The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Walker and Streb lead the way
Open champion Stenson in contention but Rory McIlroy misses cut
Americans Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb share the halfway lead in the US PGA Championship after claiming their own slice of history at Baltusrol.
Walker added a 66 to his opening 65 to post a nine-under-par score of 131 and equal the lowest halfway total in the year’s final major – but bogeyed the last to cost himself a share of the all-time major record of 130 held by Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker and Nick Faldo.
The 37-year-old was then joined at the top of the leaderboard by compatriot Streb, who carded eight birdies and a solitary bogey to become the 28th player to shoot 63 in a major.
Defending champion Jason Day and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo were two shots behind, Day recovering from a double bogey on the seventh to birdie seven of the next eight holes in a 65.
Open champion Henrik Stenson was just a shot further back in his bid to win two major titles in the space of three weeks after carding a second consecutive 67.
However, two-time winner Rory McIlroy missed his second halfway cut in three majors and his first in the US PGA after a bogey on the 18th, the Northern Irishman taking three attempts to find the green from thick rough between two bunkers.
A dejected McIlroy labelled his putting “pathetic” after he could only add a 69 to his opening 74 to finish three over par and miss out by a single shot.
“Tee to green was good, but it was just pathetic when I got on to the green,” he said.
“Putting let me down at Oakmont and then putting let me down here again. My tee to green game, there’s not much wrong with that. It’s pretty solid.
“I think if you had given anyone else in this field my tee shots this week, they would have been up near the top of the leaderboard. It just shows you how bad I was around the greens.
“I was planning on taking two weeks off and then practising the week before Barclays. I’ll still take two weeks off from tournaments, but I’ll have to see what my practice schedule looks like.
“I need to do something... I just need to figure out what to do on the greens. I need to have a long hard think about that.”
Open champion Stenson recovered from a poor start in the second round.
Stenson, who had started on the 10th, had three-putted the 12th and 13th and did well to save par on the next after failing to reach the fairway with a mis-hit drive.
However, the 40-year-old Swede responded in superb fashion by hitting his 257-yard approach to the 18th to three feet to set up an eagle, before picking up birdies on the first, third and eighth.
“It felt pretty good the last 12 or 13 holes,” Stenson said. “I got off to a bit of a wobbly start and stood over a six-feet putt on the 14th to avoid going three over, so I’m quite happy that went in and I turned it on from 18.
“It’s easy to get greedy when things are going your way, but I’m very pleased. That could easily have gone the wrong way but I was hanging in there and got the good stuff coming in.”
Stenson only had a week to drink “Champagne, Champagne and Champagne” out of the Claret Jug due to a condensed schedule to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics.
But he insisted he felt “pretty fresh” at the start of the week and believes he will feel the benefit of having ended his major drought if he gets into contention.
“Maybe I’ll run out of steam at some point, but up until then, I’ll just keep trying my best,” he said. “I expect to be tired at some point, whether it be after this week or after the Olympics. I know I’m going to sleep for a week after the Ryder Cup.
“But it’s not something that I’m concerned about. I’m just going to try and manage my time on the practice range and make sure I get plenty of rest and sleep.
“I had a second and two thirds at the Open before this year, so I didn’t feel like I had anything to lose there, and I certainly don’t have anything to lose here. Confidence-wise, of course, it’s not going to be a bad thing, getting that win. Hopefully makes it easier on Sunday when you know you’ve got one in the bank already.”
England’s Andrew Johnston, who has become a cult figure better known by his nickname ‘Beef’, was one under par after a 69 and looking forward to more interaction with his enthusiastic fans.
“It’s going to be noisy,” the 27-year-old Londoner said.
“I can’t wait. Every hole, man, I get so many nice comments.
“Even after the fifth hole today, when I three-putted it, they are like, ‘Don’t worry, Beef, come on, bounce back, you’ve got this one’.
“And it’s just nice, man. It’s a nice atmosphere.”
Scotland’s Russell Knox carded a second 70 to be level par and Masters champion Danny Willett added a 70 to finish the day at one over.