Saturday’s play at the US PGA Championship was cut short by the weather and the third round resumed early on Sunday.
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The third round was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
Play was suspended at 2:14 p.m. because of lightning in the area. Top-ranked defending champion Jason Day’s fantastic run of seven birdies in eight holes to grab a share of third was overshadowed by a 29-year-old American on a rain-soaked Baltusrol layout soggy enough to surrender low scores in a wild afternoon of shot making.
Players who were actually able to get in full rounds of golf took advantage of a soft course that yielded lower scores.
“I’m guessing we’re going to be here until at least Monday, hopefully not Tuesday”, said Robert Streb, the co-leader with Jimmy Walker at 9 under.
The constant rain Saturday and impending Sunday forecast will likely call for a Monday finish at Baltusrol.
“The golf course is susceptible to very low scoring”, said Phil Mickelson, who was one of the 37 players to finish his round. But there was movement on the leader board, with Kevin Kisner finishing a round of 65 before the rain came, vaulting him to a tie for sixth at 5-under par, four strokes behind leaders Streb and Walker.
“There is a low 60s round”, Mickelson said when he finished.
The early scores Saturday indicated the leaders would go further ahead in the afternoon but that is not the golf course they will now face Sunday morning.
Twenty-eight men have posted rounds of 63 in the Masters, U.S. Open, the British Open or PGA Championship. The weekend forecast will allow that to continue.
Two weeks ago, Mickelson had a putt for 62 that rimmed out of the cup at Royal Troon in the opening round.
Baltusrol had already been soaked by three inches of rain this week, creating soft conditions that had five-time major victor Phil Mickelson, the 2005 PGA victor at Baltusrol, predicting a major-record 62 or better for the weekend. If they play fast, Streb and Walker could be done just after Noon ET.
A birdie on the second hole built a bit of momentum before he sunk a 31-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fourth. I think that theres that 61 or 62 out there that I was probably trying to chase a little too hard..
“That’s the challenge of Baltusrol, the greens, and when they are soft that challenge and difficulty are negated”.
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American world number three Jordan Spieth: “Just wish I could sleep in”. “I think somebody is going to break that 63 record in these next two days”. “The challenge of the greens are about how much contour is on them and the ball is running away from the hill”.
