’s a nightmare start: a triple-bogey 7. What a farce! He’s +4, and he trudges off slowly and sadly, a little black scribble of cloud hovering over his head. He knows any chance of a second PGA has almost certainly gone up in parps of comic smoke. A few minutes ago he was dreaming of running towards the leaders with a birdie blitz. Now making the cut will be an uphill struggle. Shades of Winged Foot. Ah well, at least he wasn’t playing the 72nd. Meanwhile his partners McIlroy (+4) and Day (-2) make par. Yawn.
Here comes Lefty! The 2005 champ is afforded one of the biggest cheers of the day by the crowd at the 1st tee, and he’s yet to hit a shot. A living legend. The reason he’s loved so much, of course, is his glorious unpredictability. And so he bashes his opening drive straight left. That’s deep into the trees, and possibly on the road running parallel to the hole. It’s almost certainly OB, so he plays a provisional - and whistles that into trouble down the other side. Towards a creek. Ah no, it’s just by a bush that’s impeding his backswing. This is a total fiasco! But it is why you can never take your eyes off the man. He’s started the day at +1, but won’t be there for very much longer by the looks of it.
A fast start for Lee Westwood, who quietly went about his business yesterday to shoot 69. He clips his approach at 1 to 12 feet, then teases in a very delicate left-to-right curler for an opening birdie. He’s -2. I wonder how he’ll nearly win a major this time?
Matsuyama has started out 4-2-4-2. After that eagle at 2, he’s just stroked in a gentle left-to-right slider from 20 feet on the par-three 4th. He’s -4 all of a sudden. Meanwhile Webb Simpson misses a short par putt on 9 to end his round of 69 in slightly miserable fashion. He’s -2, alongside his playing partner Louis Oosthuizen, who clacked his tee shot at the par-three to a couple of feet and tapped in for a level-par 70 that’ll go nicely alongside yesterday’s 68. Oosthuizen has a habit in majors of nearly playing himself out of contention before things get serious, then tearing through the field and nearly winning the thing. Well, he’s not too far behind this time. Nicely set for the weekend, and a player who often comes on strong during Saturday and Sunday. The field will have its eye on him.
We talked of the 2002 champion Rich Beem earlier. He wasn’t going well, out in three-over 37, but came back in one-under 35. A chip to a couple of feet at the last, setting up birdie, looks to have saved the veteran’s skin with the weekend in mind: today’s 72, along with yesterday’s 69, sees him end the day at +1. Just inside the cut line. Meanwhile the overnight leader Jimmy Walker is out with a pair of pars. And it’s a birdie at 10 for James Hahn, and one for Emiliano Grillo at 12, quick starts bothering the leaderboard...
-6: Stenson (F)
-5: Kaymer (F), Reed (F), Grillo (3*), Walker (2)
-4: Hahn (1*), Fisher
Birdie for William McGirt at 18; that’s his third of the day, and he signs for a blemish-free 67. He’s -3. The North Carolinian is in good form after winning the Memorial last month, his maiden Tour win at the age of 36. Once you start winning, you can’t stop? Well, possibly. Just ask Henrik Stenson, who is on a similar tip: the new Open champion pars the last and signs for his second 67 of the week. He’s the leader at -6. Meanwhile Willett makes his birdie and signs for a scrapping 70; at +1 he should make the cut. Nothing’s ever certain, but he’s done all he can. A quite brilliant birdie-birdie finish. But there goes Dustin Johnson, who cards a 72 to go with yesterday’s risible 79. The US Open champion and pre-tournament favourite ended his two days at +9. That’s golf, ladies and laddies!
Danny Willett is making a desperate bid to stay here for the weekend. After faffing around down 7, in the rough and fairway bunker, he dropped to +3. But birdie at 8 has given him a sliver of hope, and he’s just clapped his iron at 9 straight at the flag. Pin high, he leaves himself an eight-footer to save himself. Whatever happens, this is a brave effort from the out-of-form Masters champion, and one that will stand him in good stead next year once he’s finally cleared his head and come to terms with his new status as a major winner.
Stenson and Reed tap in for their birdies at 8 and 9 respectively. That’s a 65 for Reed. He’s -5 overall, which is astonishing when you consider he started yesterday with bogeys at 1 and 2 and a double at 6. He was +4 after six! Never give up, kids! But Reed’s playing partner Justin Rose pushes a short par putt wide right of the hole. That is likely to be very costly, as it drops him down to +2. As things stand, Hampshire’s finest won’t be at Baltusrol this weekend. Charl Schwartzel signs for a 69, but at +2 after yesterday’s 73, he’ll most probably be missing during the business end too.
What a sand shot by Henrik Stenson! From a fairway bunker 60 yards shy of the 8th green, he whips his ball up, down, and two bounces later his ball screeches to a halt 18 inches from the hole. That’s spectacular. He’ll surely move into the lead on his own at -6. Meanwhile up on the par-three 9th, Patrick Reed eases his tee shot to gimme distance. He’ll move back to -5. This is turning into a proper tournament, and we’re only halfway through the second round!
Updated
Hideki Matsuyama has to win a major sometime. Four top-ten finishes in the big tournaments already for the Japanese 24-year-old. He shot 69 yesterday, and now from the middle of the 2nd fairway, lands his ball 12 feet behind the flag and spins it back into the cup. Spectacular eagle! He rises to -3. Meanwhile Bradley Dredge, back in the top 100, looks in the mood to take the opportunity offered by PGA Championship qualification. He shot a very impressive 69 yesterday, and now he’s clipped his tee shot at 12 to eight feet, and calmly rolled in the putt. He’s -2 overall.
A slightly annoying end to Jordan Spieth’s round. He clips a fine tee shot at 9 to 15 feet, then has surely made the putt. The ball half dips into the hole, but it spins round from left to right and stays up. He taps in for a birdie, and that’s a fine 67. But it could have been better. Still, he’d have taken -3 at the halfway mark when standing on the 16th tee yesterday afternoon. Bubba meanwhile misses a tiddler so far to the left that it doesn’t brush any part of the hole. A par that means he’s only signing for a 69, but at level par he isn’t out of this yet. Sergio is, though. A final par, and his 74 wins only a ticket home. He’s +5, and another major-less year goes by. Oh Sergio!
Scrub the bit about Reed sharing the lead. Playing in the group ahead, he’s just Stensoned a par putt at 7. He’s back to -4. Back down the hole, having driven into the rough, Danny Willett fidgets quite a lot, as is his wont, then takes a very strange Jim Furyk backswing, and whistles his second into a bunker well short of the green. He can only hack out towards the apron. He’s already +2, and in some trouble now, because it looks as though the cut will claim everyone at +2 or worse. Up on 8, Spieth shaves the left of the hole with a birdie putt, but stays at -3. Sergio bogeys, though, and at +5 he’s off home.
Stenson yips a short birdie putt at 6. He’s got the golf funk, because he’s not accepting responsibility for that miss, instead giving the evil eye to some punter or photographer who put him off mid-stroke. Running the footage back, there didn’t seem a whole lot to complain about, the putt made in almost total silence. Perhaps the microphone didn’t pick the problem up. Or perhaps Stenson suffers from a condition known as Monty’s Ear. They twitch, they pick up barely discernible noise, they cause severe redness of a big, affronted coupon. He stays at -5 in a tie with Kaymer, Reed and Walker.
Kaymer will be very happy with that 69. He was one over for his round through 10, but closed with three birdies in four holes. That’s the trick to winning majors: it’s rare that any player can string four superlative rounds together, so if you can turn a bog-average day into a sub-par score, you could well be onto something. Meanwhile news of Beef, who is in the clubhouse today with a 69 as well. He stumbled a little on the way home, with bogeys at 5 and 7, but a birdie at 8 will have improved his mood. He probably didn’t need a birdie to improve his mood, did he. “With Beef having gone rare earlier on, I wonder if his medium irons will put him a position where we can all say well done on Sunday?” wonders Gyles Brandreth Simon McMahon. “Then settle down to watch a film as we contemplate no major tournament golf for eight whole months. Weekend at Bearnaise, perhaps?”
Martin Kaymer knocks in a five-footer for birdie at the last, and after a round that was very average for the most part, signs for a late-blooming, battling 69. Spiethesque. The two-time major-winning German is in the clubhouse at -5. And tied for the lead with Reed, Stenson and Walker. Spieth meanwhile flops a little too delicately from the back of 7, leaving himself a long par saver. He can’t make it, and drops back to -3. Frustration his top note as he stomps off the green.
Updated
I’m not sure whether Spieth, Sergio and Bubba have been put on the clock, but they have dropped well behind the pace, and have been told to get a wriggle on. So naturally after Spieth hoicked his tee shot into trouble down the right of 7, it took over 10 minutes for him to get a ruling, his ball having stopped on a path, in a puddle, near some overhanging trees. Eventually he lashes a rather Seve-like draw down the path and around a clump of trees, but he can’t stop his ball whistling through the green and into the deep rough to the back. He’ll have quite an up and down from there.
Stenson knocks his second at 5 to ten feet, and is very close to stroking in the gentle right-to-left breaker. He’ll have to make do with par. He’s -5. It’s been a pretty nondescript round for the Masters champion Danny Willett: 13 pars and a bogey through his first 14 holes, the one blemish coming at 1. He’s +2 and in danger of missing the cut. And then there’s Dustin, who is totally jiggered, his latest bogey at 3 bringing him down to +9. A real shame we won’t be entertained by his brilliance and his meltdowns this weekend. You can’t help but love the big man. It’ll be an awful shame to see him go.
Thanks Niall. Well, this has kicked off quite nicely over the last hour or so, hasn’t it. Henrik Stenson set the ball rolling with that wonderful second at 18 to set up eagle. Previously going backwards, he’s turned it around rather spiffingly. Martin Kaymer’s salvaged a poor round with those birdies at 15 and 16 too, And best of all is Patrick Reed, who has just birdied 5: he’s -5 for both round and championship now, outperforming the other hot US star out there, Jordan Spieth, who has just wanged one into the trees down the right of 7.
-5: Reed (14*), Stenson (13*), Walker
-4: Kaymer (17), Spieth (15*), Grillo, Fisher
Another man making a move is 2010 champion Martin Kaymer, who racks up a pair of birdies in quick succession to move back up to -4, and a share of second. One man definitely not making a move: Sergio. Another chance to inch up the leaderboard goes begging at the sixth. Here’s the current leaderboard. For now, you know what time it is... it’s Scott Murray time!
-5: Walker, Stenson (12*)
-4: Reed (13*), Spieth (14*), Simpson (11*), Grillo, Fisher
An interesting side note – Colt Knost, who was alongside Ikeda in the very first group to tee off from the 10th, claims he played the hole based on out-of-date pin placement info. Knost could miss the cut as a result...
Just talked to Knost, who said pin sheet revision was only made after his group played No 10 w bad info. Made bogey, now 1 outside cut line.
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) July 29, 2016
Stenson joins Walker in the lead! The Swede’s approach play has been immaculate today, and while he passed up his last birdie chance, he rolls in from 12 feet to join Jimmy Walker on -5. The field around him might be a little nervous now.
Sergio needs to pick up birdies urgently; he’s still four over, and misses another opportunity at the 4th. The projected cut is a little high at one over, but it will need to drop a long way to catch Sergio as it stands.
The rain earlier has delayed a few of the tee times, but two potential contenders are out practicing: Rickie Fowler, two under after a rare strong start at a major, and Emiliano Grillo, who’s still in a tie for second.
Updated
Despite the gathering group behind him, Walker is back in the outright lead, as Reed turning a 30-foot chance at birdie into a three-putt birdie. He rejoins Spieth, Reed, Stenson and Simpson on -4 out of the course.
The new clubhouse leader is Japan’s Yuta Ikeda, who has made a late burst from the pack; one over for the tournament with six holes to go, he struck four birdies to finish with 67, three under for the day and overall.
“Reading your updates on the commuter train home from London Victoria” says John Gleeson. I have that particular treat to come later on.
“Great to see Speith putting in a good performance today, but will McIlroy make the cut? Seems like these two have polar opposite problems... what Rory wouldn’t give for Speith’s putting and vice versa!”
Spieth has fought hard today, and built himself some useful momentum. McIlroy, who starts on +4, will need to do the same, and avoid the visible frustration of yesterday.
Stenson has a sniff of the lead, setting up a six-footer for birdie with a dazzling approach shot, but for once, he passes the opportunity up. Elsewhere, Dustin Johnson continues to cut a disconsolate figure, and begins trudging after his birdie putt before it stops rolling. He’s not fixing to collect it from the cup, and so it proves – he taps in for par.
Spieth rolls in a nine-foot putt to save par at the 3rd. He’s holding steady on a leaderboard with a distinctly American flavour, as Webb Simpson joins him at four-under, having taken three birdies in the front nine. And what’s this? Stenson follows up a birdie at the 18th with another at the 1st, and he’s into the business end of things...
-5: Walker, Reed (11*)
-4: Spieth (11*), Simpson (9), Stenson (10*) Grillo, Fisher
Patrick Reed takes a share of the lead! He sinks a birdie at the 2nd – his fifth of the day – to join Walker on five under. The overnight leader is teeing off at 6.50pm BST, as the next cluster of players begin their second round.
Thanks, Scott. I’ll do my best. So, how’s Open champion Henrik Stenson getting on? He’s suffering the indignity of playing nine holes and only making par, that’s what. He’s still -3 with the front nine to play; don’t bet against him troubling the top of the leaderboard again this weekend. We don’t have TV pictures at the moment, so forgive me if the updates are a little functional for a short while.
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Bubba has absolutely blootered his tee shot down 2. Spieth and Sergio, playing it safe with irons, are 100 yards behind him. Naturally, he ends up no closer to the hole in two. It’s just the way these things go with Bubba sometimes. All have a look at birdie from roughly 12 feet, much of a muchness. Near misses for Bubba and Sergio, who tap in for par. Spieth misreads his, though, a big break to the right he doesn’t see. And he’s left with a tricky four footer for his save. He makes it, though, and remains one off the pace at -4.
With that, I’ll leave you in the loving arms of Niall McVeigh. He’ll treat you ever so kindly for the next hour.
Patrick Reed was this close to holing out from the bunker at the front of 18. He taps in for birdie, and he’s out in 32 strokes today. He’s up into a share of second at -4 with Spieth, Grillo and Fisher. Spieth meanwhile perambulates his way down 1 without any fuss or drama. Par. But it’s another dropped shot for Sergio, who we’ll be saying bye-bye to soon enough. He’s +4. Meanwhile smoke is pouring out of Hubert O’Hearn’s ears, and in some volume. Thankfully, a friend is wafting a blanket up and down over his head, allowing us to decode the signals: “That ‘Glory’s Last Shot’ sobriquet has always annoyed me. I know you didn’t invent it; I’m pretty sure it was CBS in the United States. Regardless, it reminds me of a wonderful quote by the moody Dallas Cowboys running back Duane Thomas who was asked at a media day he clearly resented how he felt about playing in his sport’s ‘ultimate game’, the Super Bowl. He replied ‘If the Super Bowl is the ultimate game, how come there is another one next year?’”
Another birdie for Webb Simpson, this time at 16. The 2012 US Open moves up to -3, alongside Patrick Reed out on the course, and Harris English, James Hahn and Andy Sullivan, all of whom are yet to swish a club or clack a ball in anger today. Meanwhile Yuta Ikeda of Japan, whose best finish in a major is 29th at the 2010 Masters, has just carded three birdies on the spin, at 4, 5 and 6, to move up to -2.
Updated
Jordan Spieth has played these two par fives marvellously. His latest birdie, this time at 18, wasn’t quite as simple as the one on the previous hole. But it featured a little sprinkling of brilliance. He had to manufacture a high lob from the thick stuff that confused Sergio, and left his ball four feet from the hole. In went the putt, and he’s -4, one off the lead. His game was all over the place yesterday evening, but he clung on in there, and now look. This young man knows how to play. But he also knows how to scrap and fight. What a story this could be, if he ends a major season which began with collapse at Augusta with vindication at Glory’s Last Shot!
-5: Walker
-4: Spieth (9*), Grillo, Fisher
No driver off the deck for Dustin. His drive didn’t scamper on enough in these moist conditions, so it’s a lay up with an iron. So if it’s a minor implosion you want, here’s Sergio winging his drive at 18 into the water down the left of the hole. He drops then lashes his third into the thick stuff at the front of the green. Attempting a high Mickelsonesque flop towards the putting surface - he’s short sided - he comes up shy and dumps his ball into sand. Disaster, but he splashes out wonderfully to 12 inches, and taps in for a bogey. He’s +3, and needs to play the front nine very well indeed if he’s to grace us with his presence this weekend. Oh Sergio!
Dustin crashes his drive miles down the fairway of the behemoth 17th. Now, this hole is just short of 649 yards, damp underfoot, so he might need to hit the driver off the deck if he wants to reach the green in two. Will he go for it? There’s not a lot for him to lose, so let’s hope so. Whether he’s falling to bits like wet cake, or ripping up the course with a few big booms, it’s impossible to take your eyes off the big man. We’ll miss him when he goes home for the weekend.
Ryan Moore has been fast out of the blocks this morning. After a 71 yesterday, he birdied 10, 11 and now 14 to move to -2 for the championship. Martin Kaymer’s poor day continues, though: his third bogey of the day, this time at 10, and he drops to -2. And is Dustin Johnson on the comeback trail? Well, probably not, let’s face it. But he lands his tee shot at 15 roughly ten feet from the flag, then rolls the birdie putt straight into the cup. That’s only his second birdie of the tournament so far, but he rises to +8. If he eagles 17 and 18, then we’ll talk about his surviving the cut.
Bubba is all over the shop coming up the monster par-five 17th. Never in control. He’s left with a 30-foot uphill double-breaker to save his par, and in it drops, using every last joule of energy. That could maintain his momentum, because he’s been going pretty well this morning, one under for his round. He’s level par. But that’s nothing compared to Jordan Spieth, who rattles in another birdie, after playing the hole in a bizarro Bubba style: solid drive down the middle, solid 3-wood, solid chip, solid putt from eight feet. He’s -3, and right in this tournament now! Par for Sergio, incidentally, who remains at +2.
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To complete a he-could-have-jumped-the-ropes trilogy, here comes Kiradech Aphibarnrat. Birdie at 7 today, following up yesterday’s 70, sends the man known as Asia’s John Daly - according to the R&A players guide, anyway - to -1. Meanwhile last year’s Open runner-up, Marc Leishman, posted 71 yesterday, but he’s -1 too now after birdies at 3 and 4.
The US have their own larger-than-life prodigy, of course, in Patrick Reed. Another birdie for the big man, this time at 15, and he’s joined the pack at -3. Excuse enough for the first leaderboard update of the day, huh.
-5: Walker
-4: Grillo, Fisher
-3: Senden (11), Kaymer (8), Reed (6*), English, Hahn, Sullivan
Beeeeeeef! Andrew Johnston is now sponsored by Arby’s, purveyor of outsized meat sandwiches and David Puddy’s favourite restaurant. I can’t help thinking Hamburger Helper have missed a trick here, given their logo already looks like a smiling golf glove, dancing, prancing, high on life. But that’s a matter for everyone’s advisers. Anyway, the big man has just birdied both of the par fives, 17 and 18, to move to -2 for his round and the championship. “He’s just gone Rare,” reports Adam Hurst, referring to his Beef-o-meter.
Webb Simpson’s 2012 US Open win is beginning to look like a Todd Hamilton style outlier. He’s surely better than the bare stats suggest, but could do with another top-ten finish in a major on his CV, at the very least. This week? Why ever not? A solid 69 in poor conditions yesterday, and he’s birdied 12 this morning to move to -2. He’s alongside Patrick Reed, who has made a nice brisk start today with birdies at 11 and 14, following his 70 yesterday.
Dustin’s misery continues. He wangs his drive at 13 into a fairway bunker down the left, and can only splash out. Literally, because the course is pretty sodden right now. He ends up three-putting from the front of the green, a par tiddler missed, and he’s +9, an irrelevance now. He looks broken, poor chap. We’ll always have Oakmont, big man. Stenson drops another stroke, having been hampered by a spongy lie on the fairway that didn’t qualify for relief. He’s back to -1 now. Unlucky with that lie, but there’s no excuse for hitting one straight left off the tee at 14, which is what he’s just done. All pars for Danny Willett so far, incidentally, as he remains at +1. The major champions of 2016 are struggling a bit this morning.
It doesn’t look as though Sergio’s Sweden-style 156-year wait for a major is going to end at this championship. A wild drive at 14, and he’s always chasing par. He drops to +2, and that’s outside the cut line right now, though chances are that might move out a tad later. Still. Par for Spieth, who isn’t a million miles away from knocking in a 20-foot birdie effort, and birdie for Bubba, who looks in the mood to give it a real go today. He’s level par overall.
Alex Noren has been not much better than a journeyman in the majors. But he recently won the Scottish Open, so his chops are up. A bogey today at 12, but he followed that with birdies at 13, 14 and now 17. After yesterday’s 70, he’s -2 for the championship. Along with David Lingmerth, who shot 68 yesterday, it looks like he fancies a little of that you-wait-156-years-for-a-male-Swedish-major-winner London-bus action.
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It looks like Dustin Johnson will have a free weekend. He finds the bunker at the front of 12, can only blast out to 15 feet, and fails to make the par saver. He’s +8, and you’d think he’ll need at least six birdies now to be guaranteed of making the halfway cut. Henrik Stenson, meanwhile, only just finds the front of the green, and trundles a 70-footer six past the hole. He can’t make the one coming back, and drops to -2. Par for Willett, who remains at +1.
Another birdie for Jordan Spieth! He drives into a fairway bunker down 13, but splashes to 12 feet, and rolls the birdie effort straight into the cup. He’s back to -2, a perfect response to the three-putt at 12, and he’s motoring this morning. It’s four pars in a row for Sergio, who remains at +1, as does Bubba after his par.
If Steve Stricker were to triumph at this Championship, he’d become the oldest major winner of all time. He’d beat the record set by Julius Boros, 48, at Pecan Valley in the 1968 PGA by a year. And why not? He’s in form, after that marvellous showing at Troon a fortnight ago, and there’s no better putter out there. He’s just birdied 6 to move to -2 for the championship. “It sounds like John Senden was very sneaky yesterday,” writes Steve Pye. “At the 1985 US Open, Denis Watson was not so clever, and his subsequent penalty proved costly. He lost the US Open by one shot.” And to think that wasn’t even the most infamous infringement that year. Poor old TC Chen.
Martin Kaymer was calmness personified yesterday. So his opening salvo today is a bit eyebrow-raising. After that bogey at 1, he dropped another at 3, but has picked a stroke up again at 4 to halt the slide. He’s -3. Jordan Spieth gives one back to the field by three-putting from the fringe at the par-three 12th. That was fairly unnecessary; while he was technically off the green, he wasn’t miles from the hole. He’s back to -1. Meanwhile Dustin Johnson, the pre-tournament favourite who ended the first day tied for 140th in a field of 156, hoys his drive at 11 into the trees down the left. He’s extremely fortunate to be presented with a route to the green. He punches his ball through the gap and onto the dancefloor. Two putts, and he’s opened with two pars to stay at +7. His playing partners Danny Willett and Henrik Stenson have also started out par-par; they’re +1 and -3 respectively.
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The 45-year-old Aussie John Senden - who tied for fourth in this championship in 2007 behind Tiger Woods, Woody Austin and Ernie Els - continues to enjoy himself. He picked up a cheeky stroke yesterday by procrastinating when his ball was precariously balanced on the edge of the hole. By taking a long route around the green to the cup, he ensured the ten-second waiting rule didn’t kick in, and eventually the ball toppled in for birdie. Saucy Senden. Smart Senden. Perhaps he’s decided that it’s a sign, and he should go for it. And why not? The PGA has thrown up far more unlikely winners. He’s followed up his birdie at 4 with another at 7, to rise to -3.
Spieth screeches his second at 11 to three feet. He tickles in the little right-to-left slider, and that’s back-to-back birdies. Throw in last night’s birdies at 16 and 18, and he’s four under for the last five holes. He’s -2 overall, and walks off the green loosening his shoulders, as if to say: right, here we go, the hard work starts now. And he looks up for it. An aura of contentment surrounds him; yesterday he was a seething sprite for so much of his round. An eventful start for his playing partner Bubba, too. He birdied 10, then drove into leafy bother down the left of 11. Only able to advance his ball into a fairway bunker, he found the middle of the green with his third, nearly drained a 50-footer, and tapped in for a bogey that can be considered decent, given what happened back up the hole. He’s +1, alongside the third member of the group, Sergio, who has started out with a couple of pars after misreading a fairly straight 12-foot birdie effort on 11.
No top-ten major finish yet for New Zealand’s Danny Lee, though it’s surely just a matter of time before he makes a proper mark in one of the big tournaments. Birdies on each of the closing par-fives yesterday saw him signing for a 69, and he’s kept the momentum going this morning, with birdie at 10. He’s -2 overall, alongside fellow Antipodean John Senden, who has enjoyed an eventful time of it this morning, with bogey at 3 followed by birdie at 4.
Jordan Spieth battled like hell to keep himself in contention yesterday. After a run of no birdies and one double bogey over the first 15 holes, he birdied two of the last three to haul himself back to level par. His tail up this morning, he’s creamed his opening tee shot down the middle of 10, sent his approach to six feet, and rammed home the birdie putt. He’s suddenly -1 for this tournament, just four off the lead set by Jimmy Walker, and if he can rediscover even a smidgen of his early-season form, never mind the special stuff he was serving up last year, he’ll be a factor this weekend. He’s not the sort to die wondering, so this round could be very interesting indeed.
Yesterday’s most heartwarming story surely involved Rich Beem. The surprise 2002 winner dusted down his clubs, pulled an old putter from the back of the garage, gave everything a quick buff, then went out and shot a sub-par 69. The up and down from thick nonsense to save his par at 9, and secure his red figure just when he looked to have ruined it all with an errant tee shot, was hard-as-nails. Sadly the veteran hasn’t started well today: bogeys at 1 and 3, and he drops back to +1 overall in double-quick time.
But it’s not all bad news for German golf. Stephan Jaeger yesterday shot 58 – equalling the lowest score on a major professional tour – in the Ellie Mae Classic on the Web.com Tour. The 27-year-old German finished with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-five 9th at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California. He ties Ryo Ishikawa’s 58 at the 2010 Crowns on the Japanese Tour. Al Geiberger, Mr 59 of the PGA Tour, is obviously still the man, though. The benefits of getting there first, on the big one.
Here we go then, the start of what promises to be a long day. Why so long? Here’s why!
The rain that battered Baltusrol during the night hasn’t buggered off yet. So the course quickly became unplayable this morning despite the best efforts of the greenkeeping staff. It doesn’t appear to be a huge problem - play is scheduled to recommence any minute now - and Martin Kaymer will have been thankful for the break. He found a creek with his opening drive and made bogey at 1, dropping back to -3, so he’ll have been able to clear his head after that unwelcome start.
Welcome to day two of the 2016 PGA!
Jimmy Walker’s brilliant 65 was the lowest round at the opening day of the 98th PGA Championship, another reason for him to stare at the night sky and project a few hopes and dreams onto the stars. But there’s an argument that Martin Kaymer’s 66 and Henrik Stenson’s 67 were even better, scored in conditions where the greens were harder, faster and trickier to read, and the wind was getting up.
Seems yesterday’s late starters will need their wits about them again. Because today’s weather forecast doesn’t favour them either. After a night of rain and thunder, the clouds are likely to continue doing their thing during the early part of the morning, maybe up until midday. Pack the waterproofs, just in case. That should leave clear conditions and a soft course for the afternoon starters. Poor Dustin Johnson!
We’ll get going here at 2pm BST. In the meantime, here’s how the leaderboard looks after the first round:
-5: Walker
-4: Grillo, Fisher, Kaymer
-3: English, Hahn, Sullivan, Stenson
-2: Choi, Lingmerth, Fowler, Hend, Koepka, Streb, Taylor, Day, Vegas, Senden, Henley, Oosthuizen
Selected others: 1- Wood, Casey, Westwood, Donaldson; E Scott, Beef, Spieth, Knox, Rose; +1 Sergio, Willett; +4 McIlroy; +7 Dustin
The morning starters from the first tee (local time in New Jersey, then BST) ...
7am (12pm): Michael Block, John Senden, Harold Varner III
7.10am (12.10pm): Johan Kok, Troy Merritt, Kevin Chappell
7.20am (12.20pm): Thorbjorn Olesen, Fabian Gomez, Russell Henley
7.30am (12.30pm): David Toms, Rich Beem, Steve Stricker
7.40am (12.40pm): James Morrison, Brandon Stone, Billy Horschel
7.50am (12.50pm): Jason Dufner, YE Yang, Martin Kaymer
8am (1pm): Brendan Steele, Bernd Wiesberger, Byeong Hun An
8.10am (1.10pm): Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
8.20am (1.20pm): Thongchai Jaidee, Jim Herman, Thomas Pieters
8.30am (1.30pm): Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, William McGirt
8.40am (1.40pm): KT Kim, Brad Lardon, Peter Malnati
8.50am (1.50pm): Daniel Summerhays, Rick Schuller, Cameron Tringale
9am (2pm): Bryce Molder, Brad Ott, Si Woo Kim
... and from the 10th tee ...
7am (12pm): Colt Knost, Joe Summerhays, Yuta Ikeda
7.10am (12.10pm): Ryan Palmer, Rob Labritz, Gary Woodland
7.20am (12.20pm): Scott Piercy, Alex Noren, Andrew Johnston
7.30am (12.30pm): Rocco Mediate, Rich Berberian Jr., Shaun Micheel
7.40am (12.40pm): Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick
7.50am (12.50pm): Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Danny Lee
8am (1pm): Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
8.10am (1.10pm): Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson
8.20am (1.20pm): Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel
8.30am (1.30pm): Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
8.40am (1.40pm): Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Louis Oosthuizen
8.50am (1.50pm): Ben Polland, Ryan Moore, Kyle Reifers
9am (2pm): Mitch Lowe, Younghan Song, Kevin Streelman
The afternoon starters from the first tee ...
12.15pm (5.15pm): Chris Kirk, Wyatt Worthington II, Freddie Jacobson
12.25pm (5.25pm): Brian Gaffney, Jeunghun Wang, Jason Bohn
12.35pm (5.35pm): JB Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
12.45pm (5.45pm): Matt Dobyns, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English
12.55pm (5.55pm): Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
1.05pm (6.05pm): Jimmy Walker, Chris Wood, Branden Grace
1.15pm (6.15pm): Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
1.25pm (6.25pm): Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood
1.35pm (6.35pm): Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, Jamie Donaldson
1.45pm (6.45pm): Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
1.55pm (6.55pm): Bill Haas, Andy Sullivan, Jamie Lovemark
2.05pm (7.05pm): Rod Perry, George Coetzee, Hideto Tanihara
2.15pm (7.15pm): Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryan Helminen, Jhonattan Vegas
... and from the 10th tee ...
12.15pm (5.15pm): Mark Brown, Patton Kizzire, Bradley Dredge
12.25pm (5.25pm): Tommy Sharp, Jon Curran, KJ Choi
12.35pm (5.35pm): Josh Speight, Kristoffer Broberg, Jason Kokrak
12.45pm (5.45pm): Daniel Berger, Darren Clarke, David Lingmerth
12.55pm (5.55pm): Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo
1.05pm (6.05pm): Vijay Singh, John Daly, Padraig Harrington
1.15pm (6.15pm): Victor Dubuisson, Marcus Fraser, James Hahn
1.25pm (6.25pm): Soren Kjeldsen, Scott Hend, Billy Hurley III
1.35pm (6.35pm): Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones, Rikard Karlberg
1.45pm (6.45pm): Robert Streb, Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Na
1.55pm (6.55pm): Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt, Gregory Bourdy
2.05pm (7.05pm): Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers, Ross Fisher
2.15pm (7.15pm): David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
Updated
