The Australian flipped his club in despair as he neared the green, seeing the leaderboard and realizing that cheer behind him was Walker answering with a birdie on 17.
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Possible thunderstorms were also in the forecast for Sunday.
Streb birdied his last hole, after missing a birdie putt on the hole before, to card a seven-under 63 on Friday to move into a tie for the halfway lead. Stenson trails the co-leaders by three. That will mean that some players will be playing the third round while others will be playing the fourth.
Leaders Jimmy Walker, Robert Streb and the rest of the top five did not tee off their round before play was suspended for the day.
More thunderstorms are forecast Sunday and Monday, so Kerry Haigh, PGA of America’s chief championships officer, made a decision to keep third-round pairings for the fourth round and start it early to try and finish on Sunday.
Day, who is one shot behind, is looking to join Tiger Woods as the only repeat champion since stroke play began in 1958. “I think you better attack it every time you get a chance on the PGA Tour”.
British Open champion Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka were another shot back. Johnson, who claimed his first major this year at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., followed a disastrous 77 on Thursday with a 72 on Friday. “But obviously the good news was once the second cell or the third cell went through and dissipated and it was safe, then the rain came down a lot heavier and caused basically the golf course to have standing water and was unplayable”.
“The rain (Friday) really changed the way it’s played”, Mickelson said.
Walker and Streb will seek to make a year of four first-time major winners, following England’s Danny Willett at the Masters, U.S. Open victor Dustin Johnson and Stenson at the British Open. Day won previous year at Whistling Straits.
Indeed, only 37 of the 86 players who made the cut were able to complete their rounds before play was called for the day.
Baltusrol greeted golfers with firm and fast conditions on Monday. Because the pairings stayed the same in an attempt to finish, Kisner was to tee off in the final round while the leaders were still playing the front nine of their third round. Walker and Streb were scheduled to begin their final rounds at 3:16 p.m.
When the PGA Championship was last played at Baltusrol in 2005, weather delays also forced a suspension in play. “It’s my favorite place to play”.
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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. Whenever the 98th PGA Championship does end, Phil Mickelson thinks Baltusrol is primed and ready to finally get someone to break 63 in a major championship. The course was pounded with rain and players eventually were sent home.
