The PGA of America has set out what is an optimistic schedule for Sunday at Baltusrol. The final round is scheduled to begin at 8:40.
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American Phil Mickelson was the victor then and two of his compatriots lead the way this time around, with Walker and Streb – scheduled for a 7:40am tee time – on nine under. Rain began a short time later and did not relent through the day. Of the 86 players who made the 36-hole cut and advanced to Saturday’s play, only 37 completed their rounds.
Ten contestants, including co-leaders Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb, did not tee off and faced the possibility of going 36 holes Sunday.
Lee Mirim couldn’t match her great golf of the first round, but a 71 was still good enough to hold the halfway lead on 11 under par 133 at the Women’s British Open at Woburn on Friday.
Walker gave no indication of playing major championship golf this year, finishing tied for 29th at the Masters and missing the cut at both Opens.
McIlroy fired a one-under par 69 in the second round of the year’s final major tournament at Baltusrol, but a birdie-less 74 Thursday proved too much to overcome and he finished one shot beyond the cut line. Day had a double-body on the seventh hole but then had seven birdies in the next eight holes.
Looming large two strokes behind are defending champion Day and 23-year-old Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, with Stenson three back at rain-softened Baltusrol. Instead, it was the first time since Jim Turnesa won the 1952 PGA Championship in a 36-hole match that the victor played so many holes on the final day.
After watching Day make a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th to close the gap to one shot, Walker went for the green when a par would win it.
Rain and thunderstorms halted play before any of the leaders teed off and with more rain in the forecast, its anyones guess when the seasons last major will end.
It was the third time in five years that weather messed with the PGA Championship.
“The course looks like it is unplayable”, Streb said during Saturday’s delay, “Everything is underwater, regardless of whether the lightning stopped”.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPSite: Springfield, N.J.
The lefty shot a remarkable 17-under at the Open Championship, including a 6-under 65 in the final round, but fell three strokes shy of Henrik Stenson while blowing away the rest of the field.
Spieth made three birdies in his opening four holes, along with a careless three-putt from just off the 12th green, to work his way up the leaderboard at Baltusrol.
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“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”. How they deal with the conditions following Saturday’s weather will go a long way toward impacting the ultimate victor, but Day and Streb had plenty of momentum after their showings on Friday.
