SURPRISE AT TOP OF LEADERBOARD
Kisner shoots a 4-under-par 67 to grab lead; Mickelson misses cut for first time since ’92
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » In the dozen times Kevin Kisner has played in majors, he has learned they are not much fun unless he’s playing well.
He’s having a blast so far in the PGA Championship.
Sticking to a simple plan on a challenging course at Quail Hollow, Kisner holed a 50-foot eagle putt from off the green that carried him to another 4-under 67. That gave him a five-shot lead among those who played in the Friday morning side of the draw.
Kisner was at 8-under 134 as Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and others headed out in the afternoon just as a light rain began to fall. That might be the worst thing that happened all day to Kisner. The notorious greens of Quail Hollow were slick as ever, keeping low scores at a minimum.
Rain intensified later, suspending play for nearly two hours. Hideki Matsuyama was two shots back with five holes to play when play resumed in early evening.
“These guys going out in the afternoon, they break 70 they’ve done a hell of a job,” Rory McIlroy said after he suffered another bad stretch and shot 72.
Kisner doesn’t have the length for this 7,600-yard course, but he has golf smarts, a reliable swing and a good putting stroke for the greens. He saw the changes to the course earlier this year on a soft, damp day and wondered how he would manage.
The plan was to make birdie on the par 5s and the two short par 4s, and play for par every-
where else.
It has worked to near perfection through two rounds,
particularly on the par 5s: a wedge to 10 feet on No. 10; a wedge to 5 feet on No. 15; and the eagle putt on No. 7 that rolled against the pin and disappeared.
Rickie Fowler tried to do his part. Playing conservative
at times to be in the fairway, he avoided a big number early in his round when a 60-foot chip didn’t quite get up a ridge and rolled all the way back to his feet. He lagged the next shot up to 5 feet and escaped with bogey.
Fowler picked up two birdies and then had to settle for pars the rest of the way for a 70 that put him at 3-under 139. No one else was closer to Kisner among the early starters, particularly not Phil Mickelson.