At the end of a very long day - SLOW PLAY IS A CRIME - this is how the top of the leaderboard looks going into Moving Day. And what a leaderboard, topped by 50-year-old Phil Mickelson, who becomes the first man to hold an overnight lead at a major championship in the 1990s, 200s, 2010s and 2020s! A living legend, whatever happens this weekend.
-5: Mickelson, Oosthuizen
-4: Koepka
-3: Grace, Bezuidenhout, Matsuyama
-2: Conners, Woodland, Streelman, Im, Casey
Meanwhile here are a few of the big names who haven’t made it to the weekend: Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Kim Si-woo, Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Matt Kuchar, Cameron Champ and - perhaps no surprise, but we’ll miss him, and he did lead for about two minutes yesterday morning - the 1991 champ John Daly. Thanks for reading this blog. See you tomorrow!
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DeChambeau tries again, and knocks his ball to a couple of feet. He’ll finish with bogey, and a round of 71. He’s -1 going into the weekend. Matsuyama, perhaps spooked, lobs more aggressively, and sends it five feet past. He curls in a very missable bogey putt, and that’s a fine 68. Bogey too for Morikawa, who is +1 at the 36-hole mark.
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Matsuyama’s second into 18 finds the big waste bunker to the left of the green. He whips out, past the flag, and over the other side of the green. That’s down by the collar of the second cut. DeChambeau, who had sent his second long and right, lobs up ... but weakly, and the ball rolls apologetically back towards his feet. A couple of poor shots there, but these players have had to wait the best part of 40 minutes to play these last two holes. A huge logjam. Slow play is a curse. Brooks must be furious. We stand with Brooks.
Thomas doesn’t need relief. He draws back his putter and ... the ball stays high on the right by the width of a dimple. A second 75 in a row, and the 2017 champion won’t be here this weekend. Such a brave attempt to wriggle out of bother, though. Meanwhile Koepka races a long putt from off the back of the green eight feet past, but nails the one coming back. His 71, to file alongside yesterday’s 69, puts him in good shape for the weekend.
-5: Mickelson (F), Oosthuizen (F)
-4: Koepka (F), Matsuyama (17)
McIlroy’s ball sits up nicely on a bank. But he’s chipping four - we don’t see where his second landed. This chip ends a couple of feet away, and it’s a final bogey, his third in a row. He trudges across the green with the defeated gait of a man who knows his game isn’t in top shape. He’ll sign for a 72; he needed more after yesterday’s 75. He’s +3, and you never know if he catches fire on Moving Day. But you get a sense that he knows.
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McIlroy’s approach is not so good. He tugs it wide left, the ball pinging off the back of some poor cameraman and into some thick nonsense. Unfortunate in one respect, flat-out awful in another.
There’s been a lot of waiting around. Finally, with the 18th green clear, Koepka is good to launch his second greenwards. He sends his ball over the back, to the left, but that’s not the worst miss. JT next. He really needs something special here ... and creams an absolute beauty straight at the pin! The ball takes an unfortunate bounce right, but just as it threatens to topple off the green, a sprinkler head gets in the way. He’ll get relief, and have a good look at birdie from 15 feet!
Xander Schauffele has made 12 consecutive cuts in the majors. It’s the second longest active streak. But no longer, because he won’t make it to lucky 13. Bogey on the last, an uncharacteristically poor 77, and he ends the day at +6, one shy of the cut. Par for Lee Westwood, who follows yesterday’s 73 with a 72; he’s +1. And finally Victor Hovland, who has had a day of more downs than ups. Par to finish, and it’s a 75 to go with yesterday’s 69. He’s level par.
Matsuyama nearly curls in from 40 feet on 17, but will make do with par. He remains at -4. DeChambeau’s birdie putt never looks like making it to the cup, so just a par as well. He’s -2. But Morikawa, who could only splash to ten feet from sand, misreads his downhill dribbler, which almost immediately turns right, and he drops back to level par.
On the 18th tee, Thomas, in search of that miracle birdie-birdie finish, finds the fairway. Koepka too. McIlroy makes it three out of three. The tension here is palpable, and it’s only Friday afternoon! Just imagine what drama these closing holes could throw up tomorrow night, never mind when we reach the business end of things on Sunday.
Morikawa’s tee shot at 17 finds the popular “bunker” on the left. Matsuyama lands his on the front portion of the dancefloor. DeChambeau however goes for the jugular, flirting with the water on the right, the ball eventually straightening up and landing 12 feet past the flag. What a stunning shot! The crowd give it plenty, hoping fate will reward him for his bravery.
If Justin Thomas wants to play this weekend, he’s got to birdie both of the last two holes. Well, he’s just rolled a 40-foot birdie putt down 17 and into the cup. That’s half the job done! He’s +6, with the projected cut at +5. One last push. Brooks Koepka can’t get up and down from the fringe, though, and slips to -4; McIlroy can’t scramble from the sand, either, and he’s +2. A semi-promising salvage job has quickly gone south.
-5: Mickelson (F), Oosthuizen (F)
-4: Koepka (17), Matsuyama (16)
Oosthuizen’s par putt slips by. That’s a shame, especially as he was very unlucky with his second shot, which only just toppled off the back. But he looks happy enough as he signs for a 68 to put alongside yesterday’s 71.
-5: Mickelson (F), Oosthuizen (F), Koepka (16)
-4: Matsuyama (16)
Birdie for Morikawa at 16; he’s back into red figures. Up on 17, McIlroy pulls his tee shot into the big “bunker” on the left; Koepka stops just short of it. And on 18, Oosthuizen takes putter from the bank at the back ... and underhits it. He’ll have to make a tricky eight-footer if he wants to keep his card blemish free. It’ll be sad to see him stumble right at the last.
He’s going to make another! He explodes his sand shot up onto the green, and off the flagstick! He’ll tap in for a second wonderful par save in a row. He stays at -2, and he’s really hanging on here. Meanwhile up on 18, Oosthuizen’s second topples off the back of the green ... just. The flag’s tucked up there, and he’s short-sided. That won’t be an easy chip at all.
Oosthuizen’s drive at 18 finds the right-hand side of the fairway. Meanwhile there’s more trouble for DeChambeau on 16; he finds rough down the right with his tee shot, then a bush, then some sand on the other side of the hole. He’ll need another fine up and down to save his par.
Nobody’s played the par fives better than Brooks Koepka this week. He’s -7 for them so far ... and having played the 16th, he still is. Par, but a very decent one, his second having found a tight lie in a pseudo-bunker, forcing a conservative chip, his long right-to-left birdie putt nearly dropping. He remains at -5 ... but Rory McIlroy slips back to +1 with a clumsy three-putt six.
The leader Oosthuizen splashes out from the sand at 17 to five feet. Big putt coming up ... and in it goes. He remains bogey-free today. If he gets in unscathed, it’ll be the only blemish-free card so far this week. He’s still -6.
A long wait for Oosthuizen on the 17th tee. Far from ideal. He sends his 4-iron into the sand to the left of the green. Not the worst place to be. Back on 15, DeChambeau screws his wedge from 135 yards to three feet. This will be a magnificent par save.
Right now, there are four major champions at the top of the leaderboard. The next cab on the rank is the only player to shoot 62 in the majors. None too shabby, huh? Although Matsuyama has just hoicked his second at 15 into awful muck down the left, while on the same hole, the current US Open champion is forced to chip out sideways from the tight spot in which he’d left his drive. So it’s very much swings and roundabouts. Sorry to have mentioned it.
Koepka, having sent his second at 15 down the right of the green, chips up close and looks to have scrambled his par. But a little pull costs him a shot, and a share of the lead. Bogey for Justin Thomas as well. At +7, with the cut projected at +5, his goose looks almost certainly cooked.
-6: Oosthuizen (16)
-5: Mickelson (F), Koepka (15)
-4: Matsuyama (14)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F)
Paul Casey signs for his second 71 of the week. This is great stuff for the 43-year-old major-championship bridesmaid. Back on 13, his compatriot Matt Wallace bumps a chip into the cup for a birdie that brings him back to -2. Bogey for Collin Morikawa at 14; the defending champion hasn’t been on it today, but is still in a tie for 20th at level par. And on the 15th tee, DeChambeau hooks his tee shot into some utterly filthy rough down the left. Trouble ahoy.
Oosthuizen is disgusted with his chip into 16, but it looks pretty good to just about everybody else. It stops 15 feet from the flag, and he’ll have a look at birdie. The subsequent putt is always going right, but that’s another precious par. Back on 14, DeChambeau doesn’t bother going for the pin from the sandy area, given that anything other than a perfect shot would either stay in the sand or topple over the other side of the green. He aims for the heart of the green, taking his medicine and accepting a bogey. Smart golf. He’s -2.
DeChambeau pulls his tee shot at the par-three 14th into sand to the left. He’ll be close to the face of the sandy area - no bunkers this week - and that’ll be a tricky up and down. Par meanwhile for the co-leader Oosthuizen on 15, and he’s currently making his way carefully up the par-five 16th with two accurate fairway-splitting shots. So far, the South African is negotiating the Ocean Course’s killer final five holes very well indeed.
Brendan Steele makes the cut in sensational circumstances! At +6, in thick rough at the back of 18, he needs to hole out to save his skin. He whips up a crisp lob, his ball rolling unerringly into the cup to wild celebrations. He allows himself a wry smile. It soon breaks into a laugh. Wonderful scenes, and they’re repeated, kind of, on 14, where Justin Thomas, also at +6, pulls his tee shot miles left into sand, doesn’t get particularly close with his splash out, but rattles in a long putt to keep his hopes alive. Looks like he’s not given up yet at all. Like we ever seriously thought he would have. Pars for Koepka and McIlroy too.
Matsuyama, playing blind over a huge trap into 13, takes a brave line. Straight at the flag, with water nearby on the right. He lands his ball four feet away, not half bad from 190 yards, and the Masters champ tidies up for his third birdie in four holes. He’s -4 and in a very chipper mood. Life is good right now for Hideki Matsuyama.
Westwood’s tee shot at 14, inches away from a hole-in-one, bounds 12 feet past. No gimme, but he rolls in the birdie putt, just reward for that sensational tee shot. He moves to -1, and we repeat: if Lefty at 50 could win this, so can Westy at 48. (Chances are neither will, if you were to force us to bet the farm, but let’s not harsh anyone’s buzz quite yet.)
Justin Thomas has the look of a man who subconsciously might not want to hang around Kiawah Island any more. He yips a short par putt on 13, and he’s back down below the cut line at +6. Sad to see. Up on 18, Harry Higgs picks up the funtime slack: having chipped in for birdie at 17, he trundles in a 50-foot monster on the last to sign for a 71. He goes into the weekend at -1, and the popular Seinfeld-quoting social-media star soaks up the loud, possibly Higgs-approved-vodka-and-water induced, screams from his loving gallery.
Koepka doesn’t make his birdie putt on 13, but it was an outside chance, and he’ll be more than happy to have gotten away with the approach. A par, and he remains in a share of the lead with Oosthuizen at -6. Meanwhile on 14, Lee Westwood is this close to a two-bounce hole-in-one. The English veteran is hanging on in there at level par.
A word on Cameron Tringale, who you may recall going on a run of 6-4-10-7-5 earlier on, playing the back nine holes in 48 strokes. You could have forgiven him for throwing his set of clubs into the ocean, or maybe leaving the clubs and walking into the sea in the style of Reggie Perrin. But he kept on going, and played the front nine - his second nine today - in two-under 34. He’ll not be here for the weekend after his 82, an ignominious collapse after briefly leading the tournament yesterday, but what moxie to finish with a positive: birdie at 3, then another, valedictory one at 9. Never give up, kids.
Koepka, in the group following Hovland, nearly repeats the young Norwegian’s mistake going into the water-guarded 13th. His second is shoved right, and looks for all the world like getting wet, but his ball lands a couple of yards shy of the edge and somehow stays dry. And suddenly a watery grave turns into an excellent birdie opportunity!
Par for Oosthuizen on the par-three 14th. Not the easiest of greens to hit, so he’ll be happy to walk off with a three. Back on 13, Hovland hoicks his approach into the drink down the right, a heinous mistake. Having dropped, he nearly drains his putt from the apron, but it stops one dimple short, and it’s a double-bogey six. He slips to -1.
Brooks Koepka birdies 12 to take a share of the lead! It’s reward for a lob wedge landed four feet from the cup. DeChambeau should remain on his tail, but loses some ground when he yips a short birdie putt on 11, having chipped up from the front to close range. That’s an awful miss under any circumstances, but especially after getting back into position after that wayward drive. His partner Matsuyama makes no mistake, though; another birdie, his third in a row, and he joins Bryson at -3. He does love a birdie blitz, does Hideki.
-6: Oosthuizen (13), Koepka (12)
-5: Mickelson (F)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Hovland (12), DeChambeau (11), Matsuyama (11)
DeChambeau tugs his drive at 11 way left. It ends up behind some hospitality tents, so he gets a line-of-sight drop. He goes even further left, onto an adjoining fairway, and a long way back. But he’s got a clean - if totally blind - shot into the green. He lashes a 9-iron in the vague direction of the green, and does pretty well to get back on the correct hole, just short of the dancefloor. He should easily save his par from there, though if he can scramble birdie, it’d be one of the great saucy smash-and-grabs.
Suddenly this is quite the leaderboard. If Moving Day is half as eventful as this, we’ll be in for a treat tomorrow.
-6: Oosthuizen (12)
-5: Mickelson (F), Koepka (11)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Hovland (11), DeChambeau (10)
A broad smile on Rory McIlroy’s face this week at long last! He once again got away with a loose drive, this time finding his ball on a sandy strip down the right of 11. He subsequently powers onto the green from 225 yards, very nearly drains a 40-foot eagle effort, and tidies up for a birdie that takes him back to level par. Meanwhile his partner Brooks Koepka knocks in a 20-foot putt, for his second eagle of the day, and suddenly life is looking a whole lot better for the folk in this particular group. Yep, even Justin Thomas, who birdies and nudges himself up to +5, above the cut line once more.
Oosthuizen makes his birdie putt on 12, and hits the front at the 103rd PGA Championship! Birdie meanwhile for Viktor Hovland at 11, plus another for Hideki Matsuyama at 11, and the leaderboard takes on a brand new look and style.
-6: Oosthuizen (12)
-5: Mickelson (F)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Hovland (11), Koepka (10), DeChambeau (10)
-2: Conners (F), Woodland (F), Streelman (F), Im (F), Casey (14), Laird (11*), Matsuyama (10)
YE Yang DQ'd
The 2009 champion YE Yang has been disqualified after signing for an incorrect score. He’d shot 75 yesterday, but scribbled his name at the bottom of an 83 this afternoon. Only problem was, he’d signed for a four at 10 rather than the five he made. An honest mistake, illustrated by his quite happily signing for a quintuple-bogey nine, a quadruple-bogey nine, and a garden-variety double-bogey seven. Ah well, he’ll always have Hazeltine.
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Another tee box, another wild flay with the driver by Rory McIlroy. He sends this one, at 11, miles right too. That’s flirting with water as well. Dearie me. Meanwhile up on 12, the in-form Oosthuizen whistles his second straight at the flag. It stops eight feet short, and he’ll have a good look at a birdie that’d give him sole ownership of the lead.
McIlroy makes the up and down from the back of 10, and that’s kept his round going. He remains at +1. Pars for his partners Koepka (-3) and Thomas (+6). Meanwhile this chap was just spotted mooching across the 7th fairway.
Phil Mickelson finally has some company at the top of the leaderboard! Louis Oosthuizen goes over the back-right of the par-five 11th in two, then chips up carefully to kick-in distance. The birdie takes him to -5, and he follows that by splitting the 12th fairway with his drive. Things are looking good right now for a player who should have more than the single 2010 Open Championship to his major CV.
-5: Mickelson (F), Oosthuizen (11)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Koepka (9), DeChambeau (9)
McIlroy’s drive at 10 hasn’t quite reached the water. But it is stuck halfway down a bank covered in thick grassy filth. The ball’s miles below his feet. He’s 126 yards from the hole. He manages to fire out low, straight at the flag, but his ball doesn’t listen when he screams after it to “Sit! Sit! Aw!” It rolls on, into a sandy area at the back. Still, he’ll have a chance to flop out and save his par, a situation he’d surely have settled for when his tee shot was sailing towards the drink.
A magnificent birdie for Bryson DeChambeau on 9. His tee shot isn’t all that, sent into the thick rough on the right. But he smashes out to five feet, a fine mix of power and feel, and rolls in the birdie putt to turn in 33. The US Open champion is suddenly -3, just a couple off the leader Phil Mickelson.
A three-putt bogey for Matt Wallace on 8, and his birdie charge comes to an end. He slips back to -1. Meanwhile up on 10, Rory McIlroy, having just made a fine birdie at 9, sends a wild tee shot towards the water hazard down the right of 10. Noises of frustration emerge from his mouth.
McIlroy hits the turn in 34, after draining a 30-footer for birdie at 9. Suddenly he’s +1. Koepka has a much better chance from ten feet, but pulls it wide, and the opportunity to close the gap on Mickelson is gone. He remains at -3. But there’s more misery for JT, who really doesn’t look like turning this around. Having sent a big pull into the thick nonsense down the left from the tee, he does very well to give himself a five-foot chance to salvage his par, but that flies by. He’s +6.
A chip-in from the back of 12 for Tyrrell Hatton! He doesn’t bother celebrating much, coming off the back of a four-putt double-bogey on 11. They haven’t shown any footage of that, which is a shame, because there are few players who can fume in the expansive style like Tyrrell. We don’t like to see it, of course, won’t anyone think of the kids, etc., though anyone who has helicoptered a club with great feeling will know exactly how cathartic it can be. He’s -1.
Some birdie action in the group behind on 7. It’s two in a row for Hideki Matsuyama, and the second of the day for Bryson DeChambeau, who is ticking along in uncharacteristically quiet, careful fashion. They’re -1 and -2 respectively.
Justin Thomas is playing right on the brink. Birdie at 7, his first of the day, wipes out the shot he dropped at 2. He’s where he started the day at +3. But with the cut projected at +4 at the moment, he needs to take care. However at the par-three 8th, he sends his tee shot into a thick clump of grass on the edge of one of those sandy areas. He doesn’t have a stance, so is forced to turn his club around and poke out left-handed. With the grass grabbing the hosel, he does well to connect, never mind punch his ball out onto the apron, but the putter goes cold and he’s still dropping two shots. He’s back to +5, and in a wee spot of trouble if he wants to stay for the weekend.
A third opportunity in a row for Louis Oosthuizen to make birdie and snatch a share of the lead. A third putt rolls by. He’ll be happy to be turning in 33, though given the amount of birdie putts he’s had, he could be going absurdly low. He remains at -4.
Brooks Koepka, having just bogeyed 4 and 6, desperately needed something to happen. And something has indeed happened! He rakes a monster eagle putt across the par-five 7th straight into the cup! A 40-foot tramliner that never looked like missing! Meanwhile up on the par-five 11th, birdie for Paul Casey, who joins him at -3. No birdie at 7 for McIlroy, though, as he prods with great uncertainty at an eight-footer. Very poor, and he remains at +2.
-5: Mickelson (F)
-4: Oosthuizen (8)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Casey (11), Koepka (7)
Tell you what, Lee Westwood has been quiet this week. But he shot 73 yesterday, and after a birdie at the par-five 7th that snapped a string of pars, he’s level par for the tournament. If 50-year-old Lefty can win this, then so can Westy, a relative spring chicken at 48.
Louis Oosthuizen has had a putt for birdie and a share of the lead at 7; he’s now had another go at 8. Neither dropped, but he’s knocking at the door. This stretch from 7 to 12 is the window of opportunity, the wind blowing in a much friendlier direction.
Another birdie for Wallace! A third in a row! This one’s steered in from 40 feet, a big right-to-left swinger, and the 31-year-old from Sunningdale moves to -2, three off Mickelson’s lead. A reminder that Wallace has good form at the PGA, finishing tied for third a couple of years ago at Bethpage Black, albeit never really in contention, with Brooks Koepka running riot, Dustin Johnson the only man to apply a bit of pressure. But third place is third place is third place, and he could be in the mood to take a proper tilt at the Wanamaker Trophy this time.
McIlroy makes his birdie putt on 6! He springs back to +2, and there’s a notable bounce in his step as well as he strides forward to pluck the ball from the hole. Meanwhile Matt Wallace is one of the latest starters this afternoon. He doesn’t seem to be having too much of a wrestle with the conditions, though. Birdies at 3 and 4, and he’s -1.
Hovland isn’t taking this lying down, and rolls in a birdie putt from the fringe at the back of 6. He’s back up to -2. McIlroy, coming in the group behind, knocks his second to almost exactly the same position. He’s got that to move into red figures for the day.
A word for the English duo of Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton. Like the South Africans on Mickelson’s tail, both will have plenty of experience in windy conditions on links or links-style courses, for reasons that won’t need explaining. So perhaps no huge surprise that they’re both in good nick right now, out in 35 strokes, one under for their round, and -2 overall.
Tringale takes 10
Here’s a run that will make weekend hackers across the globe feel a bit better about themselves. Poor old Cameron Tringale led the PGA Championship for a bit yesterday, as he shot a magnificent 70. The man is no fool. But he’s just carded a triple bogey at 14, a quadruple bogey at 17, and a quintuple bogey at the par-three 16th. His last five holes: 6-4-10-7-5. Out in 48. The 10 was the result of finding the water twice. We’ve all been there, plenty more often than Cameron. He’s +10, having been -3 less than a couple of hours ago, after birdie at 11. Golf, ladies and gentlemen.
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Louis Oosthuizen may be the exception that proves the rule. He rolls in his third birdie putt of the day, at 6, and moves to within a shot at -4. He’s missed a couple of other half chances as well. South Africa currently occupies three of the top four places in this leaderboard; it may be no coincidence that Oosthuizen, Grace and Bezuidenhout all have experience back home on windy seaside courses.
-5: Mickelson (F)
-4: Oosthuizen (6)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F)
Three putts for Keegan Bradley on 14. He slips back to -2. Somewhere on the estate, Phil Mickelson pops his feet up on a chaise lounge, cigar on.
Rory McIlroy nearly curls in a 25-footer on 4 for birdie. Just a par, as the ball dies off to the left on its final turn. He baton-twirls his putter in frustration, and nearly sticks the shaft into his startled coupon. Fortunately he leans back and manages to catch it just in time. In fact, he pulls that off reasonably casually, and saunters off with both face and supercool intact. However there’s no good news for Brooks Koepka, who yips a short one for par and slips back to -2.
Collin Morikawa screams at his ball to stop on top of the upturned green at 3. It obeys his order, but then he races a hugely excitable birdie putt 12 feet past the hole. He’s unable to make the one coming back, and that’s his second bogey in the first three holes. The defending champion is back to level par.
Hovland is going backwards at pace. Another visit into a sandy area, this time from the tee at 4, and he runs up a double. A shot off the lead a few minutes back, he’s now -1.
What are the chances of anyone in the afternoon wave making a run at the leader? Never say never, but the chances aren’t huge: the conditions are trickier this afternoon, and of the morning starters, only Phil Mickelson and Daniel Berger broke 70, the pair shooting 69s. So it’ll take a Herculean effort. It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if things look fairly similar at the top of the standings come sunset.
-5: Mickelson (F)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Laird (5*), Oosthuizen (4), Bradley (3*), Wise
-2: Conners (F), Woodland (F), Streelman (F), Im (F), Casey (7), Cink (3*), Lewis (3*)
The Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama returns to level par for the championship. Greenside at the 2nd in two, he clipped his third to four feet, then tidied up. He’ll be in a decent mood, having scrambled a fine par on the opening hole after hooking his drive into filth.
A fast start for Louis Oosthuizen. Birdie at 1, and now a 30-foot downhill birdie putt on 4. The 38-year-old South African, a runner-up in 2017 behind Justin Thomas at Quail Hollow, moves to -3.
Bryson’s drive at 2 found sand down the left. He lays up. No heroics ... though his wedge in isn’t much good. Two putts for par shouldn’t be an issue, but he’s a good 25 feet from the flag. Up on 3, it’s a bogey for Hovland, whose drive found a penalty area. He’s -3, and Mickelson’s lead is now two again.
McIlroy can’t make his par putt, and he falls back to +3. He flings his ball away in theatrical disgust. Bogey for Justin Thomas, too, and he’s +4. Brooks, the third member of this stellar group, takes two putts for his par to remain a couple off the lead at -3.
McIlroy thins his sand shot through the back of the green. He gets a mouthful of sand as punishment. He’s now stuck up a grassy bank, with very little green to play with. He lobs on extremely aggressively, and is fortunate not to see his ball topple back off the front. He’ll have a 20-footer to save his par. What looked like a good birdie opportunity has turned to dust.
Birdie for Bryson DeChambeau at 1, though he follows that by hoicking his drive at 2 towards waste ground and a big tree down the left. Up the hole, Rory McIlroy sends his second into a greenside bunker, while Brooks Koepka, having sent a huge slice into the crowd from the tee, takes his medicine then sends his third over the flag to 12 feet. It’s fair to say everyone’s playing this hole differently at the minute.
What an astonishing shot by Viktor Hovland on the par-five 2nd! He creams a fairway wood over a tree from 227 yards to six feet! However it is his fourth shot, having got into all sorts of sandy bother from his drive. He makes the putt, and that’s one of the strangest pars you’ll see for a long while. He remains in second spot at -4.
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An up-and-down start for the 2011 champ Keegan Bradley. Bogey at 10 followed by birdie at 11, and he remains at -3. A slow start for the reigning champion, too, as Collin Morikawa sends his second at 1 into a depression to the right of the green, then only just manages to lob up onto the putting surface. His 15-foot par putt bobbles, and so he drops back to -1.
Ian Poulter finishes his round with a par at 18. It’s been a miserable traipse home for the 45-year-old Englishman, who was six under for his round through 11 holes. Subsequent bogeys at 13, 14, 16 and 17 mean he’s signing for a 70. He’s level par going into the weekend, which isn’t bad at all, but could have been so much better. Meanwhile a three-putt bogey for Martin Laird at 12, and he slips out of second place to -3.
A perfect start for McIlroy! He sends his second at 1 pin high to ten feet, and rolls in the birdie putt. He’s +2. Par for Brooks Koepka, who remains at -3. And news of Viktor Hovland, in the group before these lads: an opening birdie, and he joins Martin Laird in second place.
-5: Mickelson (F)
-4: Laird (2*), Hovland (1)
-3: Grace (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Koepka (1), Wise
A second-round 74 for the world number one Dustin Johnson. He ends the second round at +6, despite eagle at 7 and birdie at the 9th, and is extremely unlikely to survive the cut. That’s currently predicted to fall at +3, and while it will most likely go out a further stroke - and possibly as far as +5, given the increasingly difficult conditions - it’s surely not going to save DJ. Incidentally, on the subject of the weather: the wind is up at Kiawah. On Sky, their excellent new pundit Brad Faxon reckons the second wave will average two or maybe even three more shots than the morning starters. Phil Mickelson is in very good nick right now.
Updated
Thanks Niall. Before we get properly involved with the second wave, a word about the Masters runner-up Will Zalatoris, who responded brilliantly to that mini-meltdown all around the 3rd green. The triple-bogey seven he ran up sent him crashing down towards the cut line at +3, but unlike - to pull one name from the ether - Ian Poulter, he closed out his round magnificently. Birdies at 7 and 9 sprung him back up to +1. He really is one cool cat.
Here comes Rory, teeing off at the first. It’s straight down the middle! And on that bombshell, I’ll hand back to your friend and mine, Scott Murray...
Martin Laird, outright leader for a brief spell yesterday, has made an excellent start today. He sends a long-range eagle putt close, and should be able to add a second straight birdie. That will put him on four-under, and alone in second place.
Ian Poulter is three-under for the day and well-placed on -1 overall, but something’s gone awry on the 17th, as we see his visor poking out from a crowd of spectators. He makes up for his errant approach shot with a fine recovery into the heart of the green. Poulter is still left with a horrible par putt into the wind, and comes up short.
Elsewhere, Spieth completes his second round with another missed half-chance at a birdie. He’ll be three over ... no he won’t, as he fluffs the par putt, too. Yikes. He’s four over, and should still make the cut, but that will sting.
So, that cut line – it’s currently three-over-par, with plenty of big names already packing after their second rounds. Jason Day, Patrick Reed have finished five-over, while Sergio García (oh Sergio!) and Webb Simpson are running out of time. Tommy Fleetwood, seven over after his two rounds, is heading home.
Dustin Johnson has had a rough week so far, but he gives himself a glimmer of hope of making the cut with an exceptional eagle putt on the seventh, which trundles up hill and down dale before finding the cup. He moves to six over par, still an awful lot to do.
Updated
Gary Woodland briefly edged up to three-under, only to drop back on the 17th. One man who is in that big group tied for second is Cameron Tringale, who has made a fine start to his round, one under after three.
Here’s the latest leaderboard, with local start times for those not under way yet.
-5: Mickelson (F)
-3: Grace (F), Woodland (16*), Bezuidenhout (15), Streelman (15), Bradley (1.42pm), Hovland (1.47pm), Koepka (1.58pm), Wise (2.42pm)
-2: Conners (F), Poulter (15), Im (15), Tringale (1*), Laird (1.20pm), Morikawa (2.09pm)
Branden Grace follows up his double on the 17th with another bogey on the last, and drops back to the group, on and off the course, who are three under. That means Mickelson, already in the clubhouse, has a two shot lead! At the seventh, a rueful shake of the head from Jordan Spieth as he pushes a birdie chance wide. He stays on three over.
Thanks, Scott. Let’s check in with Phil Mickelson, the new clubhouse leader, who tells Sky that he feels more focused out on the course:
“Physically I’ve felt as good as ever, but mentally I haven’t felt present. I’ve been working on that, and it’s helped me make some of those shots [today]. It’s got more difficult as I’ve got older to stay focused. It’s like a muscle, you have to exercise your mind.”
Mickelson credits coffee, meditation and some high-intensity, shorter rounds with retaining the steely concentration we’ve seen today.
Now seems as good a time as any to nip off for an hour. I’ll leave you in the capable hands, and loving arms, of Niall McVeigh, and will see you again to see whether Rory McIlroy can pull something special out of the bag, 2012-style.
Grace can’t make the bogey putt, and Phil Mickelson, 50, is the sole leader of this major championship. A reminder that the oldest man to win a major was 48-year-old Julius Boros, in this tournament back in 1968. A long way to go, of course, but still. Look at this!
-5: Mickelson (F)
-4: Grace (17)
-3: Bezuidenhout (15), Streelman (15), Bradley, Hovlaned, Koepka, Wise
-2: Conners (F), Woodland (15*), Poulter (15), Im (15), Tringale (1*), Laird, Morikawa
Grace, hitting three from the dropzone, aims straight for the flag. He undercooks it, and breathes out hard with relief as the ball only just creeps over the drink. He’ll now have a good look at bogey from 10 feet, but you can be pretty sure that wasn’t the plan.
Mickelson could be leading this tournament very shortly! That’s because Grace has sent his tee shot at 17 carving off into the briny! He’ll be hitting three in from the drop zone, 140 yards away. Double bogey is most likely now. Meanwhile Streelman can’t get up and down from distance on 15, though he gives it a good go, his long par putt lipping out. He slips back to -3.
Lefty signs for a 69!
Phil Mickelson finds 9 in regulation. He’s not particularly close to the hole ... but he rolls in the 25-footer and the crowd go wild! It’s his fifth birdie coming home; he’s played the front nine (his back nine today) in 31 strokes! It’s a 69 that gives him the early clubhouse lead at -5; he’s just one shot off Branden Grace’s championship lead! The 50-year-old living legend will have just about everyone in the USA cheering him on during Moving Day tomorrow! A three-putt bogey finish for his partner Padraig Harrington, though, and that’s a 73. He’s level par. Look at this, though!
-6: Grace (16)
-5: Mickelson (F)
Updated
Streelman slices horribly out of the native area on 15, and gets a big break, his ball squirting onto the fairway. He’ll still have work to do if he’s to escape with par, but at least he still has a chance. Meanwhile back on 14, Poulter lobs high onto the green from the bottom of that bank, but the spin stops his ball 15 feet short, and he doesn’t hit the par saver at all. Back-to-back bogeys that have taken a fair bit of wind out of his sail. He’s -2.
Bogey for Bezuidenhout at 14, who slips back to -3. Streelman sends a huge hook into the waste area to the left of 15. And Poulter’s hybrid gets him into more bother, this time at the par-three 14th, flying off the back of the green and down the huge slope. Good luck with that.
The overnight leader Corey Conners rattles in a 20-footer for birdie on 9. Having also birdied 7, he’s done extremely well to salvage that round. It’s a three-over 75, but given he was four over after his first six holes, that’s shown considerable moxie. He goes into the weekend at -2, not out of this at all, and that’ll make lunch taste a whole lot better.
Three birdies in a row for Gary Woodland! The latest, at 5, is his reward for splashing out from greenside sand. Having gone out in 39, that’s all the damage repaired, and he’s back to where he started, at -2 after yesterday’s fine 70. Meanwhile up on 8, a par for Phil Mickelson that’ll feel like a birdie, his tee shot having flown hysterically off to the bottom of a bank to the right of the green. He stays at -4 ... but Ian Poulter slips back to -3, unable to make his 15-footer on 13. Bogey’s not the worst result after two poor shots back up the hole.
Trouble latest! Poulter doesn’t get lucky with his lie down the left of 13. The rough grabs his hosel and this second nearly disappears into thick oomska down the left. It stops just short of the hay ... and he’s able to bump it onto the green, leaving himself a 15-foot chance to scramble a par. Meanwhile Grace only just finds the front of 15 in two. He leaves his first putt eight feet short ... but rolls in the saver. Finally a nightmare for Will Zalatoris at 3. He sends his second down the bank to the right of the green, then chips over to the other side. A decent bump up that bank gives him the chance to limit the damage to bogey, but he misses the seven-footer, plus the one coming back, and from level par he’s now below the projected cut line at +3. Zalatoris has made major-championship golf look easy since announcing himself at the US Open last autumn; this might end up forming the first scar tissue of his career.
Mickelson finds the par-five 7th in two big crashes. He’s left with a long two putts for par, though. No matter. He judges a monster eagle effort almost perfectly, rolling it from 60-plus feet to tap-in distance. Another birdie, and the old boy grabs himself a share of second at -4!
Streelman lands his second at 13 right by the flag. Back-to-back birdies, then, and he joins Poulter and Bezuidenhout in second at -4. How much longer Poulter will be there is a moot point: he takes a hybrid off the 13th tee for safety, only to dump it in thick rough down the left. Much will depend on his lie.
Another birdie for Ortiz, this time at 13. He joins the pack at -3. Bezuidenhout sends a gentle fade into 13, setting himself up for a birdie chance from 15 feet. Mickelson crashes a big drive down the par-five 7th. After a slow mid-morning period, things are beginning to cook again at Kiawah.
Mickelson’s drive at 6 finds the rough down the right. But he lashes an iron into the centre of the green, leaving himself an uphill 20 footer for birdie. He can’t make it, but it’s a par that keeps him at -3. Kevin Streelman birdies 12 to join him there. And up on 14, the leader Branden Grace sends his tee shot down the swale to the right of the green, but he lobs a delicious wedge to kick-in distance, the ball screeching to a halt in spectacular style. He’ll remain at -6.
Branden Grace knocks his approach at 13 to four feet. He’s not missing the putt, and so extends his lead again to two strokes. Meanwhile Poulter walks in his birdie putt on 11, and that’s three in a row.
-6: Grace (13)
-4: Bezuidenhout (12), Poulter (11)
-3: Mickelson (14*), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
Another birdie for Phil Mickelson! His third in four holes comes at the 5th, reward for a gentle draw sent into the 207-yard par-three. The 2005 champion now sits just a couple off the lead at -3. Meanwhile Ian Poulter makes his way up the par-five 11th in serene fashion, three straight strokes setting up a birdie chance from four feet.
This is beginning to go seriously wrong for Jordan Spieth. A third bogey in a row, this time at 1, and another reasonably short putt missed. He’s +3 now ... and the projected cut is +2. Chances are that will go further out, but then so will Spieth’s score unless he turns this around quickly. He looks extremely frustrated. The career slam might have to wait another year.
Another birdie for Christiaan Bezuidenhout! He rattles in a 15-footer on the par-five 11th, and grabs second place for himself. He’s -4. Meanwhile Phil Mickelson moves to -2, having followed his birdie on 2 with a staunch par saver from 15 feet on 3, then another birdie at 4. The wind’s really picked up, to the point of players taking a bit longer over their putts on these baby-smooth paspalum greens.
Ian Poulter is channelling his 2012 self all right, having finished tied for third here that year. He whips his second at 10 pin high to 15 feet, and rolls in the putt. He’s five under for his round today, and two off the lead at -3. Carlos Ortiz is also on one hell of a roll. Birdies at 6, 7 and 9, and now he curls in a 40-foot left-to-right eagle putt on 11. The 30-year-old Mexican is right in this at -2!
-5: Grace (12)
-3: Bezuidenhout (10), Poulter (10), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Werenski (14), Niemann (12), Harrington (12*), Ortiz (11), Streelman (10), Im (10), Davis (7*), Tringale, Laird, Morikawa
The leader Branden Grace sends his drive at 12 into the first cut down the left. He whips his second high into the air, landing it pin high. He’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet, though that would be a bonus. Right now, with the wind getting up, players seem more than happy to secure their pars than worrying too much about launching a birdie blitz. Having said all that, here’s news of Joaquin Niemann, who having stumbled at the start of his round with double at 3 and another bogey at 5, has responded with birdies at 7, 8 and now 12 to catapult himself back to -2.
A few mistakes here and there. Grace doesn’t quite make the 11th in two with his 4-iron, and the subsequent chip is well short. There goes a chance for birdie, and he’s got to make do with par. He remains at -5. Streelman duffs a sand shot from the back of 10, and his 20-foot par putt stops a turn short. He slips to -2. Bezuidenhout shoves a straight 12-foot birdie putt right at 10 and stops at -3. Werenski misses left at 14 and can’t get up and down for par; he’s -2. And a three-putt bogey for Spieth at 18, and he slips to +2.
Speaking of backwards steps, here’s another one for the overnight leader Corey Conners. His drive at the short par-four 3rd finds the rough down the right, and he’s always fighting to regain position. Bogey, and he’s -1. But on 9, Ian Poulter rolls a 35-footer across the green for birdie, and he turns in 32! He’s in the top ten, albeit a top ten that contains 15 players.
-5: Grace (10)
-3: Werenski (13), Bezuidenhout (9), Streelman (9), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Harrington (11*), Poulter (9), Im (9), Davis (6*), Tringale, Laird, Morikawa
Bogey for Jordan Spieth at 17. He can’t get up and down from the high bank to the side of the par-three, and slips back to +1. It’s been one step forward, another back for the three-time major winner all week. Birdie for Phil Mickelson at 2, and he’s in the red figures again at -1. Meanwhile a slight worry for the leader Branden Grace as he makes his way up 11; he’s feeling his back, and takes a minute or two to lie on the ground and perform a few restorative stretches. Happily he gets up again and looks sprightly enough.
The 42-year-old Kevin Streelman probably qualifies as a journeyman, certainly in major championship terms anyway. He’s made 25 starts in the big four tournaments, and failed to earn a top-ten finish in any of them. But he does have a couple of Tour wins, plus a second-place finish at the Players in 2013, so perhaps a high finish - or something even better? - is long overdue. He rolls a 20-footer across 9 to join the group tied for second at -3.
Branden Grace finds the bunker guarding the front left of 10. He splashes out crisply, the ball travelling some, but heading unerringly for the flagstick. It clatters and drops. Birdie! And all of a sudden, there’s a two-shot gap at the top of the leaderboard again, only with Grace in situ instead of the overnight leader Conners.
-5: Grace (10)
-3: Werenski (12), Bezuidenhout (9), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Conners (11*), Streelman (8), Im (8), Davis (5*), Tringale, laird, Morikawa
Rahm can’t get up and down from the bank to the right of 18, and that’s a bogey. In the space of 20 minutes, a promising back nine has turned into a spirit-sapping 37. He’s +1 and, by suggesting the crowd should stop applauding him as he leaves the green, having misread a putt, is visibly on a self-defeating rolling boil.
Padraig Harrington isn’t the only European veteran sniffing around. Here’s 45-year-old Ian Poulter, following up birdie at 4 with a chip-in from sand at 7. It’s an eagle, and it whisks him up the standings to -1. He raised his finger in celebration a fair while before that dropped. A reminder that Poulter made five straight birdies at the start of his final round here in 2012, ending the week in a tie for third, albeit nine shots behind the winner Rory McIlroy.
Rahm, coming off the back of a double at 17 that dropped him back to level par, watches his approach at 18 bound down a swale to the right of the green. “Aw no way!” he yells, and momentarily considers breaking his iron in two. At the very last nanosecond, with the shaft beginning to bend, he thinks better of it. Meanwhile another birdie for Werenski, this time the reward for sinking a 20-footer at 12, and he joins the group a shot off Grace’s pace.
Richy Werenski has done absolutely nothing previously in the majors. A couple of missed cuts at the US Open, a couple more at the PGA. He’s only won once on Tour, and that at an alternate event, last year’s Barracuda. But the 29-year-old from Massachusetts is trucking along nicely today. A string of pars until birdie at 11, coupled with yesterday’s steady 71, and he’s just off the pace at -2.
-4: Grace (9)
-3: Bezuidenhout (7), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Werenski (11), Conners (10*), Harrington (9*), Streelman (7), Davis (4*), Tringale, Laird, Morikawa
A 50-foot rake for Christiaan Bezuidenhout at 7. An eagle, and suddenly the young South African is one off the lead at -3! Already a three-time winner on the European Tour, it’d be such an uplifting story should he become a major champion, after his difficulties in early life: accidentally poisoned as a toddler, leading to anxiety issues and a stutter. If he’s around on Sunday afternoon, you’ll need a heart of stone not to cheer him on.
A three-putt bogey for Mickelson on 18. It comes off the back of his failure to get up and down from sand at 17. After his fast start, the dream appears to be slowly dying as he turns in 38. He’s level par, and he’s already got form this season for losing steam as the week progresses. No such problem for the comparatively youthful Harrington, who pars 18 easily and turns in 35. He’s -2.
Jon Rahm had been going along nicely since that opening birdie-birdie salvo. Five pars to remain at -2, just off the pace. But he’s made a grave error on the par-three 17th. Specifically a watery grave, taking far too tight a line, the ball landing dry, just on the edge, but bouncing straight right and into the drink. He’s forced to take his third from the drop zone, 140 yards away, and can only find the back of the green with an overly conservative wedge. He’ll do well to get down in two putts for double. He rips his glove off with great feeling, the trademarked Rahm Red Mist rapidly descending.
Jordan Spieth’s tee shot at the par-three 14th takes an awfully unfortunate bounce left, off the green and down the grassy swale. He chips up well from an awkward spot to 20 feet ... then sinks the par saver! What an up and down that was. He remains at level par. Conners takes two putts on 18 for his par, and he’s played the back nine in 39 strokes, six more than yesterday. Harrington can’t make his birdie putt on 17. And it’s a two-putt birdie for Grace on the par-five 7th. We have a new leader!
-4: Grace (7)
-3: Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Conners (9*), Mickelson (7*), Harrington (8*), Rahm (7*), Davis (2*), Tringale, Laird, Morikawa
Harrington lasers a glorious long iron into the par-three 17th. Refusing to feel intimidated by the water on the right, he locks onto the flag and is rewarded when his ball settles 12 feet past the flag. One of the shots of the day. He’ll have a look at birdie for a share of the lead. Worth remembering that, while I’ve been banging on about Mickelson’s bid to become the oldest-ever men’s major winner at 50, Padraig would erase 48-year-old Julius Boros from the record books too, should he lift the Wanamaker Trophy this Sunday at 49.
Conners creamed a lovely fairway wood into 18 last night, on his way to a par that set the seal on his 67. He executes wonderfully again, finding the dancefloor at the long, difficult par-four in regulation. He looks to have regained his equilibrium after the horrific start to his round. Birdie, par and - should he get down in two putts - par is no bad way to play these closing holes. The theoretically easier front nine coming up, and a chance to salvage his round!
Some birdie putts not quite dropping. Spieth on 13, Mickelson and Harrington on 16. On that subject, and in lieu of significant scoreboard action ...
A par for Corey Conners! His first of the day comes at the tricky par-three 17th. You’d take one every time. He remains at -2. He’s joined there by Kevin Streelman, who birdies 5. A slight lull at the moment, with the Ocean Course currently giving up very little.
Cam Davis finished strongly last night, shooting 33 on the back nine en route to a fine 69. But he’s found some early trouble on the same stretch this morning, opening with a double on 10 after struggling in one of the many sandy areas. He immediately drops to -1. Sam Horsfield also continues to head in the wrong direction, with a double at 6; having started the day tied for second, he’s now in a tie for 43rd at +1.
A huge putt for Corey Conners! He finds the par-five 16th in unspectacular, nerve-settling fashion. Just don’t make a bogey. He’s not particularly close to the cup, but he rattles in the 25-foot birdie putt to grab back one of the strokes he’s dropped. Still no birdie on the card for the 29-year-old Canadian, but he’s back to -2, and that will have very much stopped the boat listing so dramatically.
-3: Grace (5), Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Conners (7*), Mickelson (6*), Harrington (6*), Rahm (5*), Streelman (4), Tringale, Laird, Morikawa
Back-to-back birdies for Jordan Spieth at 11 and 12, his approaches dialled in; he’s level par again, and suddenly only three off the lead. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood chips in on 14 for his second birdie of the day. He’s back up to +2. And a birdie for Shane Lowry on 11 to move into red figures again at -1.
Mickelson makes his up and down at 14 to save his par. Was there ever any doubt? Some trouble meanwhile for DJ on the par-five 11th. He sends his second into the ankle-deep cabbage guarding the front-right of the green, and can only bash out a few feet. He’s on the green in regulation, but miles from the pin on a hole he’d have been dreaming of making eagle. At +3, he needs to go low on the par fives today.
Corey Conners nightmare continues. He pulls a short par putt on 15, and that’s four bogeys in a row. He’s crashed all the way down to -1 in short order, and his travails cause Sky commentator Paul McGinley to recount a recent lunch with Rod Pampling, who led the 1999 Open at Carnoustie after a first-round 71, only to shoot 86 on the second day to miss the cut. “I want somebody else to do it so I’m out of the record books as the only guy to have done it!” Pampling joked. The projected cut is +2.
Mickelson’s tee shot at the par-three 14th is bold. Straight at the flag, but too strong, and slowly rolls past and eventually topples off the back. That’s one hell of a bank down there. He’ll need all his tricks to get up and down from there. News meanwhile of one of his playing partners, the 2008 champion Padraig Harrington. The Irish veteran kept dry on 13 on his way to a first birdie of the morning, and after yesterday’s superb 71, he’s -2. Great to see the old boys troubling the top of the leaderboard.
The world number one Dustin Johnson drove up 18 in his collapsing car yesterday evening, zig-zagging through the dunes en route to a double-bogey six. It meant he ended the day with a four-over 76, and so he requires something a bit special today. Well, he’s started promisingly, knocking his second at 10 to six feet and guiding in the gentle left-to-right curler. He’s +3, and watch out field if he gets on some sort of roll.
Phil Mickelson crams on his gambler’s stetson at a jaunty angle, and goes straight for the pin with his second at 13. Water all the way down the right. He’s a degree or two off, and into the drink his ball plops. He hangs his head in the dejected manner, not least because he’s got to drop quite a ways back. However, there is a reason he takes these risks; he’s so good at getting himself out of bother and limiting the damage. He drops, then nearly slam-dunks his wedge into the cup! He’ll tidy up for a bogey that, in the circumstances, will suddenly feel like a birdie. He’ll slip to -2. That wedge was absurdly good. What an entertainer! He knows when to hold ‘em, knows when to fold ‘em.
It’s been a very scrappy start by the overnight leader Corey Conners: three bogeys and a birdie in the first four holes. Things don’t look good at the tricky par-three 14th, either, with his tee shot careering down the bank to the right, his chip back up trundling a good 20 feet past. He nearly steadies the ship with his putt, but it slides by the right-hand edge of the cup. Another bogey, and he’s already three over for his round, and -2 overall.
From the centre of the fairway at the short par-four 3rd, Joaquin Niemann manages to run up a double-bogey six. He slips back to level par after his short-game implosion. Another dropped shot for Sam Horsfield, at 4, and he’s back in the pack at -1. Gary Woodland, who was coming on strong towards the end of yesterday evening’s round, sheds a shot at his opening hole, 10, to slip to -1. And Jordan Spieth is always out of position on 10 after that wayward first drive, and he’s +2 already.
Rahm follows his birdie at 10 with another at 11. A fast start, and suddenly the big Spaniard is just one off the lead at -2. The extremely promising Chilean Joaquin Niemann joins him there with a birdie of his own at 2. Look at this leaderboard!
-3: Conners (4*), Mickelson (3*), Grace (2), Davis, Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
-2: Niemann (2), Rahm (2*), Streelman (1), Im, Tringale, laird, Morikawa
Mickelson’s birdie putt at 12 breaks to the left. “My bad, you gave me a good read,” he tells his caddy. A push. He remains at -3, but he’ll have a share of the lead anyway, because at 13, Conners sends his second up a grassy bank to the left, and isn’t minded to take too brave a run at the hole with his chip, given the gradient of the hill and the presence of water on the other side of the green. He only just makes the dancefloor, and two putts later, that’s a bogey. Birdie for Branden Grace at 2, meanwhile, and suddenly there’s quite the logjam at the top of the leaderboard.
-3: Conners (4*), Mickelson (3*), Grace (2), Davis, Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
Here comes the new sensation Will Zalatoris. A 71 yesterday. He crashes his opening drive at 10 down the middle. His partner Jordan Spieth, chasing that career slam, needs a good round today after yesterday’s scrappy 73, and it’s not an ideal start, his tee shot finding the thick rough down the left. Meanwhile up on 12, Lefty eases his second to eight feet. He’ll have a look at birdie for a share of the lead. The potential for both joy and heartbreak rises accordingly.
On the subject of Julius Boros ...
Please ignore the very last line of the sixth entry, though. I take it back. It sounded clever at the time.
Conners pushes a five-foot par putt right of the cup at 12, and once again his lead is cleaved in half. Sam Horsfield bogeys 3 to drop to -2. But it’s a birdie at 11 for the man bidding to become the Hans Christian Andersen / Julius Boros de nos jours, Phil Mickelson. At 50, Lefty would become the oldest man to win a major if he prevails this week, beating the record Boros set at this Championship in 1968 as a 48-year-old ... and after yesterday’s 70, folk are beginning to talk. Suddenly he’s -3, and will you please take a look at this!
-4: Conners (3*)
-3: Mickelson (2*), Davis, Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
... but you don’t win three times on the European Tour, and come tied for seventh at a US Open, as Dougherty did in 2007, without knowing what you’re talking about. Here comes Jon Rahm, in the mood to make up some ground after yesterday’s garden-variety 72. The pre-tournament second favourite absolutely stripes his opening drive down 10, then knocks his second to ten feet before making the putt for birdie. He’s -1, and the par-five 11th, which has been giving up birdies and an eagle this morning, is coming up.
The weather’s not too bad this morning at Kiawah. A few more crosswinds, according to Paul McGinley on Sky Sports, but nothing too strong. His colleague Nick Dougherty even used the phrase “make hay” in relation to the early starters, which is a bold gambit.
Conners follows the lead of Fitzpatrick - his playing partner - by rebounding from bogey at 10. He rakes a straight 30-footer across 11 for birdie, to make it back to -5 and reestablish his overnight two-shot lead.
-5: Conners (2*)
-3: Horsfield (2), Davis, Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise
Sam Horsfield, born in Manchester but US-raised, also looks to be heading the wrong way early doors. A bogey at 1. But he bounces back immediately with birdie at 2, and he’s back where he started at -3. And how about this from his northern compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick? He creams a fairway wood straight at the flag from 265 yards on the par-five 11th. For a minute, the ball appears to be rolling in for albatross, but he’ll have to make do (!) with a kick-in eagle from 15 inches! That’ll bring him back to level par for the tournament after yesterday’s 73 and a bogey this morning at 10. Barely ten minutes in and that could already be the shot of the day.
Let’s take it from the top. A-one, two, a-one, two, three, four ... five. That’s the number of shots the overnight leader Corey Conners took at the par-four 10th early this morning. And so within minutes, his two-shot lead is halved. He’s -4. It’s going to be a long day, folks. Buckle up!
Preamble
It’s going to be another long day, so let’s not stand on ceremony. Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked at the end of the first round ...
-5: Conners
-3: Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise, Horsfield, Davis
-2: Tringale, Laird, Morikawa, Mickelson, Grace, Woodland, Streelman, Im
... and here are today’s tee times. The overnight leader Corey Conners is already out, so we’ll be teeing off with immediate effect. Not even enough time for a few putts before we go out. You’ll have to grab a power bar. It’s on!
Starting at 1 (US unless stated, all times local, add five hours for BST) ...
07.00 Danny Balin, Jim Herman, Si Woo Kim (Kor)
07.11 Joseph Summerhays, Sami Valimaki (Fin), Richy Werenski
07.22 Sam Horsfield (Eng), Sebastian Munoz (Col), Tim Pearce
07.33 Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel, Yong-Eun Yang (Kor)
07.44 Joaquin Niemann (Chi), J. T. Poston, Aaron Rai (Eng)
07.55 Branden Grace (Rsa), Adam Hadwin (Can), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den)
08.06 Russell Henley, Jazz Janewattananond (Tha), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
08.17 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Kevin Streelman, Andy Sullivan (Eng)
08.28 Brian Harman, Sung Jae Im (Kor), Ian Poulter (Eng)
08.39 Chez Reavie, Antoine Rozner (Fra), Brandon Stone (Rsa)
08.50 Maverick McNealy, Victor Perez (Fra), Omar Uresti
09.01 Tyler Collet, Lucas Herbert (Aus), Brendon Todd
09.12 Ben Cook, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Takumi Kanaya (Jpn)
12.30 Talor Gooch, Harry Higgs, Ben Polland
12.41 Rob Labritz, Brendan Steele, Harold Varner III
12.52 Paul Casey (Eng), Garrick Higgo (Rsa), Marc Leishman (Aus)
13.03 Rickie Fowler, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Adam Scott (Aus)
13.14 John Catlin, Cameron Champ, Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
13.25 Zach Johnson, Francesco Molinari (Ita), Scottie Scheffler
13.36 Thomas Detry (Bel), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Ryan Palmer
13.47 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Xander Schauffele, Lee Westwood (Eng)
13.58 Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Justin Thomas
14.09 Bryson DeChambeau, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Collin Morikawa
14.20 Charley Hoffman, Erik van Rooyen (Rsa), Matt Wallace (Eng)
14.31 Brian Gay, Chan Kim, Brett Walker
14.42 Kalle Samooja (Fin), Sonny Skinner, Aaron Wise
... and starting at 10 ...
07.05 Frank Bensel, Kurt Kitayama, Robert Streb
07.16 Alex Beach, Daniel van Tonder (Rsa), Wyndham Clark
07.27 Abraham Ancer (Mex), Sam Burns, Max Homa
07.38 Corey Conners (Can), Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)
07.49 Jason Day (Aus), Padraig Harrington (Irl), Phil Mickelson
08.00 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Jon Rahm (Spa), Patrick Reed
08.11 Justin Rose (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus), Gary Woodland
08.22 Daniel Berger, Billy Horschel, Steve Stricker
08.33 Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris
08.44 Sergio Garcia (Spa), Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry (Irl)
08.55 Patrick Cantlay, Matt Kuchar, Thomas Pieters (Bel)
09.06 Pete Ballo, Cameron Davis (Aus), Chris Kirk
09.17 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Greg Koch, Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Kor)
12.25 Adam Long, Patrick Rada, Cameron Tringale
12.36 Dylan Frittelli (Rsa), Larkin Gross, Matt Jones (Aus)
12.47 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), George Coetzee (Rsa), Derek Holmes
12.58 Joel Dahmen, Tom Hoge, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)
13.09 John Daly, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
13.20 Kevin Kisner, Martin Laird (Sco), Hudson Swafford
13.31 Henrik Stenson (Swe), Bubba Watson, Danny Willett (Eng)
13.42 Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer (Ger), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
13.53 Stewart Cink, Harris English, Alexander Noren (Swe)
14.04 Jason Kokrak, Tom Lewis (Eng), Kevin Na
14.15 Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Jason Scrivener (Aus), Stuart Smith
14.26 Lanto Griffin, Peter Malnati, Brad Marek
14.37 Mark Geddes, Rikuya Hoshino (Jpn), Denny McCarthy
Updated
