A drab year for Jimmy Walker took a turn for the worse two weeks ago at the British Open, when he stayed in what was dubbed the “frat house” at Royal Troon with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson.
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The world No.4 was right on the cut line at two over par, but the mark had shifted between one and two over throughout the day so McIlroy knew he required a birdie on the par-5 18th at Baltusrol to be sure of a Satruday tee-time.
“I don’t want that to be the last one I have”, he said. “So that’s been tough”. I have been hanging on by a thread.
Just 10 days removed from his victory at The Open, Henrik Stenson birdied three of his last seven holes to post a 3-under 67. “But at the end of the day you still need to make the putts”.
Mickelson said of all the support the people in New Jersey and NY have given him over the years, “today was the day that it helped the most”.
“I’m going to go home and play with the kids and get them to bed”. “I couldn’t make all of them, obviously, but in the end it was very important for me to finish the way I did, to still shoot under par under those conditions because the golf course was definitely a little bit harder to play today”. As Day walked after his shot, an excited youngster ran up to him and slapped his hand in congratulations.
The unheralded Streb recorded eight birdies, including three in his last four holes, to match Walker, who followed his opening 65 with an impressive 66 despite a nervy finish culminating in a bogey on the last.
McIlroy was in need of a sub-par score just to avoid missing the cut in the event for the first time in his career, the two-time victor having struggled to 74.
“I made a few putts here and there”.
“The difference between a top-10 and a win out on tour is, you hit fairways, you hit greens, and those 50/50 putts, you’re always on the right side of them”.
Johnson said he’ll take a week off before practicing again and getting ready for the Olympics. His fourth landed in a yard of a house behind the first green. Only Stenson, Day and Kaymer have done it in that group. He rallied some, going 3 under the rest of the way for an even-par 70, barely making the cut at 1 over for the tournament.
“I’m hitting the ball the way I need to hit it to win this Championship”. But Gregory approved of the stance.
Lee had two front-nine birdies, bogeyed the par-4 13th, birdied the par-5 15th and bogeyed the par-3 17th on the Marquess Course, the hilly, forest layout that is a big change from the seaside links that dominate the tournament rotation. He told me it was fine.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, endured another nightmare round on the greens.
Streb shot 68 in the first round Thursday and got his second round going with birdies on three of his first six holes after starting on No. 10.
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The weather matched the mood of Dustin Johnson and others trying to make up ground Friday in the PGA Championship. That comes and goes. – Patrick Reed, on the fans who arrived early Friday in the rain.
