As the early groups finished, eyes turned towards forecasts and radar screens, waiting to see if the ominous lines of thunderstorms would bring a deluge or merely sprinkle the course with light rain.
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Players who were actually able to get in full rounds of golf took advantage of a soft course that yielded lower scores.
The PGA of America said competition was scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. Sunday, but the forecast for Saturday night and for overnight called for more rain.
In a most peculiar final day at a major, the PGA Championship allowed for preferred lies – that never happens in a major – because of almost 4 inches of rain during the week that drenched the Lower Course.
After nearly four hours and with a number of puddles on the course, organisers eventually confirmed play would resume at 7am on Sunday, but it remains to be seen how much action will be possible with further storms forecast.
Robert Streb was the latest to post 63 late in Friday’s second round to jump into the lead with Jimmy Walker at the midway point. Phil Mickelson won it with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.
“I need to do something.I just need to figure out what to do on the greens”. Play was suspended before the first one arrived and the second two were between 30-35 miles away from the first one. I was excited where my game was at, and I’d been shooting some really low scores this last week or two, not just at the British [Open] but from there to here.
Owner of one career win, the 2015 McGladrey Classic, and nine top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour, Streb said the idea going forward is to “try to do the same things we’ve been doing the last couple days, and hopefully, it’s good enough”. Starting on No. 10 on Friday, Grillo shot a 67, which included four birdies. He was one shot ahead of Padraig Harrington, who also had a 65.
American Walker, who led after the opening round, bogeyed the 18th hole to record a 66, while Streb birdied his last for 63 and a share of the lead with two rounds remaining in the final major of 2016. I think you could be a little bit aggressive, but also play it safe on some of the holes that you needed to. He was just about to pull the putter back on his 12-footer Saturday when officials sounded the horn requiring all play be stopped. “They’ve really gone up a lot since the British [Open], and since I started to play at that level, that I’m kind of forcing the issue rather than letting it happen the way I did there [at Royal Troon]”.
“I think it will be broken in the next two days”, Mickelson predicted.
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The results of early finishers on Saturday who were par or worse after 36 holes seemed to support Mickelson’s prediction. “I think there’s that 61 or 62 out there that I was probably trying to chase a little too hard”, Mickelson said.
