Returning for a 7 a.m. restart, he failed to get up and down from the rough on No. 14 and settled for bogey. He would need to finish at least second alone to climb into the top 125 and make the FedEx playoffs.
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Jordan Spieth backed Rory McIlroy to increase the pressure on Dustin Johnson when the 97th US PGA Championship resumed at Whistling Straits on Friday. “I’m within touching distance going into the weekend which is exactly where you want to be”. Justin Rose, one shot back at 8-under, has one hole left to play. “I thought the lead would be somewhere around 13, so that was my goal, and I knew that we could”.
“I hit it good enough to be where I needed to be, but I putted bad”, Woods said. “Thirty seconds later they blew the horn, so my name was mud walking up the 18th”.
“In any major championship that’s great after two days”, said Rose. He was in a four-way tie for the lead at Chambers Bay while coping with vertigo symptoms, and he faded on the last day.
Compatriot Hideki Matsuyama, whose putting woes continued to plague him in the first round, showed some improvement in the final stages of his second round, when he sank three birdie putts – including one from 20 feet – over the final five holes. Hitting the ball great. Sure, the Black Knight can be dramatic to make a point.
Meanwhile… Grace and Finau moves to 11 under and Martin Kaymer matched Day at 10 under.
And he can smash it.
Spieth, even with a Masters and U.S. Open title in hand, still has a chip on his shoulder the way he lost his bid at St. Andrews. He has been knocking on the door of the winner’s circle at the majors throughout the years, but has been unable to hoist the trophy come Sunday.
Iwata got rolling with three birdies on a front-nine 34.
David Lingmerth of Sweden made only four pars in his wild round of 70 and was the clubhouse leader at 7-under 137. His 73 on Saturday at Whistling Straits was his seventh consecutive round over par at a major, the longest streak of his career.
It only gave Tiger Woods a chance to get home to Florida this afternoon. He had a 65 and was four shots behind.
Woods started with two quick birdies. Jones (-10) missed the green to the left and made a disappointing double-bogey. The projected cut was 2 over, so unless Woods holes out from the 18th fairway for an eagle, he’ll be done for the week.
He already has six straight rounds over par in the majors, which he has only done once before. He then moved three shots clear when Day acquainted himself with the Whistling Straits sand traps at the second.
And his season might not be over.
Afterward, the PGA Tour announced that Woods will compete in next week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro.
Hiroshi Iwata tied a major championship record with a remarkable turnaround – a 77 in the first round, a 63 in the second round. That put the 34-year-old from Japan at 4-under 140.
The 22-year-old Texan can also topple Rory McIlroy from the top of the world rankings this week.
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Day certainly wasn’t seeing double with his putter in hand this morning.
