Record-setting day, then storms came
ST. LOUIS — There are manually operated scoreboards with plastic numbers and letters on every hole of the PGA Championship. Most are small enough that they can only accommodate seven players at any one time.
Charl Schwartzel, the South African champion of the 2011 Masters, matched the PGA record Friday morning by shooting 7-under-par 63 at Bellerive Country Club to get into a tie for fourth, and the volunteers never bothered to put him on the board.
This is a tough crowd, tearing up an extraordinarily easy golf course for a major championship.
Before an afternoon thunderstorm halted play for the day and dumped rain on the course, Brooks Koepka joined Schwartzel in scoring 63, and he couldn’t get into the lead, or even second place.
Remember, it was Koepka who won his second straight U.S. Open back in June at Shinnecock Hills — at 1 over for the
The top spot at Bellerive again belonged to Gary Woodland, who recorded a 4-under 66 that put him at 10 under, one shot clear of Kevin Kisner, who shot 64 in the second round.
For those keeping score at home, that’s four scorecards of 63 or 64 in the first two rounds. The pair of 63s were the 14th and 15th in the 60-year stroke-play era of the PGA, and never had two been notched on the same day.
Another milestone: Woodland’s 36-hole total of 130 is the lowest in PGA history, beating out nine players who got to 131.
Woodland is on pace for a 260 total. The all-time lowest 72-hole PGA Championship score is David Toms’ 265 in 2001 at Atlanta Athletic Club, while Jason Day’s 20-under 268 in 2015 at Whistling Straits is the lowest in relation to par.
“I’m happy with where I’m at,” Woodland said. “I’m very comfortable with how I’m driving the ball. The iron game, the distance control has been phenomenal.”
Half the field was still on the course when play was halted, forcing the players to return at 8 a.m. today to resume the second round. The third round was scheduled to be played in threesomes, with golfers going off the first and 10th tees.
Among those still grinding was Tiger Woods, who was 3-under for the round through seven holes and inside the projected cut of even par.
The leaders are loving how they’re playing, of course, without making much noise about how easy the course is — lest the PGA break out windmills and volcanoes overnight. As it is, PGA setup man Kerry Haigh pushed the flagsticks on many holes as close to the edges as possible to attempt some defense.
“It’s a bomber’s paradise. It’s a ball striker’s golf course,” said Justin Rose, who was uncertain he would play this week with a bad back, but has fared just fine in getting to 4 under overall.
Not everyone is happy, of course.
Jordan Spieth, who came into the week with a chance to complete the career Grand Slam, seemed out of sorts from his opening double bogey Thursday, and he wasn’t complimentary of Bellerive, even after a second-round 66.
“A little frustrated at this place, in general,” Spieth said. “I think that it’s tough to come to a venue with bentgrass greens and this kind of weather. This course probably is phenomenal if it’s not playing so soft. … You can just fire in and get away with more, like you don’t have to be precise.”
The leaderboard is not without appeal, however. Beyond Woodland and Kisner, who are trying to win their first majors at the age of 34, those among the top 15 who had finished included world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (66, 7-under total), and fellow major winners Schwartzel (7 under), Adam Scott (65, 5 under) and British Open champion Francesco Molinari (67, 5 under).