Sweden’s Henrik Stenson set the clubhouse lead at six under par after carding a second successive 67 at the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
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They were at 131, matching the 36-hole record at the PGA Championship first set in 1983 by Hal Sutton at Riviera and last done by Jason Dufner in 2013 at Oak Hill.
“Not really, ” McIlroy said Friday after missing the cut by bogeying the par-5 18th hole, which played as the easiest hole on the course.
Defending champion Jason Day and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo were two shots behind, Day recovering from a double bogey on the seventh to birdie seven of the next eight holes in a 65.
The Swede was grouped with the year’s other two major winners – Masters champion Danny Willett and US Open victor Dustin Johnson – and he outscored them on both days.
‘On 17, I lost my concentration when someone in the group behind hit the 16th green, and the crowd cheered on the top of my backswing. You’re at the PGA Championship. “Just need do it for the one day”. So this is one more little thing here that I haven’t really experienced before – but I’m pretty whooped. “If you had the putter rolling you could get a score going”. “I work a lot on my game, and I think when I get it in good order, I have been able to keep it going for quite some time and have some long stretches where I’ve been playing well”, Stenson told reporters.
He may be well off the lead in the PGA Championship, but Pensacola resident Bubba Watson still found a way to the top of the PGA Tour standings.
Stenson said he was still feeling strong, but the hectic 2016 season rolls on and he looks forward to competing in the Olympics, the FedExCup and the Ryder Cup that follows. “Most of the year has been a big struggle.since the PGA last year”. I still had to make one or two saves on Friday, but overall the standard of my golf was far better.
“I made a few putts here and there”.
“Putting let me down at Oakmont and then putting let me down here again”.
Day came into the week “under the weather” and only had one practice round after spending Tuesday evening in hospital after his wife Ellie suffered an allergic reaction.
Also in the hunt after an opening par 70 was Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters and US Open victor. “I’m hitting the ball fantastic”. Why are you doing that?
“It’s always good to be in contention at a major championship”. It would be nice to get my second major and get that under the belt. If I can continue on the upward curve, I’ll have a chance over the weekend.
Stenson only had a week to drink “champagne, champagne and champagne” out of the Claret Jug due to a condensed schedule to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics.
“I’ve never been in this situation, and I’m not afraid of it”, Grillo said.
“I expect to be exhausted at some point, whether it be after this week or after the Olympics”.
The Open champion leads by one from Germany’s Martin Kaymer (69), who won this tournament in 2010, and American Patrick Reed, who had a five-under 65. Shoot two good ones over the weekend.
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Scotland’s Russell Knox was level par after a second straight 70.
