Forecasters called for rain Saturday night, Sunday and into Monday. “My mother-in-law’s birthday was (Thursday), and she turned 59 and (said) I want you to shoot my age tomorrow”, Reed said.
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The third round was to resume at 7 a.m., weather permitting.
The foul weather Saturday raised questions of why the PGA of America did not elect to start from the first and the 10th tees with three players to a group to ensure a finish that could have headed off the rain, instead of in pairs off the No. 1 tee alone.
Jimmy Walker took a one-shot lead into the second round at Baltusrol and did not play until the afternoon. Padraig Harrington and Kevin Kisner were two of 37 players who managed to finish their third round on Saturday and they did it in style, shooting five-under 65s to move up the leaderboard. “There’s just a lot of birdie holes”.
Knox jokingly apologized to Leishman on Twitter: “Grub, showered and feet now up”.
Should he win, Day would become the first to successfully defend a major championship title since Tiger Woods at the 2007 PGA Championship and the sixth different player to successfully defend a PGA Championship title joining Gene Sarazen (1922-1923), Walter Hagen (1924-1927), Denny Shute (1936-1937) and Woods (1999-2000, 2006-2007). Mickelson had to return Monday morning to claim a one-shot victory.
The last Monday finish in a major was just a year ago at the British Open because of heavy rain that flooded St. Andrews.
Players who teed off early in the day enjoyed more of the soft greens and great scoring conditions from Fridays round.
“It all depends on what those guys do”, Kisner said. The course is receptive enough. A lot of birdie holes, and a lot of golf left to be played.
Mickelson himself sliced his tee shot out-of-bounds at the par-four first, his ball landing on the adjacent Shunpike Road and bouncing onto another street. He shot a 2-under 68 Saturday.
“There is a low 60s round”, Mickelson said when he finished.
“I’m having a hard time right now managing my expectations, because I know how well I’m playing”, he said, “and I’m so result oriented that I’m not playing very relaxed, free golf like I did at the British, like I did in the preparation here”. The greens are pristine.
“Obviously, the rain is going to soften up the golf course, so you’ve got to be a little bit aggressive”, Day said. “I need the wind to stay up and the lead to not get too far away”. Henrik Stenson closed with a 63, needing his best golf to hold off Mickelson.
The 29-year-old, who was tied 107th after the first round, on Friday took his total of six-over 146 while the weekend cut was decided at two-over 142.
“I’m hitting the ball fantastic”, he said. “So it was one of those days”. There will be no re-pairing according to score like you’re used to getting on the weekend at every golf tournament.
“Just wish I could sleep in”, Spieth said.
“I played a tentative round”.
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After a 1-over 71 on Thursday, the PGA victor when the tournament last was held at Baltusrol in 2005 hit his drive so far left on No. 1 that its first bounce was on Shunpike Road.
