Watson shot a 69 in the PGA Championship second round at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey on Friday. The 131 for Streb and Walker matches the lowest 36-hole score in PGA Championship history.
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Jordan Spieth only regrets one hole, the par-4 seventh, when he lost his ball so far to the right he had to chip back into thick rough and wound up three-putting for a double bogey.
Defending champion Jason Day, the No. 1-ranked men’s golfer in the world, is tied with Emiliano Grillo for third at 7-under.
Walker, winless this season after winning three tournaments in 2014 and two more a year ago, also emerged from nowhere, after finding his putting stroke, notwithstanding his sole bogey of the day on the par-five 18th.
A flawless 18 holes from the three-time major victor included back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, which saw Harrington post a two-under 32 for the front nine.
That put him one shot ahead of Germany’s Martin Kaymer, who won the tournament in 2010, and American Patrick Reed, who had a five-under 66.
The first-round leader, Walker played the closing par-5s unconventionally.
More than an inch of morning rain halted play for 41 minutes at Baltusrol due to standing water that had made greens and fairways unplayable.
Streb was on the far end of the rain-soaked course when he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on his last hole, the par-3 ninth, to become the 28th player with a 63 in a major.
US Open champion Dustin Johnson, who fired a 77 Thursday, was two-over after six while Sergio Garcia was one-over through seven, Justin Rose and Charl Schwartzel were level through seven.
“For whatever reason, I have just not felt all that comfortable, so hopefully the weekend will be different”.
“The lead came back the last time we were here (for the 2005 PGA Championship), Sunday proved to be very hard, you never know what’s going to win”.
Knox recorded a second consecutive even par round of 70 at Baltusrol to ensure he would make the cut of two over par. “He wouldn’t let go of his arm”, Mickelson said.
GOING HOME: Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, bogeyed the relatively easy par-5 18th to miss the cut.
“Putting let me down at [the US Open at] Oakmont and then putting let me down here again”. I don’t think that’s a big deal.
Phil Mickelson, who won his only PGA the last time the major was held at Baltusrol in 2005, is tied for 61st at 1-over 141, 10 behind the co-leaders.
“Tee to green was good, but it was just pathetic when I got onto the green.” said McIlroy. “I wanted this my whole life”, he said.
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McIlroy, a four-time Major victor, said he knew his immediate challenge in New Jersey would be “to play a good round and get into the weekend – that’s the first objective”.
