Their two-day 131s tie the PGA’s 36-hole scoring mark shared by seven others.
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Argentinian Emiliano Grillo says he will embrace the opportunity as he enters the third round of the PGA Championship just two strokes off the lead.
“Made some good putts on the front nine and I was able to hang on on the back nine”, said Grillo, who made four birdies including a 40-footer before the turn, and then dropped one shot coming home.
He made a 20-footer for birdie on the par-3 9th, his final hole of the day.
One major isn’t enough to satisfy Henrik Stenson, who put himself in the mix for another day at the PGA Championship.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) – Phil Mickelson walked off the first green with a disgusted look on his face, as if he’d thrown away any shot at making the cut in the PGA Championship. The sheet said the flag was on the left but it was actually on the right, leading to bogeys by Knost and Ikeda. “It was nice to see, out of my seven birdies, I think five were pretty much kick-in birdies”.
“So it’s good. It’s really cool”. It’s what you are here to do.
“I thought I needed to make 4”, on 18, he said, “so that’s what I was trying to do”. I’ve won different ways.
“I feel like my game is tightening up as the week’s going on”, said the 25-year-old soon-to-be Olympian.
“I couldn’t imagine the reception that I’ve had”, Stenson said. It’s more like, ‘man, this is going to be fun.’ I’m nervous.
But the day belonged to Streb, a 29-year-old Oklahoman who has been mired in a year-long slump since he finished tied for 10th at the 2015 PGA Championship.
“I just struggled with my expectations a little bit”, Streb said. But when he hit the eighth tee, he seemed to find that gear he was in previous year and for the first part of this season.
“It’s felt like I found something with my golf swing the last two weeks”. “Probably learned the hard way, you’ve got to start over again”. “Once that comes and my putting gets back, then I’m firing on all cylinders”.
Two years ago he was on a rising tide; now he is struggling on an ebbing one.
Spieth had been two over par with three holes to play on Thursday before carding birdies on the 16th and 18th to shoot a level-par 70.
“I’m striking the ball beautifully”.
QUOTEWORTY: “I think in the history of the PGA Championship, that’s the worst start of any player’s round”. “Like, ‘What are you doing?” Why are you giving shots to the field when you don’t need to do that?
“It’s always good to be in contention at a major championship. Right now I’ve got to focus on resting up and be as patient as possible 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 expect to be exhausted at some point, whether it be after this week or after the Olympics”. “They knew what was going on”.
It certainly was not the start I was looking for.
Martin Kaymer already has two majors in the bank after winning the 2012 US PGA and 2014 US Open and a second round of 69 left him on five under par, alongside Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka.
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Overnight leader Jimmy Walker, who shot 65 in round one, is among the late starters, as is Rory McIlroy.
