The adage in golf is that players can’t win a major on Thursday, but they can lose it.
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With the course primed to yield low numbers as the third round continues and with 26 players within six strokes of the lead, the victor of the final major of 2016 remains anybody’s guess.
The abbreviated action leaves Americans Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb atop the leaderboard at 9 under par, followed closely by Argentine Emiliano Grillo and Australian Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, at 7 under.
“So just kind of be as patient as possible”, he said. “It will be a wake-up call in the 4s (am)”, said Jordan Spieth, who was on the second hole when play was suspended.
Haigh added that the forecast for Saturday was the same as it had been for Friday, when most of the golf was played in sunshine. Padraig Harrington also shot 65 and is one behind Kisner at 4-under.
Kisner is 5-under for the championship and understands, even after a great round, he will need some help to contend.
“Yeah, well, 20-under won the last major”.
Twenty-eight men have posted rounds of 63 in the Masters, U.S. Open, the British Open or PGA Championship.
“I’ve just got a vague feeling there might be a 62 today”.
Phil Mickelson also completed his third round. Playing the front nine after a 1-under 35 on the back at Baltusrol Golf Club, Woodland had a triple-bogey 7 on No. 1.
“The course is playing to where you can fly 6-, 7-, 8-irons at the hole”, Mickelson said. “There is a low 60s round”. “I think there’s a 61 or 62 out there because it’s par 70, the greens are pristine, they’re rolling beautifully, and they’re soft”.
“Darren knows best and always tells me that, but it’s just difficult when every putt means a lot and it’s nearly one of those things where you try too hard”, Fitzpatrick said. Now I’m starting to gain some confidence with my ball-striking, I’m starting to putt – I’ve had a very good putting year. In fact, the final six groups did not start their third rounds before everything was delayed.
No player has ever shot lower than a 63 in a major tournament. It is not only a matter of who will finish first in a tournament that has seen its share of unlikely winners. It’s been said that the course “par 4’s you to death” with numerous gruelling two-shotters before players finally reach the only par 5s at Baltusrol at holes Nos. His prediction seemed possibly true after round one. It wasn’t broken when play halted. That’s the challenge of Baltusrol is the greens, and when they are soft, that challenge and difficulty is negated. “The challenge of the greens are about how much contour is on them and the ball is running away from the hill”.
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The 44-year-old Dubliner, who successfully defended his Open title in 2008 and won the US PGA a month later at Oakland Hills, said: “In my head I’m hoping the scoring goes the same it did the last time the PGA Championship was here, when the leaders came under pressure on the golf course and maybe some guys behind, namely me, get a bit of momentum early on and can push on”.
