Jordan Spieth sure is leaving his mark in the majors.
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The wind was a huge story during the afternoon session of the opening round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.
This was the 27th round of 63 recorded at a major – the 13th at a PGA.
Just never on Sunday, which he knows all too well.
Wold number one and defending champion McIlroy, playing competitively for the first time since June’s US Open having damaged ankle ligaments playing football on July 4, had to be content with his one-under 71.
Rory’s a pocket battleship with the way he plays and is incredibly powerful, but he could risk losing his swing and causing more problems by coming back anything but his best.
His shot from out of the rough skidded 2 feet past and he tapped in for par.
“Today the putts just went in”, he said. I could face wind in the second round as I go out in the afternoon.
It certainly was for Johnson. He bogeyed once, on the par-3 12th hole, but birdied six for the round. He had the 36-hole lead at St. Andrews until he disappeared on the weekend.
The two stroke penalty and a missed putt at the 72nd hole cost him a place in the playoff won by Germany’s Martin Kaymer. We’ll just have to see what happens. He headed to the 18th tee, feeling good about being able to finish. But two holes later, on No. 2, McIlroy chipped in for eagle from about 40 feet out on the right fairway. He added a trio of birdies on the front nine.
“In Japan, I don’t shoot a long iron a lot, but here I have to”, he said.
Just two months ago, Iwata shot a 10-under 62 in the second round of the Thailand Open.
He pulled his third shot on the par-5 fifth hole into the water, and a double bogey looked likely.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Hannah O’Sullivan made a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole to beat SMU junior Lindsey McCurdy 1 up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur quarterfinals. “The only way you can get used to it is to do it. There’s no other way to prepare for it”, he said. But it was fine.
Also getting back into contention is British Open champion Zach Johnson. “So I was very pleased”, Johnson told reporters afterwards.
That shot made for good TV.
The world number 38 was nine-over-par overall and after carding three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey on Friday.
“I’m keeping an eye on things, and I haven’t done a ton of research”, Horschel said.
And then he started to press, and it nearly cost him. That was easily the toughest hole of the day. He was thrilled to stop play, especially as the storm clouds turned dark and he had trouble with depth perception on some of his wedges.
But it is clear, if nothing else, whose era has passed. It hit straight on and dropped for a birdie he badly needed.
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Scott Piercy (70) and Brendan Steele (69) joined Spieth at 6-under 138. Tiger Woods opened with a fairly forgettable 3-over 75 and is again an afterthought in the event. Johnson didn’t even think it was an official hazard, and that’s why he grounded his club.
