Phil Mickelson on Saturday predicted a long-standing golf record – lowest 18-hole score in a men’s major – will fall here at Baltusrol Golf Club in the 2016 PGA Championship.
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Fans exit the golf course to seek shelter in a weather delay during the third round of the 2016 PGA Championship golf tournament in Springfield July 30, 2016.
On Saturday at Baltusrol, during the third round of the 98th PGA Championship, waiting was the order of the day.
The last time the PGA was held at Baltusrol, it had a rain delayed Monday finish with Phil Mickelson winning the title.
While no one is alleging the 7,462-yard Lower Course at Baltusrol is easy, a chorus of golfers have said that the wet weather has de-fanged the course’s most formidable defense: hard, slick greens.
Kevin Kisner, who totaled a five-under 65 in favorable conditions early in the round, is the clubhouse leader at five under overall.
Kisner is 5-under for the championship and understands, even after a great round, he will need some help to contend.
Only 37 of the 86 players who made the cut completed the third round, and 10 players had yet to tee off. Russell Knox lagged his 65-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole to within a few inches, tapped in for par and a 67, and then the horn sounded right as Marc Leishman was getting ready for his 12-foot birdie putt.
The three players in front played their entire third round in the morning as the tournament played catch up after heavy rains forced a suspension of the third round on Saturday.
PGA Championship: Who will win? The final round was played in threesomes off both tees at Kiawah Island in 2012, and Valhalla was a quagmire in 2014, though the last two rounds were played in twosomes and barely finished. Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, at 46 trying to become the oldest major champion, was 10 under after a 71. However, the weather forecast for Sunday includes a good chance for rain most of the day.
“I think a 61 or 62 is out there”, Mickelson said.
Brooks Koepka, playing for the first time since the U.S. Open because of an ankle injury, had a bogey-free 66 and was two shots behind.
The record for largest comebacks after the opening round at the PGA is eight shots by three players, most recently Keegan Bradley in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club.
It took McIlroy until the 4th hole of his second round to make a birdie in the tournament, and though he added three more in his second round they were offset by bogeys.
The left-hander, who won the PGA the last time it was played here in 2005, got his round of 2-under 68 started a little better than he did his second round.
“I think it will be broken in the next two days”, Mickelson predicted. The greens are pristine. “Obviously if you get off to a bad start, you’re thinking about it, and vice versa is if you get off to a good start, you’re thinking about it, as well”, he said. “But I played some nice golf out there”.
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“Because a lot of sitting around can get you kind of off base and if you don’t stay on top of it, you can start playing some poor golf”.
