Par for Luke List at 9. He ends with a second 68 of the week, and that locks down the top of the leader board as we go into Moving Day. Never mind moving; with Brooks Koepka seven shots clear of the field, there might have to be a whole lot of shaking going on tomorrow as well, if this weekend isn’t going to turn into a procession. Thanks for reading!
-12: Koepka
-5: Spieth, Scott
-4: Berger, D Johnson, Kraft, Wallace, List
-3: Rose
-2: Lee, Kang, Janewattananond, Varner III, van Rooyen, Fleetwood, Oosthuizen, Fowler, Matsuyama
-1: Cantlay, Burgoon, Piercy, Lorenzo-Vera, Revie, Schauffele, Howell III
Here are some of the big names we won’t be seeing this weekend. Martin Kaymer, Jon Rahm, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Branden Grace, Ian Poulter, Bryson DeChambeau, Kim Si-woo, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood, Marc Leishman, Jason Dufner ... and Tiger Woods.
Wallace sends his approach at 9 to 15 feet, but can’t quite make the birdie putt. That’s a fine round of 67, though it promised even more until that late stumble.
A three-putt bogey from distance on 8 for Luke List. He slips to -4, and like Matt Wallace before him, won’t be going out last tomorrow with Brooks Koepka unless he eagles 9 from the fairway. The final pairing tomorrow will be Koepka and Jordan Spieth.
Back on the course, Matt Wallace sends his tee shot at 8 into the bunker to the rear of the green. He only just gets his ball out, and can’t make his saver from the fringe. He does very well to limit the damage to bogey, but that’s two shots gone in as many holes, having touched the heights of solo second spot. He’s back to -4. Unless he eagles 9 from the fairway, he’ll not be in the last group tomorrow.
It’s only been nine months since Gary Woodland set a new record for the best 36-hole score at the PGA Championship, with his 64-66 start at Bellerive. But now Koepka has blasted that 130 mark out of the water. He’s shot 63 and 65 to card 128. That’s the lowest total in major-championship history. Twelve under also sets the lowest 36-hole score to par in PGA Championship history. And his seven-shot lead is the largest in the history of the PGA Championship. To put the icing on the cake, since the 2016 PGA, he’s -67 in the majors! This is absurd! What a force of nature!
Francesco Molinari signs for a 68. He’s hauled himself back to level par after 36 holes. Koepka makes his birdie putt: that’s a 65 and a 36-hole total of 128, the lowest in major-championship history! And finally it’s exit Tiger, who knocks in his par putt and signs for a 73. He ends his championship at +5, missing the cut by one, the driver his undoing.
-12: Koepka (F)
-5: Spieth (F), Scott (F), Wallace (16*), List (16*)
Koepka isn’t the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth. And he wedges gently into the heart of the green, leaving himself a 12-footer for a bounce-back birdie. But Tiger’s approach snags in the rough at the front of the green, and he can’t trundle his chip in for birdie. At +5, he’ll be missing the cut.
Make that six clear of the pack, because Wallace, having nearly holed out from sand at 7, shoves his three-putt par effort wide right. Koepka then flays his drive into deep filth down the right of 18, but he looks to have fluked a reasonable lie. To be fair, he’s earned that luck with his performance yesterday and today.
-11: Koepka (11)
-5: Spieth (F), Scott (F), Wallace (16*), List (15*)
Brooks Koepka smacks his long putt up the green, and it’s a fine effort, up over the ridge and stopping ten feet away. But he doesn’t hit the par saver, and that’s only his second bogey of the week so far. A mixed reaction from some members of the gallery, who to be fair will now be several sheets to the wind, and may only be teasing the leader to keep things interesting anyway. Koepka takes this one in good sport with a laugh and a broad smile, and why not, given he’s still five clear of second-placed Matt Wallace.
Up on 18, Justin Rose signs for a 67. He’s -3. A 69 for Rickie Fowler; he’s -2. The third member of the group, Bubba Watson, wedges to five feet. A birdie will save him from the cut. He pushes it to the left. He smiles broadly anyway as the crowd gasp and send him their love; he’s probably not totally upset to be seeing the back of Bethpage Black. Not the sort of course that fits his free-jazz stylings.
A rare mistake by Koepka, whose tee shot at 17 drifts right, and topples down a ridge. He’s left with a monster putt. Charley Hoffman Country. The crowd take a little bit of joy in this minor slip, and he doesn’t look wholly impressed with their cavorting. A reluctant thin-lipped smile. This is a brilliant display of golf, but he’s not bringing the entire gallery with him. There’s no business like show business.
The on-fire Matt Wallace makes yet another birdie, his sixth in seven holes. This latest one comes at 6, the result of a chip-in from the back of the green. A 35-foot clack and bounce, dropping deliciously into the cup. As things stand, he’ll be going out last with Brooks Koepka tomorrow.
-12: Koepka (16)
-6: Wallace (15*)
-5: Spieth (F), Scott (F), List (14*)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Kraft (F)
-3: Rose (17)
In goes Koepka’s birdie putt, and he’s blowing the field away. He’s seven clear at -12. Luke List becomes the latest dot on the horizon in second spot, following up his eagle at 4 with birdie at 5. Though hold on ...
Adam Scott tidies up for par. That’s a glorious 64, the only blemish that short yip on 17. Still, it’s a fine day’s work, and he’s got a share of second in the clubhouse alongside Jordan Spieth. Well set for the weekend, especially if Brooks Koepka does something stupid over the closing stretch today ... but that looks rather unlikely, as he’s just wedged his second at 16 to five feet. Pop that in, and he’ll be seven clear of the field. This is absolutely relentless. It’s astonishing. Homeric. He doesn’t even need to make that birdie: providing he doesn’t drop a shot from here on in, he’s guaranteed to break the lowest 36-hole total at a major tournament.
Scott drives into deep filth down the right of 18. That yipped tiddler has fair taken the wind out of his sail. Shoulders slumped, he takes his medicine and chips back out, though overcooks it and sends his ball into the first cut on the other side. He knocks his third to three feet, far from a gimme given events on 17. His partner Kelly Kraft, the late reserve, screeches a wedge to kick-in distance. He’ll make birdie for 65, and he’ll go into the weekend at -4. Back on 16, the leader Koepka splits yet another fairway. Meanwhile a huge cheer rips the sky at 17, as the ever-popular Charley Hoffman rakes in a 70-foot putt. He’s +2.
Boom, wedge, tap, birdie. Simple as that for Brooks Koepka down the 484-yard par-four 15th. The climate was closing in on the leader for a brief period back there, but he’s responded magnificently, flatly refusing to panic. Suddenly he’s got a six-shot lead. Matt Wallace is now one of the players chasing forlornly in second spot: a gorgeous approach at 5, pin high to ten feet, leads to his fifth birdie in six holes. The 29-year-old Londoner is flying, with a couple of good birdie chances to come.
-11: Koepka (15)
-5: Spieth (F), Scott (17), Wallace (14*)
Fleetwood can’t make his par putt. A tentative prod that dribbles wide left. Bogey, and he’s back in 40 painful strokes. A 71 and he drops to -2. A sad end, given he was inches away from moving to -7 just after the turn. A round of 68 for his partner Erik van Rooyen, who also goes into the weekend at -2.
Fleetwood’s struggles continue down 18. He tugs his drive into a bunker on the left, his second finding greenside sand on the same side. He can only splash out to 12 feet, and has some work to do to save his par. It’s all gone away from Fleetwood since the turn. Eagle for Luke List at 4, meanwhile, and he’s -4. And another birdie for Kelly Kraft, who sneaked into the field as a result of Justin Thomas’s injury. This one comes at 17 - he’s going round with Adam Scott - and he’s -3.
Scott gives his birdie putt at 17 a good run, but it’s always staying out on the left. He’s got a two-footer for his par ... and he yips the short one, which horseshoes out. There goes the dream of that 62. He slips back to -5, though he’ll still tie the all-time low round at the PGA if he birdies the last. Such a shame.
Tiger’s tee shot at 14 is shoved miles right. It’s on the green, but he’s left with a monster putt. And he trundles his 60-foot effort a good 12 feet past. It’s a difficult downhill par putt, and it slides by to the right. He’s back down to +5. But he’s still only one off the cut, because the guillotine has moved out to +4. Par for Koepka (-10) and birdie for Molinari (-1). Up on 17, Scott finds the green, and he’ll have an uphill look at a precious record-chasing birdie from 20 feet.
Fleetwood’s tee shot at 17 rolls into the thick stuff off the back. His chip on is dreadfully weak, and he’s got to make a good 15-footer to save his par. He can’t make it, the ball refusing to break from the right. That’s a third bogey since the turn, and he drops back down to where he started the day: -3.
Scott’s birdie putt at 16 is a slippery downhill one, with a big left-to-right break. He doesn’t quite hit it, and it dies to the right, ending a little bit short. But that’s a tap-in for par. If he finishes birdie-birdie, he’ll be signing for a record-breaking 61. It’s never been done before in the majors. One birdie and it’s a 62. That’s never been done at the PGA, and only once in major-championship history, at the Open two years ago by Branden Grace. Did anyone really think there was even half a chance of this sort of carry on at Bethpage Black?!
Koepka can’t quite tease in his downhill eagle putt. It looked like dropping, a gentle left to right swinger, but somehow stays out on the left on its last turn. Still a birdie, though, and he’s back to -10. Birdie for Tiger, too, and he’s +4. Still alive. Molinari makes it three out of three in this group and rises to level par. Especially if the cut moves out to +4, which it’s threatening to do. And up on 16, Scott splits the fairway then sends his second pin high to 20 feet. Bethpage Black was quiet a couple of hours ago. For various reasons - the lead, the cut, the course record - the place is bubbling up now!
-10: Koepka (13)
-6: Scott (15)
-5: Spieth (F)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Fleetwood (16), Wallace (12*)
Out comes Koepka’s fairway wood at 13, and he smashes an arrow-straight shot 280 yards over the flag. He’ll have a 20-foot putt coming back for eagle. That is quite outrageous. You can only keep a player like Koepka quiet for so long. And that was a pearler. Meanwhile a highly impressive up and down from the sand by Fleetwood at 16. He splashes out, high and soft, with not much green to work with, to five feet, then strokes in the saver. That was a crucial one in terms of momentum. He stays at -4.
Four birdies in a row for Matt Wallace, no more than his tee shot at 3 deserved. He’s -4. Trouble for his compatriot Tommy Fleetwood, though, who tries to batter an iron greenward from the rough at 16, but comes up short and his ball lands in the bunker front right. He’s been firefighting since going close with birdie putts at 10 and 11, and his round is threatening to fall apart.
Tiger flays another poor drive off line, finding sand down the left of the long par-five 13th. He’s struggling here. Desperate for birdies, but not looking like he’s going to get them. His partner Koepka creams yet another huge drive down the middle, 311 yards, and he may be able to reach the green from there. Trouble for Fleetwood at 16, meanwhile, as his drive finds the lush stuff on the left.
Wallace could be making it four in a row, because he’s just sent his tee shot at 3 pin high to six feet. Rose misses a good birdie chance at 13, but he’ll make do with par to stay at -3. And Scott’s dream of a record-breaking round lives on. He attacks the pin at 15, tucked away in the right-hand corner of the green, and his ball takes a hot bounce into the thick stuff at the back. He’s not got much green to work with, but flings a lovely wedge high into the air, landing his ball softly 18 inches from the cup. That’s a kick-in par, and he remains at -6.
It’s not quite happening for Koepka right now. His birdie effort at 12 stops one turn short, and might have been missing on the left anyway. But it wasn’t far off. He remains at -9. Par for Molinari, who stays at +1. But Tiger races a long birdie putt past the hole, and he doesn’t make the one coming back. That’s three bogeys in a row, and suddenly he’s two below the cut line at +5. Meanwhile on 15, Scott’s drive threatens to find the deep stuff down the left, but stays sitting up in the first cut. A good break there. And three birdies in a row for Matt Wallace, the latest a 50-foot rake across 2! He’s -3.
Koepka bashes another fine drive down the middle of 12, then eases an 8-iron pin high to 15 feet. A fine response to the pressure being applied by Scott, who makes his birdie putt on 14 to move to seven under for his round today. One more birdie, and he’ll be on course to break the PGA Championship low-round record, and equal Branden Grace’s major-championship low of 62! A long way home yet, though.
-9: Koepka (11)
-6: Scott (14)
-5: Spieth (F)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Fleetwood (14)
Tiger slips below the projected cut line. A bogey at 11, punishment for finding more rough from the tee. He’s +4, having hit one fairway out of nine so far, a stat that goes some way to explaining his predicament. Two putts for Koepka meanwhile, and he makes off with a par. But he’s not looking his usual certain self right now. In the clubhouse, or wherever he may be, Jordan Spieth will be watching the final few holes with interest. And not just because Koepka’s momentum has momentarily stalled. Adam Scott has just creamed his tee shot at the par-three 14th to eight feet, and yet another birdie is a very real prospect now.
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Back-to-back birdies for Justin Rose, the latest at 12. He’s -3. Another for Adam Scott, this time at 13. He’s -5 now, and six under for his round; pars all the way in, and he’ll be signing his name for a 64. A couple more, and he’ll be re-writing the record books. And shame on me for assuming Fleetwood would tidy up on 14. He pushes the tiddler wide right, a dismal effort. He’s a popular player, Fleetwood, and the gallery cry in despair. He slips back to -4.
Fleetwood softly scoops a lob from the sand at 14 onto the fringe, using the longer grass to take a little sting out of the bounce. His ball rolls a couple of feet to the right of the flag, a quite magnificent shot from the position he was in. He’ll save his par. And then Koepka pulls a godawful wedge into the 11th green. It’s on the dancefloor, but good luck hearing the music. “Get in the bunker!” hollers some half-cut dolt in the gallery. Show business is a cruel game, never mind golf.
Koepka responds to shedding his first stroke in PGA Championship competition for 41 holes by crashing a monster down the track at 11. That famous mental fortitude, right there. Fleetwood meanwhile tugs his tee shot at 14 into the bunker on the left. He might be on the down slope; he’s certainly short-sided.
An eagle putt for Mike Lorenzo-Vera on the par-five 4th. It’s very makeable, 15 feet away from the fringe at the back, but it stays wide left and birdie will have to do. He’s -3. So is Erik van Rooyen, though for how much longer is a moot point, because he’s just landed his tee shot at 14 to six feet.
Justin Rose cracks a lovely second shot into 11, and the short birdie putt takes him to -2. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood is an inch away from curling in a 40-foot left-to-right breaker on the par-five 13th, but par will do.
-9: Koepka (10)
-5: Spieth (F), Fleetwood (13)
Koepka’s in the bunker, he’s got a good lie, and the lip won’t come into play. But he can only send his second into the thick stuff at the front left of the green. His flop up finishes 15 feet past the hole. He’ll have that for par. And he sends it back on line, but doesn’t hit it. It’s his first bogey in 41 holes at the PGA Championship! Tiger meanwhile is forced to chip out, but wedges his third into the green to give himself a half-chance of scrambling par. His putt dies to the left, and he’s back at +3, right on the cut. Birdie for Molinari, though, who is in red figures for his round and +1 overall.
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One step forward, one step back for Tiger, who sends his tee shot at 10 into horrible rubbish down the left. Koepka hoicks his miles right, and is he in the bunker? The deep filth? Either way, that will be a test. And the crowd got quite excitable as his ball sailed towards trouble there. Aw. Much is made of Koepka’s mental resilience, and the way he uses criticism and a perceived lack of respect as fuel. But he’s a human being, still only 29, and if this keeps up, he’ll be doing extremely well not to let it irritate or upset him at some point. Lucky he’s got those broad shoulders, huh.
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Make that five clear of Fleetwood, because he misreads a short par putt on 12 and sends it dribbling past to the left. He’ll feel doubly worse because his partner van Rooyen drains a monster to rise to -3. Birdie for Rickie Fowler too at 10. He’s -3, going along nicely.
-10: Koepka (9)
-5: Spieth (F), Fleetwood (12)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Scott (11)
-3: van Rooyen (12), Fowler (10), List (6*)
It’s not exactly breaking news, but Brooks Koepka is making this look ridiculously easy. He blasts another huge tee shot over the corner of 9, then lands a short iron from 170 yards to 12 feet. Then a huge roar as Tiger drains a 30-foot left-to-right slider, and he’s +2 again. He allows a smile to play across his face as the gallery chant his name. Koepka’s birdie putt then kinks out to the left, and he’ll have to settle for par. But he’s yet to drop a shot, and at -10 he’s still four clear of Tommy Fleetwood. Meanwhile bogey for Lorenzo-Vera at 3, the result of failing to hit an eight-foot par putt. He’s back down to -2. But another birdie for Adam Scott, this time at 11, and he’s -4.
Hideki Matsuyama came close to lifting the Wanamaker Trophy in 2017 at Quail Hollow. But he ran out of gas towards the end as Justin Thomas closed it out. He’s going along nicely this week: a 70 yesterday, and now he’s reached the turn in 33 with birdies at 4 and 9. A fine 20-foot putt secured the latter, and when he’s hot with the flat stick, he’s really hot. Watch this space. He’s -2.
Mike Lorenzo-Vera moves into credit for his round today. And in some style. He sends his second at 2 over the flag, landing on the fringe. The ball spins back in thrilling style, and nearly makes its way 20 feet back into the cup. It misses by inches. A tap-in for birdie, and the 34-year-old Frenchman is -3 through his first 11 holes, with opportunities stretching out ahead along the less vicious half of the course.
A two-putt par for Koepka. Ditto Tiger. And finally a par for Molinari as well, the Open champ failing to hit his birdie effort. It was right on line. There’s not a whole lot of drama developing right now. Things just ticking over.
-10: Koepka (8)
-6: Fleetwood (11)
-5: Spieth (F)
Koepka launches a 7-iron at the par-three 8th. He’ll have a straight look at birdie from 20 feet. Ditto Tiger. Molinari hits the best tee shot of the group, over the flag, and he’s got an eight-footer coming back. Another close birdie shave for Fleetwood, this time at 11, but he stays stuck at -6.
Fleetwood is a dimple’s width away from raking in a long birdie putt across 10. But he’d have grabbed a par with both hands on the tee, and that’s a tricky hole out of the road. He remains at -6. Back on 7, Koepka sends his approach into the heart of the green. He’s not close ... but close enough to have a look at birdie from mid-range. His effort slips by the right of the hole, but par will suffice. Par too for Molinari. But bogey for Tiger, who suffers a rush of blood over a six-foot par putt and races it through the right-to-left break. He’s back down to +3, and the cut becomes an issue yet again.
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No, Koepka won’t be cowed one single bit. He blooters a stonking drive over the trees to the right of the 524-yard par-four 7th, cutting off a huge chunk of the dogleg. That’s immense. What nerve! It’s a 300-yard drive that removes quite a few teeth from one of the hardest holes on the course.
Tiger rolls in a birdie putt from the fringe at the back of 6. He’s +2. Then Koepka’s birdie effort stops a roll short ... and a sizeable section of the gallery erupt in delight. He stays at -10. Then Molinari birdies (+2) and he’s afforded a warm reception. Poor Koepka will wonder what he’s done wrong, but the gallery won’t be wanting to witness a procession. Also, the heart wants what it wants, and that’s show-business. Shades of the 1962 US Open, when Oakmont pulled for Arnie Palmer and gave a young Jack Nicklaus the bird. That didn’t work out so badly for the Golden Bear in the end, and it’s unlikely to affect Koepka too much.
Tommy Fleetwood wakes Bethpage from its slumber! He strokes in a left-to-right birdie effort from 25 feet on 9. That’s back-to-back birdies, and he closes the gap at the top to a mere four strokes. We’re only midway through Friday! His partner Erik van Rooyen goes backwards, though, unable to get up and down from greenside rough. He’s back to -2. And Rickie Fowler rattles in a long one on 7 to move to -2.
-10: Koepka (5)
-6: Fleetwood (9)
-5: Spieth (F)
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The wind, expected to blow a bit this afternoon, is conspicuous by its absence. Nobody out there whipping up a storm of their own yet. A bit of a lull has descended over Bethpage Black, a result of Koepka’s fast start. The leader sends another drive into the deep rough, this time down the right of 6, but we’ve already seen how he responds to this sort of situation on multiple occasions. He’s yet to drop a shot in this tournament! And sure enough he lashes a wedge out of the dirt into the centre of the green.
Turns out Koepka’s ball hadn’t found the bunker, but snagged in the rough above the lip. He flips a careful chip towards the cup; a little more and that’d have been an outrageous birdie. But it’s an easy tap-in to save his par. He’s -10. Pars too for Tiger and Molinari, who both remain at +3. Meanwhile news of Harold Varner III, whose best result in a major is a tie for 66th at the 2016 Open at Troon. He’s just rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on 18. It’s his fourth in a row, and suddenly the 28-year-old from Ohio is in the group tied for eighth at -2.
Fleetwood tickles his downhill putt into the cup, and that’s his second birdie of the day! He’s now got a share of second at -5 with Jordan Spieth. And could he soon find himself even closer to Koepka? Because the leader sends his drive at 5 into the thick stuff down the right. He then sends a 9-iron into the bunker guarding the front right of the green. There’s not a lot of green to work with; much will depend on the lie. But he’ll need a dainty up and down to stay five clear.
-10: Koepka (4)
-5: Spieth (F), Fleetwood (8)
Erik van Rooyen eases a lovely iron into the par-three 8th. It’s the shot of the day, stopping elegantly a couple of feet away from the cup. He’ll knock that in for his fourth birdie of the day, having already picked up shots at 1, 3 and 7. Factor in a bogey at 5, and the 29-year-old South African is about to move to -3. His playing partner Tommy Fleetwood gives himself a decent shout of birdie too, but his shot over the flag, ten feet away, looks average by comparison. But only by comparison. It’s a lovely effort.
Koepka is human, in so much as he doesn’t quite hit his 20-foot eagle putt, and it dies off to the right. A birdie, which he converts with a tap-in and a yawn. Golf is so easy for him right now. He was just one shot off Tiger at the Masters, too. Anyway, he’s now five clear of the field at -10. The aforementioned Masters champ nearly rolls in a long birdie putt, but it doesn’t drop and he remains at +3. Just 13 strokes off the lead.
-10: Koepka (4)
-5: Spieth (F)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Fleetwood (6)
-3: Scott (5)
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He doesn’t make it, though. He pulls it a little, and he’ll stay at -3. Meanwhile on the par-five 4th, Koepka is pin high in two, after splitting the fairway with another monster drive and whipping a 6-iron in from 200 yards. Is there any stopping him?
Adam Scott keeps the pedal to the floor. He takes iron off the tee at 6, then sends another to six feet from 170 yards. The 2013 Masters champion not in the mood to give up the chase so soon. This is a fast start already; it’ll become blistering if he knocks that chance in.
Koepka sends his tee shot over the back of the long par-three 3rd and into the thick stuff. But he scoops a gentle wedge back to six feet, and rolls in the par saver. That’s a wonderful momentum saver, and he’s started out 3-3-3. He remains four clear at -9. Par for Tiger (+3) but a short putt missed and a disappointing bogey for Molinari (+3).
Adam Scott is tearing the place up. His fourth birdie of the day, a putt rolled in from 30 feet on 5, and he’s suddenly nudging the leading back at -3. A stat flashed up by the PGA: yesterday the cumulative distance of all his putts was 74 feet and three inches. Today he’s already made 105 feet and 11 inches. Golf in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen.
Xander Schauffele chips in from the side of 3 to move to -1. An eventful start for Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who bogeys 12 but picks the shot back up at 14. He’s -2. Erik van Rooyen birdies 1 and 3 but bogey at 5 sends him back to -1. And on 5, Kelly Kraft, the man who took the injured Justin Thomas’s place, lands a wedge from 100 yards ten feet behind the pin, and spins it back into the cup for birdie! He’s -1.
Another missed opportunity for Francesco Molinari, who misses a fairly straight birdie putt at 2 to the left. He remains at +2. Tiger can’t make his par putt, and slips to +3. Drop any further, and the Masters champion is missing the cut. No such concerns for Koepka, though: his birdie putt is rolled in with dead-eyed accuracy. What a start! Birdie-birdie, and the brilliant leader stretches further clear.
-9: Koepka (2)
-5: Spieth (F)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Fleetwood (5)
Koepka is relentless. The rain’s coming down a little heavier, and so the greens are a tad more receptive now. He wedges over the flag and spins his ball back to 12 feet. Another great birdie chance. He knows that another low round today would seriously demoralise the field. Tiger meanwhile is forced to hack out of the cabbage; his approach isn’t particularly close. He’ll have a 25-footer for his par.
A little drizzle coming down at Bethpage at the moment. The wind’s up too. But Koepka remains utterly calm. He cracks an iron straight down the middle of 2. Molinari tugs his tee shot into the thick stuff, to the delight of some of the more refreshed members of the gallery. Hey, it’s Friday, if you can’t let yourself go now, when can you? A lot of whooping and hollering. But these folk are equal-opportunity snipers, and Tiger gets a bit as well for sending his tee shot into the thick stuff down the right. All good pantomime fun. Meanwhile birdie for Justin Rose at 3, and he’s -1.
Thanks to John. Back just in time, then, to see Tiger getting up and down from the bunker for a ludicrous par. Molinari yips his short birdie effort. But Koepka makes no mistake with his, and that’s one hell of an opening statement. Boom, swish, tap, birdie. The reigning champion now leads by three.
-8: Koepka (1)
-5: Spieth (F)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (F), Fleetwood (4)
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Tommy Fleetwood ends up going over the lip of the green on the par 5 fourth. He has to settle for par after a birdie putt falls short. Rose, meanwhile, misses his birdie on the second. Tiger, then, is in a disastrous position. The good news is that nobody was hurt by a flying ball, but he is in the thickest of rough. It’s tense down there, with a lot of shouting being done; this seems a rowdy old crowd. “Back up, guys,” says the man from the NYPD. Tiger has around 120 yards to make but bush to play through. He gets a great connection and an even louder roar as his shot goes airborne and to the right. It lands in the bunker, but that is no disgrace considering. Molinari, in a safe position, plays a relaxed shot to get close to the hole, but not as close as Koepka, playing from 58 yards, who dollies in a beauty. Anything but a birdie would be a sincere shock.
The big man is back and heading to the first tee. Tiger gets a huge roar as he steps into the auditorium. Brooks Koepka has the honour, though, and goes first, hitting a shot of almost 400 yards. Awesome hitting takes him away from the rough and to the fairway. Molinari is more circumspect but also makes the fairway. But here comes Tiger, looking determined as he makes his dummy swings. He hit it left and into the crowd. Has he hit someone? It would be a mighty surprise if he hasn’t. A mad scramble follows around the ball. And perhaps his lie will be left ok by the amount of footfall. Still, not an ideal start at all, and very much in the mould of Tiger 2010-2019.
Koepka showed how it was done.
Koepka crushed it.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Nfh5YKLScq
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2019
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Adam Scott is on fire! That’s a third birdie in the first three. From the edge of the rough he drills a putt with great confidence and it hits the bullseye. He’s looking unstoppable, having holed 90 feet of putts in three holes. On the second, Rickie Fowler plays it safe before landing a peach of an approach shot that leave him deadset for birdie. That’s repeated by Justin Rose, who may be even closer. Bubba Watson has gone for broke with his driver and looks to have a tougher shot than his playing partners.
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Tommy Fleetwood pars the third to stay in that group on -4. He left himself too much to do with his third. Justin Rose gives himself a birdie chance on the first that he fails to capitalise on by drifting his shot to the left. Adam Scott’s latest putter has now sunk two big birdies, he’s -2 after the first two holes, and -1 overall. The rain is starting to fall, which may be bad news for the big contenders set to take to the tee.
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As it stands, with Koepka’s tee-time still 15 minutes away.
-7: Koepka
-5: Spieth (66)
-4: Berger (66), D Johnson (67), Fleetwood (2)
There may a new sheriff in town come next year, mind you...
... Which means his handicap is now a hilarious 1.8, low enough to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. Please, God? https://t.co/wBt7CND8zI
— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) May 17, 2019
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Tommy Fleetwood, by the way, made par on the second. A decent result, considering, for him after a wayward tee shot. He’s on -4. His tee shot on the third is far better. Rickie Fowler, on -1, gets a huge cheer as he comes to the first. He blams it to what looks like the semi-rough. Bubba Watson, on +6, has work to do and hits a beauty that he swerves to a perfect position. Justin Rose steps to the first tee on even par and then finds some rather nasty rough.
A word on Jordan Spieth, who showed some of his magic before, but who goes to pieces at the weekend. Spieth says he “putted beautifully”, somewhat immodestly. “I hit the greens in regulation and let the putter do the work,” he says. “I am certainly going to compete and concentrate on being in contention on the back nine.” He sounds confident.
Jordan Spieth shoots second-round 66. Not as surprising as you might think. He's ranked third in Round 2 scoring average this season.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) May 17, 2019
The trouble starts on the weekend.
Round 3: 193rd
Round 4: 208th
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Tommy Fleetwood misses the pin on the second and is forced to play a lay-up to land on the dance floor with his second shot. It’s a decent effort considering the position he found himself in. Adam Scott, meanwhile, birdies the first with his latest putter, which looks a hybrid of the broom handle and belly-putter. Speaking after his round, Dustin Johnson, on -4 and heading back to the club-house after his -3 round of 67, pronounces himself “happy” with his round, though says the greens are difficult to read. “It’s so subtle, it’s hard to see the line,” he says.
Rory gets another birdie chance on the ninth, his closing hole. This time, he doesn’t land it, but lays up for a decent par to close out at 71 for the day; it could have been so much worse. The green looks a little careworn. Jason Day, in the danger zone on +4, could do with a birdie, and lands one. He closes out at at +3, and will play with Rory tomorrow you would think. A beautiful, easy putt wends its way through the discoloured green and he will be happy with that. Mickelson’s final left-handed putt means he gets a par on the last hole and will enter the weekend at even par.
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Tommy Fleetwood has begun his day with a birdie after a fine iron shot on the first. Tiger Woods, looking pensive - when doesn’t he? - is imminent. And hopefully recovered from feeling unwell over the last couple of days. Brooks Koepka is circling the practice green with intent and will start in that star-studded trio alongside Tiger and Francesco Molinari.
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As Rory sank his birdie, there were not such good tidings for Phil Mickelson and Jason Day. Both suffered bogeys, with Phil’s decent tee shot coming to naught when he over-purchased his putting. Day took an age over his par attempt and hoiked it. It’s Rory on the charge now, but pity about those goofs on the opening three holes.
Count 'em..... ☝️✌️👌 birdies in a row for @McIlroyRory! pic.twitter.com/FYukWyilYy
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2019
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Meanwhile this is simply sensational from Rory McIlroy! He sends his tee shot at the par-three 8th over the flag, then strokes the birdie putt into the cup. That’s his fourth birdie in five holes, and as things stand, he’s clawed himself above the cut line! He’s +3, and rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated.
And with that, I’ll pass you into the loving arms of your pal and mine, John Brewin. See you in an hour!
Should you ever doubt Jordan Spieth? He splashes out delicately to a couple of feet, and he’s escaped with a par. He’s signing for a fine 66 that looks real pretty next to yesterday’s 69. At -5, he’s just two off Brooks Koepka’s lead, and unless the defending champ tears the place up again today, is in fine fettle going into the weekend. Par for DJ, and he’s signing for a 67; he’s -4, currently tied for third. But a 75 for Jon Rahm, and at +5, one of the pre-tournament favourites is away home.
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Back-to-back birdies for Phil Mickelson, at 6 and 7. The latter the result of raking in a 35-footer. He’s -1 overall. Rory wasn’t far off draining a 60-footer for the hide-saving birdie he’s so desperate to make, but par will have to do. He remains at +4. Meanwhile up on 9, Spieth dunks his approach at 9 into sand at the front. After all that good work, he’s threatening to spoil things at the last.
Jordan Spieth’s tee shot at 8 isn’t all that, 40 feet to the right of the hole. But no matter! He rolls the putt straight at the hole, and walks after it to watch it drop. That was moving, so probably just as well it hit the hole. But the aggressive putt betrayed his burgeoning confidence, and his return to form will send a chill up and down the leader board. He’s back, baby!
-7: Koepka
-5: Spieth (17*)
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (16*)
-3: Kang (F), Fleetwood
Matt Fitzpatrick pars his way in, and that’s a fine second round of 65. It wipes out the shots dropped yesterday during his 75, and he’s level par going into the weekend. A heroic effort. Meanwhile a 70 for Patrick Cantlay, who is -1 overall, and 70 for Gary Woodland too, his second of the week; he’s level par.
Now then, Rory McIlroy! Twenty-odd minutes ago, the 2012 and 2014 champion was miles adrift at +7, a busted docket. But that birdie at 4 has given him a much-needed boost of adrenaline! He’s followed it up with birdies at 5 and 6, both rewards for trundling home 25-footers. He’s +4, and suddenly what looked highly unlikely is a live prospect! He couldn’t escape the halfway guillotine, could he? It’d be sensational if he manages it. But it’s on!
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DJ makes his birdie putt! A 25-footer that slides gently from right to left, one of those that looks in from the moment it leaves the face of the putter. Spieth’s never missing his, and both US stars grab a share of second with Daniel Berger ... but not Sung Kang, who has bogeyed 17. Bogey for Rahm at 7, incidentally, and at +5 he looks to be heading home this weekend, with the cut projected at +3.
-7: Koepka
-4: Berger (F), D Johnson (16*), Spieth (16*)
-3: Kang (17), Fleetwood
A couple of wonderful, if very different, approaches at the long par-four 7th, statistically one of the hardest holes on the course. First up, Dustin in a bunker down the left of the fairway. He lashes out with a 7-iron and bundles the ball up on to the green. Not super close, but close enough for a look at birdie, which is quite the outcome from a tight spot. Then Spieth, who from the centre of the fairway sends his ball straight at the flag from 180 yards, the ball landing gently and stopping five feet short. That’s one of the shots of the day. Will it be rewarded with a birdie that’d give him a share of second spot?
Jordan Spieth is so close to draining a 25-footer on 6 for a fourth birdie in eight holes. But he seems more than happy with his par, smiling broadly after a fine effort. He remains at -3, as does DJ. But moving up to join Sung Kang in second spot: Daniel Berger, who knocks his second at 9 to kick-in distance, a spectacular end to a wonderful 66.
-7: Koepka
-4: Berger (F), Kang (15)
-3: D Johnson (15*), Spieth (15*), Fleetwood
-2: Lee (F), Janewattananond (12), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
A third birdie of the week for Rory McIlroy, this time at 4, though it’s surely come far too late to save him from the cut. He’s +6, and needs three more birdies if he’s to make it to the weekend. He’s not going to make it to the weekend. His playing partner Jason Day has been doing a much better job of salvaging his hopes of participation on Saturday and Sunday. Having stumbled across the back nine in 39, he’s birdied 1 and 2 to rise to +1. Phil Mickelson, the third member of this group, remains at level par after dropping one at 3 then picking it back up at 4.
When you’re hot, you’re hot. Sung Kang won the Byron Nelson last week, shooting 61 on the second day. The 31-year-old South Korean has also got a couple of top-ten finishes on Tour this season, plus another two top-20 spots. He’s taken that form to Bethpage, and having recently birdied 13, he’s made another at 15 to move into second spot all on his lonesome.
-7: Koepka
-4: Kang (15)
-3: Berger (17*), D Johnson (14*), Spieth (14*), Fleetwood
Par for Danny Lee at 9, and he’s signing for a four-over 74. Not exactly ideal, but given he reached the turn in 41 strokes, six over, that’s a decent effort at damage limitation. Having shot 64 yesterday, he’s still well in the mix at -2. I’m sure he’d have taken this position at the start of play yesterday ... just not necessarily like this.
Spieth is this close to rattling in a 30-footer on 5 for solo second spot. But par will do. He’s bumping along nicely. Ditto DJ. They both remain at -3. But Matt Fitzpatrick’s round is blemish-free no more. A three-putt on 6 slips him back to level par. He’s just - just! - five under for his round now. But the chances of posting something record-breaking are now slim. He needs a couple of birdies to tie the tournament record of 63, and three if he’s to snatch a share of Branden Grace’s all-time major low. A big ask anywhere, never mind Bethpage Black.
Pat Perez played the back nine in 39 strokes this morning. But like Danny Lee before him, he’s faring much better on the easier front nine. Birdies at 1, 2 and 4 have brought him all the way back up to -1 for the championship. Meanwhile Gary Woodland follows birdie at 4 with bogey at 5; he’s -1 too. And Danny Willett drops his first stroke of the day, at 12, to slip back to level par overall.
The official scorers are going with a bogey for DJ at the 4th. And who are we to argue? He slips to -2. Much confusion over that drop, though. Ah! They’ve changed it. Must have been a free drop. He’s -3 again. Well, that’s a bonus. What is it with poor old Dustin and scoring snafus? Danny Lee meanwhile birdies 8, and the leader board has another new look to it (with the exception of et cetera).
-7: Koepka
-3: Berger (15*), Kang (13), Johnson (13*), Spieth (13*), Fleetwood
-2: Lee (17*), Johnson (13*) , Janewattananond (9), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
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Play has slowed up quite considerably. A long wait on the 4th tee for DJ, Rahm and Spieth. DJ launches his drive into deep rubbish down the right, but his ball is up against a TV cable and he gets a free drop out of the fescue. However the official scoring suggests he’s taken a penalty drop for an unplayable. Conflicting reports. So anyway, he eventually pulls a seven-foot putt left, and that’s either a par, or it might be a bogey. You’re welcome. Pulitzer, please! Either way, that’s another poor miss, his flat stick having gone stone cold. Spieth, by contrast, makes a fuss-free birdie to join the group in second at -3!
Birdie for Sung Kang at 13, and the in-form South Korean, a winner in Texas last week, moves into a tie for second at -3. A second birdie of the day for Gary Woodland, at 4, and he’s tucked in behind at -2. Patrick Cantlay drops a stroke at 12 to slip to -1. And Ross Fisher, one of only five players under par here at the 2009 US Open, mounts a late charge up the leader board today. The 38-year-old Englishman has birdied 10, 13, 14 and 15 to rise to level par for the tournament after yesterday’s 74.
Danny Lee continues to slide back. Another bogey at 7, and his recovery efforts appear to be in vain. He’s -1. Another birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick, though, his fourth in a row! He’s -1 too, and in a much better frame of mind I’ll be bound. As things stand, he’s currently on course for a six-under 64. Can he find those two extra birdies to make it into the major-championship record books?
Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted the name of Jazz Janewattananond at the bottom of our leader board. Nicknamed after his dad’s penchant for be-bop, swing and scat, the 23-year-old from Bangkok has only played in one major tournament before, last year’s Open at Carnoustie. He missed the cut, but the young man is tipped for great things. He’s already got three wins on the Asian Tour, the latest victory at this year’s Singapore Open, where he saw off Paul Casey with a weekend’s work of 65-65. His first win came at the 2017 Bangladesh Open, a triumph he credited to a fortnight spent as a monk inside a Thai temple. Anyway, he’s birdied 6 and 8, and after yesterday’s 70 is -2 overall.
Spieth’s in danger of losing momentum too, missing the 3rd green to the left. He flops 12 feet past, about as well as he could do. And he arrows in the par saver! He’s looking like the Jordan Spieth of 2015-17 again. If his confidence continues to grow - and all the signs suggest it will, having weathered that mid-round storm yesterday - the career slam could happen this week. Dustin can’t make his par saver, meanwhile. And with Daniel Berger making another birdie, this time at 5, the top of the leader board suddenly looks quite different. With the exception of one rather obvious constant, of course.
-7: Koepka
-3: Berger (14*), D Johnson (12*), Fleetwood
-2: Lee (15*), Kang (12), Spieth (12*), Janewattananond (8), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
Danny Lee’s comeback stalls. Bogey at 6, and he slips back to -2. Far from out of it, though, if he can hold it together over the closing holes. The benefit of shooting an opening-day 64. All it’ll take is a bit of stumble by Brooks Koepka. A big if, admittedly. Meanwhile second-placed Dustin Johnson sends his tee shot into the green at the par-three 3rd ... but he’s underclubbed, or hit it fat, because he’s 82 feet short of the flag. His monster putt is decent, but there’s a slope behind the green and that’s suddenly picking up speed and trundling on ten feet past. He’s in serious danger of losing all of his momentum here. He really needs to make that one coming back.
Another birdie for Daniel Berger, this time at 4, and he’s quietly moving into position ahead of the weekend. He’s -2 overall after yesterday’s level-par 70. “I enjoyed the little story about Phil Taylor the darts player,” begins Patrick Megan. “Fat winner, thin loser. The same thing happened to the Aussie golfer Craig Parry. He decided to become less portly one year and turned up on tour several kgs less than the year before. You could never describe ol’ Craig as ‘buff’ but he had transformed himself into a shadow of himself. The only problem was he had lost his golf swing in the gym somewhere. After several missed cuts, he admitted that he didn’t feel right standing over the ball, probably because he could see it, and his swing just didn’t work very well when it wasn’t going around his portly stomach! He re-transformed himself back into his pudgy body and started making cuts again! Phil just needs one of those things Kramer was selling on Seinfeld, the Mansier or was it the Bro?”
Matt Fitzpatrick shot a miserable 75 yesterday. But the 24-year-old from Sheffield is piecing together a round that, if he keeps going, could bother the record books. He’s currently five under today, having birdied 10, 17, 1, 2 and now 3. The good opportunity at the par-five 4th is next. If he makes that, he’d just require two additional birdies in the last five holes to match Branden Grace’s major record of 62. Yes, yes, a long way to go, but what’s the point of sport if we’re not allowed our ridiculously over-excitable dreams? Fitzpatrick is level par for the tournament.
DJ’s pin high in two at 2. He’s left with a 12-footer for birdie. But another chance slips by. He misreads, sending his ball to the left, and it’s never coming back. A par that keeps him ticking along, but he really should be just a shot off the lead now. He remains at -4. Spieth meanwhile does extremely well to scramble a par, never in position. The sort of thing you have to do to win majors. He’s back, baby. And so is Jon Rahm, who makes it back-to-back birdies after a lovely second to four feet. He’s +3, and the weekend’s on again.
Danny Lee’s comeback is on! Birdie at 4, his third in four holes, and after that shocker 41 on the back nine, he’s making a good fist of repairing the damage. He’s back to -3, and this is a stunning, street-fighting response to golfing disaster. Rory McIlroy take note: you can make the cut yet.
-7: Koepka
-4: Johnson (10*)
-3: Lee (13*), Fleetwood
-2: Cantlay (11), Spieth (10*), Kang (9), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
-1: Berger (12*), Woodland (11*), Willett (8), Kuchar (8*), Fowler, Wallace
Jordan Spieth crashes an uncharacteristically long drive down 1. So much so that he questions his caddie when he’s informed that he’s only got 65 yards left to the green. His wedge flies over the flag, not particularly close, but he guides in a 15-footer coming back, and that birdie takes him to -2. A much-needed birdie for the struggling Jon Rahm, too, and he’s +4. DJ should make it a full house of birdies, having sent a monster drive down the track and bumping up a chip to five feet. But he pulls the short putt, and that’s an opportunity spurned. He stomps off with a look of mild irritation on his face.
Jason Day bogeys 17. At +3, he’s now right on the cut line with no margin for error. He’s in decent enough nick compared to Rory McIlroy, whose driver had let him down again back on 15, sending him back to +7. Par for Rory on 17, but weekend participation looks a pipe dream for the 2012 and 2014 winner right now. Phil continues to par, his fifth in a row, and he stays at level.
“Nice shot, DJ!” Spieth to his pal on the 18th green. Not for the flyer of an approach that Dustin sent from the thick rough dangerously close to the gallery at the back. But for the delicious little lob from cabbage that he sent back down a slippery green to six feet. But he can’t make the saver and drops his second shot today. He’s still out in 32, though, and remains alone in second at -4. A rare par for Rahm, who is out in 40, and another par for Spieth, who has played the back nine in level par and remains at -1.
Danny Lee’s slow climb back up the standings continues. His second birdie since turning in 41, this time at 3, and he’s back to -2. A poor run for the hotly tipped Tony Finau, who bogeys 16, 18 and now 1 to slip to +3. And a disastrous crumble by the 2017 Players champion Kim Si-woo, who has spent the last 20 minutes or so in native areas various, making back-to-back double bogeys at 3 and 4. Kim had got himself up to -3 at one point yesterday evening, but struggled on his last three holes. He dropped shots at 7 and 9, and was a lucky bounce off a tree away from running up a score at the 8th. Put all together, it’s a miserable run ... and he’s just dropped yet another shot at 5. He’s +4, and as things stand, going home tonight.
Compare and contrast pt.II. DJ’s tee shot at 17 is nothing better than average, hitting the middle of the green, safe but far from spectacular. However he guides his 30-foot slider into the cup for a third consecutive birdie! He’s chasing Koepka down! Spieth knocks in his birdie putt, and he’s back to -1. But Rahm misses his par putt and that’s now five bogeys in six holes. He’s +5, and the notoriously hot-headed young man is trying his very best not to boil over.
-7: Koepka
-5: D Johnson (8*)
-3: Fleetwood
At the eighth attempt, Rahm hits a green in regulation for the first time today. Problem is, the par-three 17th green is nearly as wide as Long Island itself. He’s pushed his tee shot to the right; the pins way out on the left. And he’s facing a 70-foot two-putt for par. Compare and contrast to Spieth, who very nearly slam-dunks a hole-in-one. The blood drains from Rahm’s face as he races the monster putt ten feet past.
Spieth can’t save his par, though it’s not for the want of trying. He wedges his third to ten feet, and looks as though he’s made the putt, but it slides away to the left at the very last turn. That bogey drops him back to level par. But Dustin makes his birdie putt! His fourth birdie in six holes, and he’s the hottest player out on Bethpage Black right now. He’s also grabbed second spot all for himself. Koepka-DJ showdown ahoy? And a fourth bogey in five holes for the third member of the group, Jon Rahm, and he’s +4. The cut’s projected at +3 right now.
-7: Koepka
-4: D Johnson (7*)
-3: Fleetwood
-2: Cantlay (8), Kang (7), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
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A good up and down from the bunker at 13, and Phil Mickelson stays at level par. Pars for Day and McIlroy too, and this group appear to have steadied the ship a little. Speaking of Phil, here’s Hubert O’Hearn: “Every doctor and trainer in the country may hate me for mentioning this, but remember Fit Phil Mickelson from a few years ago, the one who looked great but was struggling to make cuts? I don’t think it’s an accident that as his profile has became more, let’s call it Daly-esque, his game is better. Maybe it’s a matter of balance. Regardless, three cheers and three beers for Sumo Phil!” This certainly happened to the original Sumo Phil, Mr Taylor of darts fame. At the 2003 PDC World Championship, Taylor turned up looking like an extra from a Wham! video, all frosted hair, earring and thin of frame. Buff. So having won the previous eight titles, he lost this one, and the legendary commentator Sid Waddell put it down to his dramatic weight loss, affecting his balance and his ability to hit the treble 20. The next year, biscuit barrel having been raided again, Taylor was back on top. QED.
“I don’t like anything about this.” Jordan Spieth there, surveying his lie after spraying his tee shot at 16 into nonsense down the left. He’s forced to hack out, and he’ll need to get up and down from distance if he’s to avoid back-to-back bogeys. His partner DJ meanwhile split the fairway and wedges to ten feet. He’ll have a look at that putt for back-to-back birdies.
Another birdie for the world number one Dustin Johnson! Driver, wedge and a ten-footer on 15. Having opened with a bogey today at 10, he’s now made three birdies in five holes. He’s -3, and sharing second spot with the still-reclining Tommy Fleetwood. No good news for his partner Jordan Spieth, though, who can’t get up and down from the side of the green and hands back the shot he picked up at 11. He’s -1 again.
Some welcome good news at last for poor old Danny Lee. Having played the back nine disastrously, in 41 shots, he makes birdie at 1, and he’s in red figures for the tournament again at -1. A strong showing on this easier half of the course, coupled with the slightly stronger winds that are expected this afternoon, and the 28-year-old Kiwi might not have played himself out of contention quite yet.
Back on 13, Mickelson has a route back out from the woods. He bashes out onto the fairway, sends his third into the green, and takes two putts for an eventful par. He’s level. Day extricates himself from bother with his second, too, but he pulls his third into greenside rough and can’t get up and down. A third consecutive bogey, and he’s +2 overall. But what’s this? A second birdie of this year’s tournament for McIlroy! He creams a fairway wood to 80 yards of the green, then wedges very close, his genius announcing itself this week at last! He’s back up to +6, and the fight’s on to avoid the cut. Shall we leave them for a bit, while the going’s good? Yes, let’s.
Sung Kang hands the shot straight back at 5, failing to get up and down from a bunker. He’s joined in the group at -2 by Patrick Cantlay, who having led the Masters on Sunday for about 13 seconds, will have gotten a taste for the majors. Birdie at 6, to go with yesterday’s 69, and he’s in a tie for third.
-7: Koepka
-3: Fleetwood
-2: Cantlay (6), Kang (5), D Johnson (5*), Spieth (5*), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
Sung Kang has taken the rare Good Birdie Opportunity at 4. He moves into a tie for second with Tommy Fleetwood at -3. Pat Perez is going the wrong way, though. After yesterday’s fine 68, bogeys today at 11 and 13 bring him back to level par. And it’s also going south for the much-fancied Jon Rahm. The big Spaniard never quite got going yesterday, and after his level-par 70 will have been after a quick start today. But bogeys at 12 and 13 have sent him clattering down the standings to +2.
BREAKING NEWS: Rory McIlroy finds a fairway. He’s done this at the par-five 13th. Straight down the middle. Too little, too late. But there’s still the strong whiff of fiasco coming off this group. Phil Mickelson sends a huge slice into the wilderness down the left, then Jason Day follows him there with a big hook. I should probably switch to the group featuring Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, as both are one under for their rounds today, and are just five off the lead at -2. Soon, soon. Thing is, it’s difficult to take your eyes off this exploration into abstract golf. Let’s see this hole out at least.
Memo to Danny Lee: here’s how to bounce back from a double. Mickelson chips in from the side of 12! He’s in the semi-rough to the left of the green. He doesn’t have much space to work in, but lands his lob nine-tenths of the way towards the hole, and rolls it in from there. The crowd go wild as their hero moves back to level par for the tournament. However his partner McIlroy is falling to pieces. Having driven yet again into thick oomska, he chips out only to send his third over the back and into more thick rough. He doesn’t commit to his chip, which only reaches the fringe. Two putts, and that’s another double. He’s started 6-5-6 today, already five over par for his round and +7 overall. Most likely he’ll be checking out of his hotel in a few hours. Another bogey for Day, too, the punishment for sending his approach into the bunker front right: he’s +1.
A lovely brisk start to the morning for the 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett. Birdies at 1 and 2, and he’s sitting nicely at -1. Could have been even better were it not for a totally needless three-putt on his final hole, the 9th, last night. But this is lovely to see from a player who’s struggled since his breakthrough win at Augusta. Hope he can keep things going round this treacherous track. God speed!
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Danny Lee’s round is turning into an absolute nightmare. His driver is seriously letting him down. Another tee shot whistled into the thick stuff, this time at 16. He finds the rough on the other side, then a bunker, and that’s back-to-back double bogeys. This is Bethpage Black. Having shot a six-under 64 yesterday, he’s handed all the shots back in seven holes today. He’s level par. Brooks Koepka will be feeling very good about himself right now.
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These lads are dragging each other down. Day’s approach finds the green, but it’s well left and he’s faced with a 75-yard monster putt. He seriously overcooks it, on both length and line, and only the fringe stops the ball rolling into the thick stuff. He can’t make the one coming back and that’s a bogey: he’s level par. Mickelson can’t make his bogey putt, and having shaved the hole for birdie at 10, he’s suddenly two over for his round: +1 overall. McIlroy meanwhile trundles an aggressive long birdie effort 12 feet past, and the return putt lips out. He’s +5. What a farce.
Mickelson takes a fairway wood off the 11th tee for safety. You know what’s coming next: he wangs it into the thick stuff down the left. Having seen the bother McIlroy got into on the previous hole, he opts against a gung-ho smash for the green, and pitches out instead. But then he seriously misjudges his wedge in from the fairway, dumping it into the cabbage guarding the front right of the green. His flop out is weak. He’ll have a 15-footer for bogey.
Speaking of bad starts, Danny Lee’s miserable morning continues apace. Having dropped shots at 11 and 12, he’s now doubled 15. He was always out of position, having whistled his tee shot into the rough. A subsequent visit to greenside sand, then more rough after a poor bunker shot, and Koepka’s closest overnight challenger has slipped way off the pace in little more than 90 minutes. But here comes Jordan Spieth, who birdies 11 to join the bunch tied for third. Chasing the career slam this week, he’ll already be ruing that stumble after the turn yesterday, when he dropped three shots in three holes. Without that, he’d be breathing down the leader’s neck.
-7: Koepka
-3: Fleetwood
-2: Lee (6*), Kang (3), Spieth (2*), Perez (1*), Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List
McIlroy clunks a chip 15 feet past the hole. He can’t make the bogey putt, and that’s a woeful start. He slips to +4, and now the cut’s more of a concern than the championship itself. Par for Jason Day, who gets up and down well from the rough at the front of the green: he’s -1. And par for Mickelson too, who over-reads his gentle left-to-right ten-foot slider for birdie. He looks frustrated, but one look at Rory will remind him that it’s all relative. He remains at -1.
McIlroy batters his third shot pin high. Only problem is, the ball’s squirted left again, and now he’s in the rough to the side of the green. He smacks his lips in the contemplative style. This is shaping up to be a miserable start for two-time PGA champ; he really needed to fly out of the traps.
Here comes Rory, and he’s already in a whole world of trouble. So much for the birdie at 18 that gave him a little boost late last night. Starting the day at +2, he’s clearly of a mind to push hard for a low score, but his decision making has already let him down. Having sent his opening drive into the fescue down the right of 10, he should probably take his medicine and pitch out, hoping to get up and down from 80 yards or so. But instead he goes for the green. The grass grabs the hosel and turns his club over, the ball squirting straight left into more bother on the other side of the hole. Meanwhile his partner Phil Mickelson wedges close having split the fairway with his tee shot. Compare and contrast.
Daniel Berger has been touted as a future major winner from a young age. The 26-year-old from Florida is slowly beginning to make his mark at the big events: a top ten finish at the 2016 Masters, a share of the 54-hole lead and a tie for sixth at last year’s US Open, a tie for 12th in the PGA last time at Bellerive. This is the sort of quiet, under-the-radar improvement that Brooks Koepka was making a few years before his breakthrough at the 2017 US Open. So he’s worth keeping an eye on. A brilliant start today, with birdie at the 10th, the third most difficult hole on the course, followed by another at 11. A poor approach at 12 cost him a shot, but he’s in credit today with a chunk of the hardest stretch out of the way. He’s -1.
Good morning, Long Island! There’s a fair chance the 18-hole leader Brooks Koepka, an afternoon starter today, hasn’t got out of bed yet. He’ll have his feet up somewhere at least. OK, he might be in the gym. But the point stands: it’s already been a good day for the reigning champion, and he hasn’t swung a club in anger yet. That’s because Danny Lee, who shot 64 yesterday thanks to some sensational approach play, has started his second round badly. Out in the very first group, he hit poor drives at 11 and 12, finding the long stuff and ending up with a pair of bogeys. And suddenly the lead is three.
-7: Koepka
-4: Lee (5*)
-3: Fleetwood
Preamble
Here’s a little succour for the folk chasing down Brooks Koepka. The defending champion may have shot 63 yesterday, a near-faultless display only blighted by three missed short putts that could have turned the spectacular into something borderline outlandish. But that doesn’t mean he’s a shoo-in to retain his title quite yet.
Koepka became the ninth player to shoot 63 in the first round of a major. Of the last eight, only two have gone on to win the tournament, Jack Nicklaus at the 1980 US Open, and Ray Floyd at the 1982 PGA. So there is hope for the chasing pack. Although given that Koepka’s last four rounds at the PGA are 63, 66, 66 and 63, hope is a relative concept. Here’s how the leaders stand:
-7: Koepka
-6: Lee
-3: Fleetwood
-2: Lorenzo-Vera, Reavie, List, Kang, Perez
-1: Fowler, Wallace, Cantlay, D Johnson, Spieth, Mickelson, Day, Kim
... and here are the tee times. (All local, add five hours for BST.) Starting at hole 1 ...
6.45am: Ryan Vermeer, Adrian Otaegui, Jason Kokrak
6.56am: Alex Björk, Rod Perry, Ross Fisher
7.07am: Eddie Pepperell, Branden Grace, Ryan Palmer
7.18am: Ryan Moore, Joel Dahmen, Thorbjørn Olesen
7.29am: YE Yang, Rich Beem, John Daly
7.40am: Steve Stricker, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay
7.51am: Sung Kang, Shaun Micheel, Alex Beach
8.02am: CT Pan, Kevin Na, Ryan Armour
8.13am: Danny Willett, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson
8.24am: Kevin Tway, Brandon Stone, Bronson Burgoon
8.35am: Si Woo Kim, Danny Balin, Tom Lewis
8.46am: Jazz Janewattananond, Tyler Hall, Michael Kim
8.57am: Mikko Korhonen, Craig Hocknull, Jhonattan Vegas
12.10pm: Ben Cook, Scott Piercy, Brian Gay
12.21pm: Thomas Pieters, Patton Kizzire, Adam Hadwin
12.32pm: Brandt Snedeker, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Max Homa
12.43pm: Henrik Stenson, David Lipsky, Richard Sterne
12.54pm: Shane Lowry, Erik Van Rooyen, Tommy Fleetwood
1.05pm: Sergio Garcia, Kelly Kraft, Adam Scott
1.16pm: Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed
1.27pm: Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Justin Rose
1.38pm: Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Alex Noren
1.49pm: Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Tiger Woods
2.00pm: Aaron Wise, Ryan Fox, Shugo Imahira
2.11pm: Julian Suri, Marty Jertson, Martin Trainer
2.22pm: Lucas Herbert, Cory Schneider, Sungjae Im
... and at hole 10 ...
6.45am: Michael Thompson, Danny Lee, Justin Bertsch
6.56am: Cameron Champ, Rich Berberian Jr., Lucas Glover
7.07am: Emiliano Grillo, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey
7.18am: Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter
7.29am: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Gary Woodland
7.40am: Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Keegan Bradley
7.51am: Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
8.02am: Pat Perez, Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau
8.13am: Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day
8.24am: Satoshi Kodaira, Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith
8.35am: Corey Conners, Jim Furyk, Marc Leishman
8.46am: Jorge Campillo, Stuart Deane, Chesson Hadley
8.57am: Dylan Frittelli, Andrew Filbert, Kurt Kitayama
12.10pm: Rob Labritz, Beau Hossler, JJ Spaun
12.21pm: Sam Burns, Jeffrey Schmid, Keith Mitchell
12.43pm: Ben An, Jason Caron, Andrew Putnam
12.43pm: John O’Learn, Harold Varner III, Kyle Stanley
12.54pm: Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Justin Harding, Sam Ryder
1.05pm: Vijay Singh, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
1.16pm: Graeme McDowell, Chez Reavie, Brendan Jones
1.27pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Knox, Haotong Li
1.38pm: Lee Westwood, Shaun Norris, Charles Howell III
1.49pm: JB Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard, Troy Merritt
2.00pm: Joost Luiten, Brian Mackey, Matt Wallace
2.11pm: Casey Russell, Luke List, Abraham Ancer
2.22pm: Craig Bowden, Adam Long, Joaquin Niemann
It’s on!
