Stenson in contention
‘Unstoppable’ Open champion on course for second major title
OPEN champion Henrik Stenson recovered from a poor start to remain on course for back-to-back majors as the Swede rose to the top of the leaderboard in the US PGA Championship. Stenson carded a 67 at Baltusrol to claim the clubhouse lead on six under par, a shot ahead of Martin Kaymer and Patrick Reed, whose 65 equalled the lowest score of the week. Jordan Spieth is two shots further back after a 67. ‘It’s easy to get greedy when things are going your way, but I’m very pleased,’ said Stenson.
BUSES might come along in pairs after an age of waiting but rarely do major championships. Henrik Stenson, however, has put himself in prime position to follow up his breakthrough Open win just 13 days ago with a victory in the US PGA Championship this weekend.
The formidable Swede followed up his four rounds in the 60s at Royal Troon with two more 67s to post a wonderful halfway total of six-under par for the clubhouse lead from his side of the draw.
His coach Pete Cowen predicted in Sportsmail last week: ‘Don’t be surprised if Henrik goes on to win the PGA now, because when he gets on one of his rolls he is all but unstoppable.’
We certainly would not be surprised now. Talk about riding a wave of euphoria.
‘I don’t know how much my win at Troon is contributing to this but it’s certainly helping to have the same positive mindset,’ commented Stenson, who will be part of the Swedish delegation participating in the opening ceremony at the Olympics next Friday.
He demonstrated as much in recovering from two early dropped shots with an eagle at the par-five 18th — his ninth hole — and three birdies coming home. ‘It could have been more given how well I struck the ball but greed is a terrible thing,’ said Stenson, smiling.
Three different european golfers have never won four of the season’s majors in any given year but German Martin Kaymer might complete that milestone after rounds of 66 and 69 left him one shot behind Stenson.
It has also gone a long way to removing any doubts that he will be part of europe’s Ryder Cup team, either off his own bat with a good weekend here or a pick from captain Darren Clarke.
Another not that far behind at halfway is the inimitable Beef, for Andrew Johnston is revelling in what might be said to be his natural home among the boisterous New Yorkers (Manhattan is only 45 minutes away).
He is far more than just a good bloke, though, as he showed with his nine birdies over the first two days for adventurous rounds of 70 and 69.
This event is far from being a euro-fest, though, not with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed lurking menacingly.
Has a little Texan swagger returned to the stride of Spieth? It certainly looked that way as he followed up a gritty 70 with a 67 that suggested it will not be long before he is back to his best.
We have become used to Spieth making his way on to leaderboards on the strength of his putting but here it has been all about his ball striking.
‘I hit the ball fantastically well,’ he said, and the stats backed him up as he led the field in greens hit in regulation. If he starts holing putts like he usually does then he might just make up for what happened at the first major championship at Augusta with a trophy at the last one here at Baltusrol.
Perhaps given the dramatic and shocking nature of his collapse at the Masters, when he was four shots ahead with seven holes to play, it was not surprising Spieth made no impression at the two Opens staged on either side of the Atlantic.
On Thursday, he had shown the value of patience as he had to wait 16 holes to register his first birdie. In his second round here there were plenty of them, including two for starters.
Reed was three-over par after nine holes on Thursday but has played amazing golf since, including a fabulous second-round 65 to stand alongside Kaymer on five under. He is currently outside the automatic qualifiers for the US Ryder Cup team but would do his captain Davis Love a huge favour if he kept playing like this and saved him a wildcard. Among those who missed the cut, and in spectacular fashion in both instances, were the US Open champion Dustin Johnson and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.
The laidback Johnson will get over it quickly enough, no doubt, but what about McDowell, who was hoping for a good week to enhance his own wild card hopes?
G-Mac is the only player to have qualified off his own merits for the last four Ryder Cup teams but that record is at an end. It would be a leap of faith if Clarke picked him on current form.
Another who has been missing cuts is 21-year-old Matt Fitzpatrick, who has certainly been showing his tender years in recent weeks as he seeks to cling on to the final automatic spot.
He showed some guts yesterday, hitting 15 greens in regulation for a 70 and a two-over par total that looked good enough to see him through to the weekend for the first time in five tournaments. Scot Russell Knox made the cut, with his second successive 70.
As for the later starters, it was business as usual for Rory McIlroy on the first three holes as he struck the ball imperiously but could not buy a putt. Finally, he mustered his first birdie of the tournament at the 22nd time of asking at the fourth. Another followed at the sixth, and the gallery went wild at glimpses of the real Rory, who was hovering just above the cut line at two over.
englishman Andy Sullivan was going along nicely, following up his opening 67 with two more gains in the opening five holes before a bogey at the sixth started his slide down the leaderboard.
Argentine emiliano Grillo assumed the lead on the course at eight under after 10, a shot ahead of first-day leader Jimmy Walker, who had played nine holes.