“I wouldn’t say it was unfair”, he said. “And I’m going to have to do that again tomorrow because it’s going to be windy out there again”.
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Jordan Spieth was timed for being out of position after he said he wanted to wait out the toughest period. “Still leading. Can’t complain about that”.
McIlroy was eight shots behind Spieth after 11 holes as the world number two threatened to turn the tournament into a procession for the second year running in his quest to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods in making a successful title defence. “That’s kind of tough”, Spieth said. “Tomorrow is going to be more hard given the same winds and crustier greens”. Spieth holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole for a 2-over 74 that gave him a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy.
He was one of only five players to break par in the strong winds. Conditions were so brutal that it was the first time since the third round in 2007 that no one broke 70.
But it resulted in world No. 2 Spieth and third-ranked McIlroy – who have combined to win four of the last six Majors – playing together in the third round’s last group and sure to draw the largest crowd.
Spieth admitted with a grin, “I’d rather be playing with someone less threatening, to be honest”. “I’m trying to find a place but I’m very particular about it”. The 22-year-old arrived at the 18th tee only one shot behind the defending champion but a triple-bogey seven dropped DeChambeau four shots from the lead.
I was at 8 under and you finish at 4.
“It nearly feels like a US Open where you have just got to survive”, Day said of the blustery conditions. It’s another golf tournament I’m trying to win. South Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee and American Scott Piercy shared third on two-under 142.
Jordan Spieth was even more stunned.
A double-bogey six on the 11th, however, brought Spieth back to the field, before birdies at 12, 14 and 15 showed his extraordinary resilience and took his lead out, at that point of Saturday afternoon, to five shots.
“People are coming in and out, at least 20 to 30 a day”, Kaufman said. “The greens are starting to dry out”. They are not the hard holes out here. The only other players who remained under par were Hideki Matsuyama (72), Brandt Snedeker (72) and Soren Kjeldsen (74).
Four-time major victor Ernie Els, who fired the worst score ever recorded on the first hole with a nine in round one, managed a double-bogey six at the first Friday on his way to a 73. “I sort of take a bit of heart from that”. “I have to understand, this is the position I want to be in after 54 holes and not think about the finish to this round”. He is also looking to become just the third LSU golfer to be crowned a major champion, joining Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship and Jay Hebert at the 1960 PGA Championship.
The 24-year-old from Alabama said that nobody would expect him to get the better of a player he has known since they were both juniors.
“The golf course is too big for me”.
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The next nearest challenger is fully 34 years older than Kaufman, former two-time victor Bernhard Langer from Germany.
