Kisner, Matsuyama set hot pace at Quail Hollow
Second round suspended because of darkness following two-hour rain delay
CHARLOTTE, N.C. In the dozen times Kevin Kisner has played in a major, he has learned they’re not much fun unless he’s playing well.
He’s having a blast so far at 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 a second consecutive round of 4-under 67.
Kisner was at 8-under 134 and tied for the lead with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who carded a 7-under 64 to rocket up the leaderboard. A nearly two-hour rain delay kept some players from finishing up when the round was called because of darkness.
Jason Day of Australia was lurking two shots behind after carding a 66, while Italy’s Francesco Molinari, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Chris Stroud of the U.S. were all at 5-under through 36 holes.
Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was the only Canadian to survive the cut, sitting at 1-over after a 73. The projected cut sat at 5-over at the end of the day, meaning Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. (72), at 8-over, and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. (76), at 13-over, would not qualify to play the weekend.
The notorious greens of Quail Hollow were slick as ever, keeping low scores at a minimum.
“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 many felt was needed 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.
Kisner’s plan was to make birdie on the par-5s and the two short par-4s, and play for par everywhere 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 five 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 five feet and escaped with bogey.
Fowler picked up two birdies, then had to settle for pars the rest of the way for a 70 that put him at 3-under 139.
Phil Mickelson finally made a birdie on his 31st hole of the tournament, but by then it was much too late. Mickelson shot 74 and missed the cut for the first time in the PGA Championship since 1992.
McIlroy, meanwhile, made an amazing escape of his own with a shot that bounced so far down a cart path on the par-5 10th that it was pin-high, 100 yards away. He bounced a six-iron from 110 yards up the cart path, through the bunker and onto the fringe about 40 feet away, and got upand-down for par.
That was the biggest excitement he had all day.
Still lurking in range, McIlroy fell apart early on the front nine with four bogeys in five holes and had to rally with birdies on the two easiest holes on that side.
“Obviously, Kiz (Kisner) is on fire right now,” McIlroy said. “But take him out of the equation, I feel like I’m still right there in the tournament.”
Kisner is tough to beat when he’s hitting it where he’s aiming because of his short game and his fortitude. Travelling the minitours toughened him, and he has won twice on the PGA Tour.
But he didn’t play his first major until the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, and his finishes have largely been in the middle of the pack.
“I’ve been upset with how I’ve played in the majors so far in my career,” Kisner said. “I feel like I have the game to compete in majors, and tons of 30th- to 40th-, 50th-place finishes.
“That’s kind of been our goal for the year. We haven’t played well in them yet this year, but every year you learn more about the majors.” The biggest lesson?
“They are really hard,” he said. “And they are not a whole lot of fun unless everything is working out for you.”
I’ve been upset with how I’ve played in the majors so far in my career. I feel like I have the game to compete in majors, and tons of 30thto 40th-, 50thplace finishes