And here’s Ewan Murray’s report at the halfway stage at Southern Hills:
Anyway, that’s your lot. Hope to see you again for Moving Day tomorrow ... and they’ll all be moving from here. Thanks for reading this live blog. Nighty night!
-9: Zalatoris
-8: Pereira
-6: Thomas
-5: Watson
-4: Ancer, McIlroy, Riley
-3: Fitzpatrick, Cink
-2: Young, Burns, Smith, Kuchar, Hatton, Kirk, Woodland
-1: Na, Reed, Homa, Wiesberger, Niemann, Gooch
Updated
A lucky escape for Aaron Wise. Ewan Murray reports.
The 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland is making a late charge up the standings. Birdies at 12, 13 and now 16 take the 37-year-old from Kansas, who has two top-ten finishes at the PGA on his resumé, to -3.
Bubba can’t make the birdie putt, so a 63 will have to do. (!) The two-time Masters winner is heavily involved in this tournament now at -5. On Sky comms, Brad Faxon makes the case that “this course favours the right to left ball flight ... like Augusta National, his left-handed play can help him get around.” He goes on to consider former winners at Southern Hills. “Nick Price was a drawer of the golf ball, Ray Floyd definitely was, Tiger could do anything he wants with a golf ball ... it could be Bubba’s chance.”
-9: Zalatoris (F)
-8: Pereira (F)
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Watson (F)
-4: McIlroy (F), Ancer (F), RIley (16)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Cink (F), Woodland (16)
A stroke of good fortune for Bubba on 18. He nearly sends his tee shot into the creek on the right, but just as his ball prepares to roll down the bank, it’s stopped by a collar of grass. He takes advantage by sending a high draw around the trees and into the heart of the green. He’ll have a 20-footer for birdie ... and a men’s major championship record-tying 62!
McIlroy sends his approach at 18 into a greenside bunker. He whips a lovely sand wedge to a couple of feet, and he’ll scramble his par. That’s a one-over 71, far from ideal, but he’s adding it to yesterday’s best-of-day 65, and at -4 overall, he’s fully in contention ahead of Moving Day. A calm two-putt par for Tiger. A 69, and he’ll make it to the weekend, some effort given it all. He’s +3. But Spieth, who found the creek down the right with an appalling hybrid from the tee, finishes with bogey. A 69, and he’s +1. A completion of the career slam looks unlikely this year, but never say never when Spieth is around. He is a bit of a magician, after all.
Bubba wedges into 17 from 100 yards. He gets a helpful bounce from the shoulder of a bunker, and his ball rolls to kick-in distance. He’ll knock that in to move up to -5. Improvement on his runner-up spot in this championship at Whistling Straits in 2010 is a live prospect all right!
Par at the last for Will Zalatoris. A 65 to go with yesterday’s 66 and he’ll be the 36-hole leader at -9. It’s some place to be, because all of the male golfers who have won a major here - Tommy Bolt, Dave Stockton, Hubert Green, Ray Floyd, Nick Price, Retief Goosen and Tiger Woods - have led at the halfway stage.
Cam Smith thinks he’s sent his tee shot at 18 into the creek down the right. He’s fuming, but cools down when he discovers he’s not got wet. He takes advantage of the big break by whipping his second straight at the flag, but then leaves his straight six-footer high on the right. Just a par. Out in 33, back in 37 for a level-par 70. A round of two halves all right. He’s -2.
A diminuendo end to the round for Tyrrell Hatton. A second dropped shot in the last three holes, the result of a wayward drive, then a tentative par-saving prod from six feet. A fine 68 that promised more, and he’ll be off for a wee seethe, I’ll be bound. He’s -2 going into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth isn’t giving up the career-slam dream this year quite yet. He follows birdie at 15 with another at 17, reward for sending a wedge from 100 yards to a couple of feet. He’s back to level par, and should the leading three players stumble, he’s well within striking distance. Pars for Tiger (+3) and Rory (-4).
Zalatoris makes no mistake with his uphill right-to-left slider from seven feet on 17 ... and some people maintain this man can’t putt! He regains sole ownership of the lead, then slams his tee shot at 18 down the middle. Another birdie to finish would send a few shocks down a leaderboard that’s beginning to get a little stretched.
-9: Zalatoris (17)
-8: Pereira (F)
-6: Thomas (F)
-4: McIlroy (16), Watson (16), Ancer (15*), Riley (14)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Kuchar (17*), Burns (14)
Xander Schauffele’s round kind of went south. Bogeys at 14, 16 and 18, and he’s signing for a 73. He’s +1 going into the weekend. Justin Rose is in the process of spoiling his earlier good work, meanwhile. Bogeys at 11 and 13 have sent him tumbling back to +1 overall.
One of the shots of the week by Will Zalatoris on 17! He nearly finds the creek down the right with his drive, but there’s nothing lucky about his second shot, which he fires out of thick rough, negotiating some overhanging branches, from 126 yards to seven feet! Big birdie putt coming up. Meanwhile back on 9, Mito Pereira sends his second to ten feet, but doesn’t really commit to a putt for the first time all afternoon. It dies left, and it’s just a par ... but he’s signing for a splendid 64, the best of the week so far. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -8, and has a tournament share with Zalatoris, though he might have something to say about that in a minute.
McIlroy drives into a trap at 14, and is forced to lay up. He gets up and down from 30 yards to cling on to -4. Tiger meanwhile creams his second from 209 yards to four feet, and makes a birdie that should - should - see him safe for the weekend, barring a meltdown on one of the last two holes. He’s +3, with the cut saving everyone at +4 and above.
Not for the first time today, Hatton nearly holes out from the fairway for eagle, this time on 17. Just like on 15, his ball spins back six feet, but just like on 15, it’s another good look at birdie. Sadly, unlike 15, he pulls his putt to the left. He blames a bobble, but it didn’t look a good stroke. He remains at -3. A no-nonsense par for Zalatoris at 16 meanwhile, and he stays put at -8. And a bounceback birdie for Bubba at 15. He’s -4 again.
It’s Sam Burns’ time to string together three birdies in a row. The 25-year-old from Louisiana already has two wins on Tour this season, and has suddenly arrived at -3. Meanwhile Davis Riley - who came second when Burns was winning the Valspar - follows up birdie at 10 with another at 13, and is currently on course for his second 68 of the week. He’s -4 with opportunities still to come.
Pereira sends his tee shot through the back of the long par-three 8th, but nearly bumps the chip back into the cup. He tidies up to save his par, and he’s one hole away from a sensational 64. He remains at -8 for the championship.
Hatton can’t get up and down from a deep bunker at the long par-four 16th, and his four-hole birdie run comes to a sorry end with bogey. He’s -3. Bubba’s sequence of success also comes to a clattering finish as he finds a bunker guarding the par-three 14th. He can’t get up and down, and off he fumes. He’s -3 too.
McIlroy gives another long birdie putt a good chance of dropping, this time at 15. It’s too much to ask, and he taps in for par. He remains -4. Spieth makes a much-needed birdie, though, sticking his second pin hight to eight feet; he moves to +1. Par meanwhile for Tiger, who is limping a little but battling to stay alive, pulling his second into a bunker to the back left of the green, where he’s slightly shortsided, but splashing out delicately to three feet and making the saving putt. He’s +4.
Bob MacIntyre is in with a 71. He’s +1 and Scotland’s great hope is here for the weekend. In other possibly more relevant news, Mito Pereira rolls in another birdie putt, this time at 7, and moves into a share of the lead at -8. Will Zalatoris had a chance to step clear again, but his birdie putt at 15 stayed short, and he exclaimed that the green, not mowed for two days now, is “like velcro”. Meanwhile another birdie for Bubba, this time at the par-five 13th. That’s four in five holes, and he’d be five on the spin but for his ball stopping an inch short on the 12th. Some run, this. Some leaderboard, as well!
-8: Pereira (16*), Zalatoris (15)
-6: Thomas (F)
-4: Hatton (15), McIlroy (14), Ancer (13*), Watson (13)
McIlroy is so close to draining an (admittedly fairly straight) monster birdie putt across 14. Fine effort, and he taps in for another par. It’s not really happening for Rory today, but he’s hanging on in there at -4. Speaking of which, so is Tiger, who duffs a chip from the bottom of a bank to the right of the green, but then sinks the 15-foot putt he leaves himself. He’s still +4.
Hatton does indeed make it four birdies on the bounce! He rolls in his putt on 15 and joins Ancer and McIlroy in a tie for fourth at -4.
McIlroy sends his third at 13 over the flag to 12 feet. He’s left with a gentle left-to-right slider for his birdie, but it’s always dying to the right. He remains at -4. Tiger, from a very similar position, makes no mistake. “Tiger! Tiger” chant the gallery, as he rises to +4, his head now just above water. On 12, Bubba is one dimple’s width away from making it four birdies in a row, but the ball annoyingly stops short. He stays at -3. Meanwhile on 15, Hatton nearly slam-dunks his second into the cup from 160 yards. Spin takes his ball six feet back, so what’s left is hardly a gimme, but it’s a decent chance for his fourth birdie in a row. Safe to say, whatever happens there, this course is playing completely differently now the wind has gone. The luck of the draw, huh.
These three-birdie blitzes are getting old. You’ll have noticed Watson (11) on the leaderboard we just posted. That’s Bubba! He’s picked up strokes at 9, 10 and now 11, and Watson, who lost a play-off to Martin Kaymer 12 years ago at Whistling Straits, is in the mix to go one better!
Tyrrell Hatton, still high on life after Liverpool’s FA Cup victory no doubt, arrows his tee shot at the par-three 14th to a couple of feet. If - surely when - he knocks that in, it’ll be his third birdie in a row, and he’ll move up to -3. Speaking of three birdies in a row, Will Zalatoris completes his set by wedging from 80 yards to seven feet at 13 and tidying up! Mito Pereira makes it three in four holes, meanwhile, rolling in a 20-footer at 5. It took a while, but with the wind finally dropping, so is the scoring. To quote the great Danny Boon, it’s all ‘appenin’!
-8: Zalatoris (13)
-7: Pereira (14*)
-6: Thomas (F)
-4: McIlroy (12), Ancer (11*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Hatton (14), Smith (13), Kuchar (12*), Cink (12*), Watson (11), Riley (10)
Updated
Matt Kuchar joins the group at -3 with birdie at 3. He’d been going the wrong way after yesterday’s fine 67, with bogeys at 12 and 16. But birdie at 18 stemmed the bleeding, and now he’s back to where he began the day. Hopefully his caddy has all the Is dotted and Ts crossed on his retainer. Meanwhile on 12, finally some joy for Rory! He rolls in his first birdie of the day from 12 feet, the most confident stroke he’s made all day. Suddenly there’s a little spring in his step again ... and the crowd following his match are in very good voice, not least because Tiger, struggling to get back above the cut line, sends another poor bunker shot well past the flag, but rattles in the very missable 12-foot par putt. He stays at +5. Still going home, but still in with a shout of making it for the weekend ... and still generating the biggest roars from the gallery, despite it all. If they love you, they love you. That’s showbiz!
Mito Pereira’s not in a share of the lead for long! That’s because Will Zalatoris pings his second at 12 from 120 yards to seven feet, and rolls in calmly for birdie! He becomes the first player to make it as high as -7, and seeing we’re doing the history thing, if he were to win, he’d become only the sixth player to win the PGA on his second try. The others? Bob Rosburg (1959), Gary Player (1962), Jack Nicklaus (1963), Hal Sutton (1983) and Rich Beem (2002).
-7: Zalatoris (12)
-6: Thomas (F), Pereira (13*)
-4: Ancer (10*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Smith (12), McIlroy (11), Cink (11*), Hoge (9*)
Mito Pereira joins the leaders at -6! He clips his second at 4 to eight feet, and rolls in the right-to-left slider. What a debut this is turning out to be! Could he become only the tenth man to win the PGA Championship on debut? For the record, the others are: Jim Barnes (1916), Tom Creavy (1931), Bob Hamilton (1944), Doug Ford (1955), Bob Tway (1986), John Daly (1991), Shaun Micheel (2003), Keegan Bradley (2011) and Collin Morikawa (2020).
McIlroy can’t make the right-to-left swinger he leaves himself from 20 feet at 11, but par will do. He’s still struggling with his game today, but he’s also still -3. Spieth can’t get up and down after his shank, and he’s back to +2. And it’s disaster for Tiger, whose chip up from the back flies over the green and into a bunker on the other side. His splash out isn’t close, and he can’t make the bogey putt. A double, and he drops dramatically to +5. As it stands, he’ll miss the cut.
Birdies for Viktor Hovland and Will Zalatoris at the par-three 11th. Hovland moves into the red at -1; Zalatoris helps himself to a share of the lead. Once they clear the green, Spieth steps up and ... shanks. Oh dear. In front of Tiger as well. Mind you, Tiger’s effort isn’t much better: he flies one over the back and nearly sends his ball into the penalty area down the bottom of the swale. It stays live, but he’ll face one heck of a chip back up. Rory splits the difference and finds the green. Meanwhile, another birdie for Stewart Cink, and the veteran 2009 Open champ continues to move on up!
-6: Thomas (F), Zalatoris (11)
-5: Pereira (12*)
-4: Ancer (9*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Smith (11), Cink (10*), McIlroy (10), Hoge (8*)
Jordan ‘Hurricane’ Spieth takes advantage of his lucky snooker-style break, and rolls in his birdie putt from ten feet. He rises to +1, and the career-slam dream is not yet kaput. Tiger, having replaced his ball on its original spot, follows him in to return to +3. Rory continues to feel the frustration, though: his putt from 20 feet dies off to the right on the final turn, and he’s still searching for that first birdie of the day.
Some long-range billiards by Jordan Spieth on 10. Tiger has knocked his second to ten feet in front of the cup. Spieth lands his approach ten feet behind, then gets a ludicrous amount of spin on his ball. It’s destined to whistle a good 30 feet back down the green, but clacks Tiger’s ball and he’ll have a good look at birdie from there! Two points for the cannon. Meanwhile yet another birdie for Justin Rose, who pings his second pin high to 15 feet, then rolls in for his fourth birdie in five holes ... and the other hole was a chip-in par! He turns in 33, and he’s in red figures for the tournament at -1.
The wind has totally dropped. It’s currently wafting across Southern Hills at 2 mph. It was gusting at 35 mph this morning! But nobody’s taking advantage. Yet. On 10, Cam Smith pulls his approach from the centre of the fairway down a swale to the left of the green, and his chip back up is no good. He hands back the shot he gained at the previous hole in short order. He’s -3.
Mito Pereira’s dream debut continues apace. A birdie at 2, and the 27-year-old from Santiago grabs a share of second at -5! He won’t have to share it with Tom Hoge, though; the 32-year-old North Carolinian doubles 16 to undo most of the good work of the previous three holes. He slips back to -3.
Justin Rose, on the other hand, has rediscovered his mojo in some style! A 71 yesterday, followed by a double at 2, saw him +3 and looking over his shoulder at the cut line. But he’s suddenly sparked into life, with back-to-back birdies at 5 and 6, a chip-in to save par at 7, and a 20-yard rake for another birdie at 8! Suddenly the 2013 US Open champion is back to level par, and right in this tournament!
McIlroy keeps spraying it around like a cat on heat. He hoicks his tee shot at 9 into the gallery down the left. He does pretty well to find a route through the trees and onto the green, but though he’s pin high, he’s a good 30 feet from the hole. Par is the result, no disaster after the drive, but he really needs something to happen. No birdies on the front nine, out in 37. The spring evident in his step yesterday is long gone.
Tiger sends his tee shot at the par-three 8th over the back of the green, then doesn’t get his chip up onto the putting surface. From the fringe, he nearly steers in a left-to-right 40-footer with a huge swing, but the ball stops one turn short. Bogey, and he slips back to +4. As things stand, he’s right on the cut line, but he’ll be here this weekend. Up on 9, Cam Smith tidies up for his birdie and moves to -4. He is one entertaining golfer, well worth the price of admission. Parental advisory, explicit content, all those caveats.
More opportunity for Cam Smith to use his special words, as he pulls his tee shot at 9 into the trees down the left, then nearly blades his chip in from 60 yards. That ball’s travelling, but it smacks the flagstick and stops three feet from the flag. That could have turned ugly, but he’ll have a great chance for birdie now. Up on 17, a bounceback birdie for Abraham Ancer, who wedges to eight feet from 100 yards and nails the putt. He’s -4 again.
What a turnaround by Tom Hoge! He responds to dropping two shots in three holes by making three birdies in a row! This latest one comes at 15, where he sends his second shot from 170 yards to seven feet, and rolls it in. Meanwhile bogey for Abraham Ancer on 16, as he fails to get up and down from greenside sand. It’s changed a fair bit at the top ... apart from the obvious, of course.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (8), Hoge (6*)
-4: Pereira (9*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Smith (8), McIlroy (7), Ancer (7*)
-2: Cink (8*), Riley (5)
Cam Smith sizes up a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-three 8th. His ball covers 29 feet. “Get it to the f-ing hole,” he says, where f equals the f-word, which is “fuck”. UK broadcaster Sky Sports immediately apologises to its audience of grown adults, despite it coming up to 10pm BST, quite some time past the watershed, all the little kids in bed. Anyway, he tidies up for par and remains at -3. Will Zalatoris also pars, and he stays at -5.
Updated
The 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed has been quiet of late. He looks to be finding a semblance of form this week, though. A 69 yesterday, and he’s bounced back from an opening-hole bogey today with a gorgeous tee shot at 6 to a couple of feet. He tidies up for birdie, and he’s into red figures again at -1. Meanwhile on 7, Woods and Spieth salvage their pars, but McIlroy leaves his long first putt well short, then pulls the attempt to save par. Just as he could do little wrong yesterday, he’s able to do next to nothing right today. He slips to -3, and the overnight leader is suddenly three off the pace set by Justin Thomas!
A fine up and down from a bunker at 7 by Will Zalatoris. He remains at -5, while partner Cam Smith pars as well to stay at -3. Once they clear the green, Tiger nearly sends his approach into the drink on the right, Spieth finds the bunker guarding the front of the dancefloor, and McIlroy pulls one that is fairly lucky to stay on the back-left portion of the green, albeit nowhere near the flag. Nobody’s making any sort of coherent move on Justin Thomas ... though it’s worth remembering that nearly all of the overnight leaders started this afternoon at hole 1, and the front nine is considered more of a test than the back. So plenty of time for drama this evening yet.
Rory leaves the driver in the bag and splits the 7th fairway with his 3-wood. For once he’s not playing catch-up from the get-go. Let’s see how this pans out, then. Meanwhile over on 15, it’s par for Ancer, who remains in a tie for third at -4.
Three decent, if not spectacular, irons into the green at the par-three 6th from Tiger, McIlroy and Spieth. All three are left with mid-distance birdie putts. Tiger and Spieth shave the lip, and Rory isn’t too far away either, but nothing drops and it’s pars all round. Meanwhile Hoge, buoyed by that birdie at 13, draws a lovely iron into 14, and he’ll surely tidy up from a couple of feet to move back to -4.
Updated
Cameron Smith and Will Zalatoris go extremely close with birdie putts at the par-three 6th. Neither drop. Shame. Meanwhile birdie at 15 for the rejuvenated 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink, and bounceback birdie for Tom Hoge at 13.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (6)
-4: Pereira (8*), McIlroy (5), Ancer (5*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Kirk (8*), Smith (6), Hoge (4*)
-2: Schauffele (8), Kuchar (6*), Cink (6*), Riley (3)
Ancer can’t get particularly close with his chip up from the back of 14, and he slips back to -4. McIlroy can’t make his long birdie putt at 5 and has to settle for par, as does Spieth, but Tiger, who opted against playing crash-bang golf down the long par-five, makes a textbook no-nonsense birdie. All straight down the middle, no heroics. He’s +3. And a fine par for Schauffele on 7; he sends an 8-iron way left of the green, but scrambles from 30 yards for his seventh par in a row. He’s -2.
McIlroy punches out from the trees down the left of 5. That drive went a path-assisted 385 yards. He’s able to squirt his ball into a bunker at the front of the green, but he doesn’t get particularly close with his splash out. Two putts coming up for par, though he could do with a momentum changer. It’s all a bit reactive at the minute. Meanwhile a second bogey in three holes for Tom Hoge, who drops to -2.
Mito Pereira rolls in a 25-footer at 16 for birdie, and the 27-year-old Chilean debutant is back up to -4. Back on 5, Will Zalatoris doesn’t give his 25-foot right-to-left birdie curler enough, and cocks his head back in disappointment, a Pez dispenser of despair, as he taps in for par. Birdie would have given him a share of the lead. Not yet. Meanwhile on the par-three 14th, Abraham Ancer flies the green with his tee shot and will have a job getting up and down from the swale for his par. In the clubhouse, Justin Thomas has his feet up. A cigar on. Rolling a ball of brandy around a tumbler. Nobody’s got to him yet.
McIlroy continues to spray the ball around wildly off the tee. This time he sends one out left on the par-five 5th ... and it’s not coming back towards the fairway. Off it flies in a straight line. There’s out of bounds over there, though it doesn’t look like he’s that much off line. But the ball goes bounding off down a cart path, which could either be a lucky break or some very bad news indeed. Stay tuned for more cartoon fun!
Abraham Ancer looks in the mood all right! He sends a wedge at 13 screaming to a halt six inches from the cup. He’ll tap that in to move to -5 and a tie for second.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (4), Ancer (4*)
-4: McIlroy (4)
Updated
Robert MacIntyre is this close to draining a 40-footer at the par-three 8th. So unlucky. That would have brought the 24-year-old Scot into red figures; he remains at level par as it is. Meanwhile some Austrian admin to tie up: you may recall Bernd Wiesberger making three birdies in five holes earlier on to move to -1 overall. His round subsequently threatened to spiral out of control, after bogeys at 16 and 18, but he recovered wonderfully on the front nine, with birdies at 5 and 6. He got home unscathed for a fine 67. He’s -1 going into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth makes up for that opening-hole bogey with a superb birdie at 4. He sends his approach over the flag to 12 feet, then guides in the right-to-left swinger. He’s back to +2, and won’t consider himself out of this, not by a long chalk. Yet another level-par four for Tiger, who remains at +4. Then finally par for McIlroy, who made a meal of the 366-yard hole after battering a drive 320 down the middle.
Updated
Last week, Xander Schauffele only just survived the cut at the Byron Nelson. He then shot 65 on Saturday and 61 on Sunday to spring from the pack and nearly snatch the title, missing out by just one shot to KH Lee. The short version: he’s in form. A 68 yesterday, and now he’s started up with five pars in a row. He’s hovering around quietly at -2, just four off the lead, and with more than enough time left to make his mark.
Abraham Ancer had a top-ten finish at Kiawah Island last year, the 31-year-old Mexican’s best performance at at major. He’s looking to go even better this time round, and follows up yesterday’s fine 67 with a birdie at 12. Meanwhile a birdie for Viktor Hovland at 4. It’s only his second of the week so far ... but he’s only made one bogey. The young Norwegian has been super-steady so far, and gets his reward by moving into the red at -1.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (3)
-4: McIlroy (3), Ancer (3*)
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Pereira (5*), Smith (3), Hoge (2*)
Tom Hoge is one of the later starters this afternoon. The wait must have put the North Carolinian on edge, because he sends his opening drive into trouble down the right of 10, and the mistake eventually causes him a shot. He slips back to -3. Back on 3, McIlroy can only gouge his second just short of the green. He bumps a lovely chip up to three feet, and salvages his par. But that’s two scrambles and a bogey for the overnight leader, who will be hoping to warm up very soon. He remains at -4. Meanwhile it’s a 4-4-4 start for Tiger, who as things stand is +4 and will be going home, but there’s a long way to go.
McIlroy flushed the majority of his drives yesterday. He’s now missed three fairways out of three today. He sends this one on 3 out to the right and is fairly fortunate not to end up in the trees. A slow start for Matt Kuchar, too; he bogeys 12 to slip to -2.
McIlroy makes his first mistake of the second round. He again sends his tee shot into the rough, then nearly whistles his approach into a bunker at the back of the green. He’s left with an awkward stance, teetering on the lip, and hits a hot chip past the hole and onto the fringe, very lucky not to send his ball rolling down a swale. He very nearly salvages his par but despite a good read, fails to give his putt enough juice, and he slips to -4.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (2)
-4: McIlroy (2), Hoge
-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Pereira (3*), Smith (2), Ancer (1*)
An upbeat finish to the day for Joaquin Niemann. Things began to go awry for the Chilean after the turn: bogeys at 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8. But he stemmed the bleeding with a semi-restorative birdie at 9, and while he has to settle for a 71 that promised so much more, he’s still -1 overall and well set for Moving Day.
Updated
Seamus Power is making his PGA debut this week, the additional prize for winning the Barbasol Championship last July. The Barbasol was the alternate event running parallel with the Open, and so he didn’t get an invitation to the Masters as he would with a normal PGA Tour event. But that didn’t matter, because he earned a place anyway by making the quarters at the World Match Play. The 36-year-old from County Waterford is clearly a late bloomer, because he tied for 27th at Augusta, a fine debut that followed a tie for 33rd at the Players. Now he’s going well yet again at a big tournament: a 69 today to follow yesterday’s 71. At level par, he’s well set for the weekend. His compatriot Shane Lowry might not be in quite so chipper a mood tonight; out in 33 earlier on, he came back in 39 and ended up with a 72. He’s +2 for his week so far.
Matt Fitzpatrick ends his round with street-fighting par saves at 8 and 9! He’s in with a 69, and is very well placed for the weekend at -3. He’s joined there by Mito Pereira, who can’t find the dancefloor at 12 in regulation, and hands back a stroke in short order. Meanwhile back on 1, McIlroy, Spieth and Woods all lag long putts to kick-in distance; only Spieth drops a shot as a result of all that, and the career-slam-chasing Texan slips back to +3.
Tiger, Rory and Jordan may be first-name-recognisable superstars ... but none of them managed to find the fairway with their opening drives. Tiger hits his second first, from the rough to the right. He manages to advance his ball into the front portion of the large green, the flag towards the back. Jordan, coming in from the other side, hits the branch of a tree with his second, so only gets on in three. Rory, in the best position of all, in the first cut on the left, misjudges his distance woefully and doesn’t even reach the green. All three have their first-name privileges revoked. Back to surnames it is.
Zalatoris makes his birdie at 1 as expected. Cam Smith wasn’t too far away with his second, either, and the Players champion rises to -3.
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: Zalatoris (1), McIlroy
-4: Pereira (2*), Hoge
-3: Fitzpatrick (17*), Smith (1), Kuchar (1*), Ancer
Updated
Will Zalatoris pulls his opening drive into the rough down the left of 1. No matter! He bumps his second into the front of the green and rolls his ball to almost kick-in distance. Zalatoris misses more tiddlers than most, but he’s not going to miss what’s left. He’ll be making birdie to join Rory McIlroy at -5. And speaking of the overnight leader ... back up on the tee, Rory, Jordan and Tiger - this afternoon’s marquee group, one consisting of folk instantly recognisable by their first names, golf’s equivalent of Prince, Beyoncé and Elvis - send their drives away. This is on!
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Joaquin Niemann has been struggling on the front nine too. Bogeys at 2, 4 and now 6, with only a birdie at the forgiving par-five 5th by way of balance. He’s back to level par for his round, and -2 overall. Better news for his compatriot Mito Pereira, though. The 27-year-old from Santiago is making his PGA Championship debut this week, and has started off at warp speed today. Birdies at 10 and 11, and all of a sudden he’s right in the mix!
-6: Thomas (F)
-5: McIlroy
-4: Pereira (2*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (16*), Ancer, Kuchar
-2: Niemann (15*), Kirk (2*), Schauffele (1), Riley, Na, Smith
Thanks Tom ... and yes, most likely it’s farewell Scottie Scheffler. That’s a bit of a capitulation by the world number one, who parred every hole on the back nine, and was sitting comfortably, if not prettily, at +1. He then came home in 40 strokes to end up +6. That double bogey on 9 will surely see him miss the cut, but though he won’t appreciate this right now, he’s provided succour to weekend hackers everywhere. He took five strokes to get down from 109 yards! If it can happen to the Masters champion, it can happen to anyone. So thanks to Scottie for that. Hey, he’ll be back, raring to go at Brookline next month. And he’ll always have Augusta.
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More like it from Fitzpatrick, driving to within 10 ft or so of the pin on the 7th, setting up a birdie that regains the shot he recently dropped. Meanwhile Scheffler, under pressure, has to play out of a bunker and pulls it just wide of the 8th green. And then underhits to the edge of the green, giving himself a tricky par putt that he pushes just wide of the hole. He misses the bogey-putt too and is surely now a goner. Niemann has also dropped a shot with a loose putt on 6.
And with that, I’ll hand you back to a well-nourished Scott.
Here’s a good backgrounder from Ewan Murray on how this tournament got awarded to Southern Hills, in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill riot that led to it being taken away from Donald Trump’s Bedminster:
Matt Fitzpatrick’s lost a bit of momentum, taking three indifferent drives to reach the green of the par-five 5th and then overhitting a birdie putt.
-6: Thomas (F),
-5 McIlroy
-4: Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Ancer, Kuchar,
-2: Niemann (13*), Wise (*10), Fitzpatrick (14*), Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk
The Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler, is in a bit of bother. His latest putt drifts right of the flag and he then blunders his par putt to record a fourth bogey in seven holes. He’s now four over after 16. He could be going home if he can’t stop the rot on his remaining holes. Meanwhile Niemann finds another bunker from the tee but it looks retrievable.
Thomas takes the lead! A beautifully measured birdie putt at the par-four 9th completes an excellent round of 67. That’s a hell of a morale booster to take to the clubhouse
More too little too late excellence from Dustin Johnson as he concludes his round with another exquisite birdie putt to sign for a 73. He ends up six over overall.
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Thomas taps in for par in the end on the 7th, while Tiger Woods is approaching the practice green, needing to improve after toiling in his four-over first round yesterday. While Matt Fitzpatrick drops a shot on the 4th.
Dustin Johnson may almost certainly be going home, at eight over par through 16 holes, but he’s just drained an excellent birdie putt on the 7th, only to double-bogey the next hole.
-5: Thomas (17*), McIlroy
-4: Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Niemann (11*), Ancer, Kuchar, Wise (*10)
-2: Fitzpatrick (13*), Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk
Updated
Thanks Scott, and we start with Niemann again making his life difficult by hooking his drive to the right and into a bunker on 3. His recovery shot is good though, taking him within 10ft or so of the pin. And he confidently drains his par putt. He stays three under. Thomas, on the par-four 7th, finds a handy green position from the rough to keep the pressure on Rory McIlroy.
Meanwhile Ian Poulter, struggling to extend his stay, sinks a wonderful 60-foot putt for birdie on the taxing 5th. But he’s still four over.
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Anyway, I’m off for a large bowl of Hamburger Helper, the only food-flavored foodstuff to be marketed by a singing golf glove. Tom Davies will be your guide for the next hour. See you again soon!
-5: Thomas (15*), McIlroy
-4: Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (12*), Niemann (11*), Ancer, Kuchar
-2: Wise (9*), Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk
Niemann makes the bogey putt! It’s not an ideal situation, of course it’s not, but that up and down from sand will make him feel so much better, after otherwise traversing the hole in a very shoddy fashion. The sort of damage-limitation exercise that so often wins tournaments. He slips back to -3. Meanwhile the travails of the world number one Scottie Scheffler continue. Having taken one step forward with that excellent birdie at 4, he dumps his approach at the par-five 5th into sand, and eventually runs up a bogey six. On the second-easiest hole on the course, that’s handing a shot back to the field, perhaps slightly more if you want to get mathematically precise about it, which I can’t don’t.
Niemann does indeed have a route to the 2nd green, but he’s got to fire under some branches. Also, he’s not getting any spin from the Bermuda rough, and so his ball whistles hysterically across the dancefloor and into a bunker at the back. It’s probably a better outcome than being further down the swale, but not by much. He makes a decent job of the long splash out, but the ball still rolls 15 feet past, and he’ll have work to do to limit the damage to bogey. He then falls backwards out of the bunker, leavening the downbeat atmosphere with a little slapstick humour.
Disaster for Niemann, technically playing the 2nd but hitting from the 7th fairway. His back foot slips as he starts his downswing, and an attempt to lob over the trees and back towards the 2nd green ends in failure. His ball whistles into the branches, then rebounds back into the thick rough. If he’s got a route to the green from there, he’ll be very lucky. Meanwhile a sensational up and down from a deep bunker at the front of 18 by Aaron Wise, who smacks out blind over the high face, then rolls in the 15-foot saver. A par, and he turns in 34, -2 for the tournament.
Niemann’s radar has suddenly gone very wonky. Having gone miles left at 1, onto the 4th fairway, he sends his drive at 2 way right, towards the 7th. There’s much to be said for reconnaissance, but this is taking thorough preparation to its very limits. Meanwhile up on 6, Thomas can’t make his right-to-left birdie slider, the ball always destined to die off on the low side. He remains in a share at -5.
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler pepper the flag at 4. However it’s only the Masters champ who can convert his birdie putt. He rises back to +2 alongside Rahm. Meanwhile there’ll be another birdie opportunity for Justin Thomas, this time at the par-three 6th. He sends his tee shot over the flag, and will have a 15-foot look coming back.
JT joins Rory at the top once more! His drive at the par-five 5th finds a bunker down the right, and he’s forced to lay up. But he arrows a 6-iron into the heart of the green, then rolls in a 25-footer across it for birdie. He’ll have felt deflated when his tee shot found sand on one of the easiest holes on the course - it was ranked 17 yesterday, 14 today - but now he’ll be walking towards the 6th tee on air. Meanwhile Niemann does indeed make his two-putt par on 1.
-5: Thomas (14*), McIlroy
-4: Niemann (10*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (10*), Ancer, Kuchar
-2: Wise (8*), Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk
A wild old tee shot on 1 from Joaquin Niemann. He hooks his drive onto the 4th fairway. But there’s enough room to whip his wedge over the trees between the holes, and lands his second into the heart of the green. That’s a lovely Seve-esque moment, and though he’s 30 feet from the flag, he should at least make his par to remain one off the lead at -4.
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A frustrating lip-out for birdie on 18 for Joaquin Niemann. That would have given him a share of the lead at -5, but he’ll surely have taken 33 over the back nine while eating his grits for breakfast this morning. Meanwhile another birdie for Brooks Koepka, his second in three holes, this time at 5. He’s +2 and this is a huge improvement on yesterday’s dismal 75.
Scottie Scheffler nearly chips in from the side of 3 for birdie, but he’ll have to make do with par. Having dropped another stroke at 2, he really needed that. Back-to-back majors look decidedly unlikely right now; he’s +3. His partners in this marquee group aren’t going that well either; par for Jon Rahm after bogey at 2, and he’s +2, while Collin Morikawa pars to remain at +3. More had been expected from the current top three in the world.
Thomas nearly holes a snaking downhill 30-footer on 4 for birdie. The ball oscillates this way and that, and stops one turn short of dropping. That’s a masterclass in green reading. He’s happy enough with his par, though: two putts from there was far from certain, and he did well to find the green in regulation anyway after sending his tee shot into the thick stuff down the left. He remains at -4, and this is shaping up to be another efficient, no-nonsense, controlled round of golf from the 2017 champion. A Rory-versus-JT shootout on Sunday? You wouldn’t say no, would you. Yes please!
Hello, Niemann! Joaquin repairs the damage of that bogey at 15 with a textbook birdie at 17. Drive straight down the middle; approach to ten feet; in. He rejoins the group one behind Rory McIlroy at -4. Meanwhile a double-bogey six for Shane Lowry on 4, the shortest par-four on the course. He pulls his approach into a greenside bunker, and it all goes south from there. He’s +1, and all of a sudden a tilt at the title looks like turning into a battle to survive the cut.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (12*), Newman Niemann (8*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (9*), Ancer, Kuchar
Aaron Wise hands the shot he slightly fortuitously picked up on 13 back to the field in short order. He dumps his tee shot at the par-three 14th into a bunker, and slips back to -2. Talor Gooch has fallen backwards, too, dropping one at 12; the Okie from Muskogee Midwest City drops to -1. And Lucas Herbert continues to struggle in the high wind. The young Aussie, who made back-to-back bogeys at 2 and 3, has since made two more, at 5 and 7. He’s +2, having briefly threatened to join Rory McIlroy in the lead last night. It doesn’t take very long for things to spin wildly out of control in golf, does it.
Bernd Wiesberger was in the final pairing with eventual champion Rory McIlroy at Valhalla in the 2014 PGA Championship. His three-over 74 saw the Austrian crash out of contention, though his eventual finish of tied-15th remains his best performance at a major. The 36-year-old may consider he’s got some unfinished business to address, and accordingly has today come flying out of the blocks. Birdies at 11, 13 and now 15 have elevated him to -1 for the tournament. He’s the hottest property out there this morning.
Scottie Scheffler sends his second at 1 over the back. He gets a free drop from a television tower, but undercooks his bump up the swale, and is extremely fortunate not to see his ball roll back down towards his feet. Instead, it somehow defies gravity by stopping at the top of the slope. He’s still got a tricky putt from the fringe, and he can’t make it to save his par, but he’d have taken bogey in the split second when he was watching that underhit chip make its way apologetically up the bank towards the green. Bogey isn’t ideal, but that could have been a whole lot worse. He’s +2.
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The two-time winner Brooks Koepka has been struggling badly of late, and shot a troubled 75 yesterday. But he’s never missed the cut at the PGA, and he clearly doesn’t intend doing so this week. Having played the back nine in one-under 34, he’s just sent a tramliner into the cup at 3 for another birdie. He rise to +3, which is coincidentally the current projected cut. He’ll be here for the weekend as is.
That birdie at 17 appears to have lit a fire under Jon Rahm. Or cooled him down. You can look at it either way. He’s a lot happier, let’s put it like that, and having creamed a drive down 1, he clips his second to three feet, and pops in the putt to move to +1. The US Open champion is slowly hauling himself back into the tournament.
JT misses another opportunity to join Rory in the lead. He knocks his second at 2 to 20 feet, leaving a fairly straight putt, but his birdie effort never really looks like dropping, and he stays at -4. Meanwhile, here’s Steve Buist: “By day, I’m an investigative journalist so it’s my job to ask the tough questions. It’s time to address the Tiger … err, elephant … in the room with a chicken-or-egg question (that’s a lot of animals in one sentence). Does the limping lead to the bad score, or does the bad score lead to the limping? Discuss.” Ow, tough crowd! Does the investigative journalism lead to the cynicism or does the cynicism lead to the investigative journalist?
A big stroke of luck for Aaron Wise on the par-five 13th. Hitting three from the rough down the right, he overcooks a lob wedge, and his ball’s preparing to bound a good way past the hole. But it hits the flagstick flush, and comes to rest a foot or so away. He tidies up for his second birdie of the day, the first having come at 11, and the 25-year-old from Las Vegas moves to -3. He’s joined there by Joaquin Niemann, coming the other way after visiting greenside sand at 15, and it’s about time to post a leaderboard update, isn’t it.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (10*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (7*), Niemann (6*), Wise (4*), Ancer, Kuchar
Scottie Scheffler nearly drains a 30-footer on 18 for birdie. His ball stops just short. That’s nine pars in a row on the back nine, and he stays at +1. Playing partner Collin Morikawa, having sliced into the creek on the right, limits his damage to bogey and drops to +3. Meanwhile on 2, Shane Lowry can’t get close with his approach, having sent his tee shot into the rough. He races his long birdie putt miles past the cup, and can’t make the eight footer coming back. He slips to -1, and looks like a man about to descend into a full fume.
Justin Thomas sends a fairly average second into 1, failing to take advantage of the excellent drive. He nearly drains the 20-foot birdie putt, but it stubbornly stays high on the right, and he remains at -4. A great chance to grab back a share of the lead is gone. Thomas incidentally has come dressed today as a seat on the Piccadilly Line, either a homage to the design gurus of the London Underground, or Arsenal Football Club, who have been gadding around in similar gear this season.
A first birdie of the day for Jon Rahm, who isn’t out of this quite yet. After a string of pars, he rolls in a 20-footer on 17 to move to +2. That puts him above the current projected cut line ... though expect that to move out a couple of shots anyway. The wise owls are suggesting the cut is likely to be +5 or +6, but time will tell.
It’s par for Thomas at 18, and he’s played the back nine in 33 strokes, like Lowry before him. He then takes to the 1st tee, and is about to pull the trigger with driver when a shadow cuts across him from above. A drone? A drone. Very strange. An over-enthusiastic camera operative, no doubt. It doesn’t put him off, though. Neither does the swirling wind, and he belts one down the track. Up on the green, Lowry makes a two-putt par to remain at -2.
The wind is whipping around Southern Hills. As a result, players are hanging on rather than making any serious tilts at the top. Lowry and Niemann are this morning’s prime movers; the only other player out there currently two under for his round is Kevin Kisner, who has just followed up birdie at 13 with another at 14. The 38-year-old from South Carolina is level par for the tournament.
Shane Lowry completes the back nine in 33 strokes. He’s going along nicely at -2 for both round and tournament. A reminder that he tied for fourth in this championship last year, and tied for third at the Masters last month. It’s on? It could be on.
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Some drama on the 18th tee. Dustin Johnson (+3) sends a huge slice into the creek down the right. His playing partner Justin Thomas, spooked by the 25mph wind, sends his drive in exactly the same direction. He moans in distress, but the ball somehow skirts the bank and stays dry. Inches away from disaster; now he’ll be thinking about getting up and down for birdie.
From the centre of the 12th fairway, 121 yards to go, Joaquin Niemann really isn’t sure about the swirling wind. He steps out of the shot a couple of times, and needs his caddy to convince him to execute their plan. He’s wise to listen and grasp the nettle. He wedges to four feet, then tidies up for a par that takes him into the thick of it.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (7*), Niemann (3*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (3*), Ancer, Kuchar
Thomas scrambles well at 16. Having sent his approach down a swale to the left of the green, he chips up, one bounce, stop. A tap-in to save his par and remain at -4. Meanwhile two birdies in three holes for the 2015 champion Jason Day, at 13 and 15, the latter the reward for a gorgeous approach from 170 yards to a couple of feet. The 34-year-old Aussie was pretty much ever-present at the top end of major leaderboards during the 2010s. In the last couple of years, not so much, although a tie for fourth in this championship in 2020 stands out. It’d be great to see him back competing. He’s level par for the week, so it could be happening right now.
Lucas Herbert threatened to join Rory McIlroy in the lead at one point yesterday evening. But a slightly dispiriting finish - two bogeys in the last four holes - saw him end the day with a 68. Still mighty fine, but the 25-year-old Aussie would have been dreaming of more. He continues to move in the wrong direction today, with bogey at 2. He slips back to -1.
Matt Fitzpatrick still hasn’t won in America, but now would be a good time to start. He follows a brilliant, battling 68 yesterday with birdie at 11 this morning. He rises to -3, where he’s joined by Joaquin Niemann, another young player who wouldn’t be flattered at all were he to lift the Wanamaker Trophy this week. An opening birdie at 10 for the 23-year-old Chilean.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (6*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Fitzpatrick (2*), Niemann (1), Ancer, Kuchar
The world number one Scottie Scheffler hasn’t really got going so far this week, his frustration evident last night when he started repeatedly battering his bag with his driver upon finding water on 18. He ended up with a one-over 71 that could have been a lot worse. There’s no great change today. He starts with four pars in a row, the latest a slightly disappointing one at the par-five 13th, any chance of birdie gone after spending an age moving pebbles in a bunker under a referee’s supervision only to take far too much of the ball with his chip out. The Masters champion remains +1.
Having reached the summit, Justin Thomas immediately topples back off it. He dunks his tee shot at the par-three 14th into a bunker at the front, and can’t get his splash out over the ridge running across the green. He leaves himself a tricky uphill curler for par that he can’t make. Back into a tie for second he goes.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (5*), Hoge, Zalatoris
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KH Lee is a man in form. Last week, the 30-year-old South Korean became only the fourth man in history to successfully defend the Byron Nelson. That’s no mean feat, given the other three are Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson! He’s got an utterly dreadful record in major championships, though: five appearances, five cuts missed. He’s looking good to break that sorry run this week, though. A 69 yesterday, and a 30-yard rake for birdie at 6 moves him to -2 overall.
The par-five 13th was the easiest hole on the golf course yesterday, averaging 4.84 shots and giving up 42 birdies. No great surprise, then, that Justin Thomas has just picked up his second birdie of the day on the hole. He looks in the mood to post something to give Rory McIlroy pause for thought this afternoon ... and has already joined him at the top of the leaderboard!
-5: Thomas (4*), McIlroy
-4: Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Ancer, Kuchar
-2: Lowry (5*), Lee (6), Gooch (7), Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk, Niemann, Herbert, Fitzpatrick
Back-to-back birdies for Shane Lowry! This one comes at the par-three 14th, reward for knocking his tee shot to eight feet. He’s -2, and on Sky Sports, Dame Laura Davies points out that Lowry won’t be at all fazed by these conditions, having grown up playing in the occasional breeze in Ireland. The wind is picking up.
Anirban Lahiri - who led this year’s Players after three rounds and ended the week one shot and one place behind the winner Cam Smith - became a father last weekend. High on life, the 30-year-old from India has just sent his tee shot at the 214-year par-three 6th straight at the flag. One bounce and it’s ... well, not in, but teetering on the edge of the hole. So close to a hole-in-one to wet the baby’s head! He’ll move to +4 and everything helps when you’re trying to survive the cut.
Shane Lowry wasn’t the happiest yesterday evening, effing and jeffing as he needlessly whistled a shot into water on the par-five 13th. He still scrambled his par, though, and ended up signing for a level-par 70. Now the same hole has given something back: birdie that brings the 2019 Open champion into red figures. He’s -1.
Local lad Talor Gooch won his first PGA Tour event earlier this season, at the RSM Classic. The 30-year-old Okie is also finding his feet in the majors, having survived the cut at last year’s PGA and Open, and tied for 14th at the Masters last month. He shot a very respectable 69 yesterday evening, and is following it up this morning, making birdie at the monster par-five 5th (660 yards today) and moving up to -2.
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Speaking of movers and shakers (which we were, sort of) there’s been some early action at the top of the leaderboard. The 2017 champion Justin Thomas played the back nine in 32 strokes last night, so has already proved he can do this in difficult conditions. He’s flown out of the traps this morning, sticking his second at 10 to six feet and making the birdie. He’s now just one off Rory McIlroy’s lead.
-5: McIlroy
-4: Thomas (3*), Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Ancer, Kuchar
The wind has prompted the PGA into action. They haven’t sent their mowers over the greens today, for fear of gusts moving balls and making putting a lottery. This is usually more of a problem at the Open - if memory served the wind caused havoc on the greens at Sandwich in 2011 and St Andrews in 2015 - but here we all are. By way of further illustration, the official Twitter feed posted this:
Just a quick preview... 🌬#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/ZuiDmL31A6
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2022
Weather report
As forecast, it’s going to be a tempestuous 24 hours in Tulsa. This morning will see the field battered by gusts of up to 40 mph, with consistent winds of 20 to 25 mph. Come the afternoon, the second wave of starters will be pleased to feel the wind drop - an average of ten to 15 mph with gusts no higher than 20 mph - but they will have to deal with cooler temperatures, showers, and possibly even thunderstorms. Will everyone get round today? It’s by no means certain, with “severe” storms expected during the evening, featuring more strong winds, hail and heavy rain. Buckle up!
Preamble
A long day awaits us as the players jostle into position ahead of tomorrow’s Moving Day. Hustle Friday? Needs some work, but nice Van McCoy earworm. Anyway, high winds, plus the Damoclesian threat of the cut, means this one could stretch out. A lot of drama, glee, excitement and heartache awaits us. Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looks after the first round ...
-5: McIlroy
-4: Hoge, Zalatoris
-3: Ancer, Kuchar, Thomas
-2: Riley, Na, Smith, Schauffele, Pereira, Kirk, Niemann, Herbert, Fitzpatrick
-1: Hossler, Reed, Pieters, Cink, Finau, Burmester, Wise, Kizzire, Simpson, Lee, Gooch
E: Steele, Molinari, Woodland, Fox, Hovland, Hatton, Homa, MacIntyre, Noren, Henley, Lowry
... and here’s when everyone takes to the course. It’s on!
Starting at hole 1
13:00 Brandon Bingaman, Talor Gooch, Ryosuke Kinoshita (Jpn)
13:11 Tim Feenstra, Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Kor)
13:22 Rich Beem, Alex Cejka (Ger), Jesse Mueller
13:33 Seamus Power (Irl), Russell Knox (Sco), Scott Stallings
13:44 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Corey Conners (Can), Jason Kokrak
13:55 Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer (Ger), Marc Leishman (Aus)
14:06 Cameron Champ, Russell Henley, Zach Johnson
14:17 Branden Grace (Rsa), Webb Simpson, Henrik Stenson (Swe)
14:28 J. J. Spaun, Sepp Straka (Aut), Adam Schenk
14:39 Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Keith Mitchell, Matthew Wolff
14:50 Lucas Herbert (Aus), Austin Hurt, Chad Ramey
15:01 Tyler Collet, Chan Kim, Maverick McNealy
15:12 Paul Dickinson, Patton Kizzire, Luke List,
18:30 Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Alexander Noren (Swe), Ryan Palmer
18:41 Adria Arnaus (Spa), Colin Inglis, Jinichiro Kozuma (Jpn)
18:52 Michael Block, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha)
19:03 Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Xander Schauffele
19:14 Denny McCarthy, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Max Homa
19:25 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Cameron Smith (Aus), Will Zalatoris
19:36 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods
19:47 Patrick Reed, Justin Rose (Eng), Bubba Watson
19:58 Lucas Glover, Kevin Na, Daniel van Tonder (Rsa)
20:09 Sam Burns, Davis Riley, Cameron Young
20:20 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Lee Westwood (Eng), Gary Woodland
20:31 Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Brian Harman, Ryan Vermeer
20:42 Laurie Canter (Eng), Lanto Griffin, Dylan Newman
Starting at hole 10
13:05 Ryan Brehm, Min-Woo Lee (Aus), Wyatt Worthington II
13:16 Justin Harding (Rsa), Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Sean McCarty
13:27 Adam Hadwin (Can), Hudson Swafford, Cameron Tringale
13:38 Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry (Irl), Adam Scott (Aus)
13:49 Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas
14:00 Jason Day (Aus), Rickie Fowler, Harold Varner III
14:11 Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm (Spa), Scottie Scheffler
14:22 Daniel Berger, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Ian Poulter (Eng)
14:33 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner
14:44 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
14:55 Harry Higgs, Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Erik van Rooyen (Rsa)
15:06 Alex Beach, Jhonattan Vegas (Ven), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)
15:17 Jared Jones, Aaron Wise, Joel Dahmen
18:25 John Daly, Shaun Micheel, Yong-Eun Yang (Kor)
18:36 Matthew Borchert, Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), Troy Merritt
18:47 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Chris Kirk, Kyle Mendoza
18:58 Sam Horsfield (Eng), Nic Ishee, Guillermo Mito Pereira (Chi)
19:09 Shaun Norris (Rsa), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Kevin Streelman
19:20 Cameron Davis (Aus), Rikuya Hoshino (Jpn), Matt Kuchar
19:31 Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
19:42 Abraham Ancer (Mex), Thomas Pieters (Bel), Kramer Hickok
19:53 Richard Bland (Eng), Garrick Higgo (Rsa), Matt Jones (Aus)
20:04 Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim (Kor), Beau Hossler
20:15 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Shawn Warren
20:26 Yuki Inamori (Jpn), Sebastian Munoz (Col), Zac Oakley
20:37 Bio Kim (Kor), Casey Pyne, Brendan Steele
Updated
