Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata equalled the lowest round in major championship history as Jordan Spieth took another step towards an even more impressive feat in the US PGA Championship.
Advertisement
His 63 was the 13th to be shot at the PGA and 27th in total at majors.
Both players carded opening rounds of 71 to lie just three shots off the lead, but while Spieth remained in contention with a 70 on Friday, McIlroy shot 77 to make the cut on the mark of four over and, to make matters worse, was then outscored by his marker – Augusta member Jeff Knox – on Saturday.
Just two months ago, Iwata shot a 10-under 62 in the second round of the Thailand Open.
Iwata got rolling with three birdies on a front-nine 34.
Iwata became the second Japanese player to shoot 63 after Isao Aoki (1980 British Open) and the first overall since American Jason Dufner in the second round of the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.
“Yesterday the wind was so strong and the greens were really hard (so) that I can’t stop the balls with the wedges”, he said. After a birdie at No. 13 – the last of three straight – he said thought he might shoot 27 on the back.
“I felt like tee to green I hit the ball pretty well, I’m probably just not as sharp with the short game as I would like to be”, said McIlroy, who is playing his first tournament since the US Open in June after seven weeks out due to an ankle ligament injury suffered while playing football with friends.
Advertisement
He also seemed prepared for the attention, wearing a black polo shirt with a black-and-white, cross-hatch design on one side of the placket that looked as if he was wearing a tie. “But when I came in, I thought it was going to be more people”.
