ROCHESTER, New York: Australia’s Adam Scott answered an early challenge from countryman Jason Day and England’s Lee Westwood on Friday to seize command of the PGA Championship at rain-soaked Oak Hill.
Reigning Masters champion Scott, who in April became the first Aussie to win a green jacket, birdied three of his first seven holes in the second round and made the turn at seven under par for the tournament, two under for the day.
Day, Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer were on four-under and the only players on the course within five strokes of Scott with half the field set for an afternoon start.
Westwood and Day, who have both endured several painful near-misses at majors, made early birdies to match Scott’s lead as he began by teeing off at the 10th hole in heavy showers.
But as his rivals faltered in the downpour that drenched the 7,163-yard layout, Scott responded with a chip-in birdie at the 10th and dropped a tricky double-breaking 10-foot birdie putt into the left side of the cup at the par-5 13th to reach seven-under.
Using the belly putter that will be banned come 2016, Scott calmly rolled in a four-foot birdie putt at the 16th to reach eight-under, three strokes clear of Westwood and Scott’s first-day co-leader, Jim Furyk, who was set for an afternoon start after matching Scott with an opening 65.
Scott gave one back at the 17th, missing a four-foot par putt, and had to wait at the 18th tee for course workers to push standing water off the soggy, satured shooting area before missing a 15-foot birdie putt and settling for a par.
Westwood, also off the back nine first, birdied the 12th and 14th holes to keep the pressure upon Scott early, but took his first bogey of the tournament at the 17th and made another at the second to drop back.
Day, who opened on 67, birdied the 10th and 12th holes to match the lead on five-under just as Scott teed off alongside the year’s other major winners, US Open champion Justin Rose of England and US left-hander Phil Mickelson.
Day, 24, and Westwood, 40, both hunger for that breakthrough title. In 62 major starts, Westwood has finished in the top three eight times, while Day has twice been a US Open runner-up and both second and third at the Masters in the past three years.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, enduring a season of struggles, stumbled over the projected cut-line thanks to three bogeys and a double bogey against a lone birdie on the back nine, his first nine holes of the second round. That put the Northern Irishman three-over for the tournament.
Furyk, whose intense putting and driving work after missing the cut at the US and British Opens paid dividends in round one, tees off in the fourth-to-last afternoon group off the first tee — one group behind world number one Tiger Woods, who opened on 71.
Canada’s David Hearn, who started with a 66, is in the fourth afternoon group off the 10th tee while England’s Paul Casey, on 67, is in the fourth afternoon group off the first tee.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription