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Liguori: Streb, Walker Dominate Baltusrol, But Big Names Loom

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – After a bad time on the greens during the first round of the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy returned to Baltusrol Golf Club on Thursday evening to work on his putting.

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The five-time major champion said after his round that Baltusrol was ripe for the picking and expected some history to be made here.

It was the third time in five years that weather messed with the PGA Championship.

The plan is for both the third and fourth rounds to be played Sunday, with the same pairings for both.

Play will resume at 7 a.m.to complete the third round.

The 37-year-old Walker, who shot a 65 on Thursday, backed it up with a 66 in the second round of the final major on the 2016 calendar.

The constant rain Saturday and impending Sunday forecast will likely call for a Monday finish at Baltusrol.

Kevin Kisner had a 5-under 65 and was done with 54 holes at 5-under 205.

Jordan Spieth warmed up on the range, rode the side streets in a van to get to the 10th tee and was ready to go on Friday (Saturday, Manila time) in the PGA Championship when he had to stand around for almost an hour because of a rain delay. It was Day, the defending champion and world’s No. 1 player, down to his last chance and delivering with a 2-iron that landed in front of the pin and stopped 15 feet away for eagle. However, the weather forecast for Sunday includes a good chance for rain most of the day. He is not scheduled to play again until the Barclays, the first FedEx Cup playoff event on the PGA Tour, in three weeks. The final round was set to begin at 8:40 a.m. with leaders teeing off at 3:25 p.m.

Francesco Molinari knows how to close out a round of golf.

But the sun broke through and the course dried as the day wore on, setting up a flurry of good scores that set the stage for a tension-filled battle over the final 36 holes of the year’s last major tournament.

Streb, however, joined him at the top of the leaderboard at nine-under 131 by shooting the low round of the tournament thus far, with eight birdies.

In fact, Phil Mickelson believes the gold standard of majors, a score of 63, is likely to fall before the PGA Championship is over.

The left-hander, who won the PGA the last time it was played here in 2005, got his round of 2-under 68 started a little better than he did his second round.

Heavy rains forced the third round to be suspended Saturday with 10 golfers not ever having started their rounds.

He said with the greens being so receptive and with a lack of wind “there’s a 61 or a 62 out there for the taking”.

Branden Grace, Williams McGirt, Brooks Koepka and British Open champion Henrik Stenson were all at 9 under when the leaders teed off. Streb was at 7 under.

Padraig Harrington survived the cut and finished one plus one over the two days.

Robert Streb and Jimmy Walker share the lead at the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol after 36 holes.

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In a press conference, the PGA of America’s Kerry Haigh, who leads the championship, was peppered with questions about the PGA’s handling of the weather situation.

Jordan Spieth comes up with fine play to get into contention but the talk is all about rules controversy on free drop