While Mickelson’s grouping with Day and McIlroy as well as Walker’s presence drew large crowds to Baltusrol’s back nine late on an afternoon that had turned gorgeous, Streb finished up his 63 on No. 9 with a 21-foot putt that was as valiant as Streb’s eighth-hole putt had been “pathetic”. And in an interesting bit of trivia, Streb became the fourth to do so here. Pádraig Harrington didn’t want to be anywhere else for the weekend, and the former champion literally rolled up his sleeves and showed that old fighting spirit of his to ensure he’d be around for the final two rounds of this 98th US PGA Championship here at Baltusrol Golf Club.
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However, two-time victor Rory McIlroy missed his second halfway cut in three majors and his first in the US PGA after a bogey on the 18th, the Northern Irishman taking three attempts to find the green from thick rough between two bunkers.
Day was right where he wanted to be, three shots behind going into the weekend, his name high on the leaderboard for everyone to see.
It gave Streb a share of the lead with Jimmy Walker (66), and they tied the 36-hole record at the PGA Championship at 131.
All anyone was looking for Thursday was a good start. Day started his round at a respectable two-under mark, and added to this total thanks to a birdie on the second.
Now it has been done 30 times by 28 players, with Open champion Henrik Stenson doing it in the final round at Royal Troon when he outplayed Mickelson in their epic duel.
The Swede has maintained his momentum after capturing the Claret Jug, posting consecutive 67s at Baltusrol to be in fifth-place, 3 strokes back of the leaders.
“I didn’t even go up and look at it, honestly”, Walker said.
“I feel like all year it’s just been real stale and stagnant”, Walker said. It was a little loose when I first got here, because I was manipulating so much over there.
“I’ve never been in this situation, and I’m not afraid of it. I’m going to go out and enjoy it”. The 2002 PGA champion has a full-time gig with Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, working some 25 events a year.
“It was pretty noisy for the 15 people who were out there”, Streb said with a laugh.
“I’m having a hard time right now managing my expectations, because I know how well I’m playing, ” he said, “and I’m so result oriented that I’m not playing very relaxed, free golf like I did at the British, like I did in the preparation here”.
A lot of things seem messed up at the moment.
“Winning a major would be huge but there are three days to go”, he told reporters. Johnston, 88th in the world rankings, birdied both par-5s on the back nine at Baltusrol Golf Club and was 2 under, three shots off the lead.
Jordan Spieth has had a rocky relationship with water this season.
Streb hasn’t had a top 10 on the PGA Tour since he tied for 10th in the PGA Championship previous year. Wherever it finished, it was out of bounds, and Mickelson had to scramble for a triple bogey.
On Friday, he went 3-over-par on one hole, and it was fortunate it wasn’t worse.
The second round began ominously when pouring rain led to a 41-minute suspension of play a little more than an hour after the first tee shots of the day.
That chip landed short of the green.
“I think in the history of the PGA Championship, that’s the worst start of anyone’s round, ” Mickelson said. “I’d have to look that up”.
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No need to. Someone pointed out that Nicolas Colsaerts piped two over the fence and made 8. But it wasn’t his first hole of the day. “So I had it for a while”.
