The Latest: McIlroy needs rally and stumbles at start
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The Latest on the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black on Friday (all times local):
7 p.m.
This disastrous start to Tiger Woods’ back nine left him at 5 over for the tournament and on the wrong side of the cut line at the PGA Championship.
Woods bogeyed four of the first five holes on the back side and finished the second round at Bethpage Black with a 73. He just missed a birdie putt on No. 17 that could have given him a shot at playing the weekend.
The cut was projected to be 4 over, though there was a chance it could move up to 3 over.
Woods says he’s enjoyed being the Masters champion, and at 43 years old he needed the rest more than the practice with the quick turnaround to the PGA.
He will try again for his 16th major victory at the U.S. Open in June at Pebble Beach.
___
6:35 p.m.
Brooks Koepka has a big lead at the PGA Championship and another entry in the major championship record book.
Koepka birdied three of his last four holes for a 5-under 65 to shatter the 36-hole record in all four majors. He was at 12-under 128, breaking the mark of 130 set at the Masters by Jordan Spieth, the U.S. Open by Martin Kaymer, the British Open by Nick Faldo and Brandt Snedeker, and the PGA Championship by Gary Woodland.
Still to be determined was the size of his lead, which most likely would be another PGA Championship record.
Tiger Woods witnessed it all, but that’s all Woods will see at Bethpage Black. He shot a 73 and will miss the cut. It’s the first time Woods has missed the cut at a major in the same year he won a major since 2006.
___
5:40 p.m.
David Lipsky has to wait to see if he makes the cut at the PGA Championship, all because he was late to the tee.
The PGA of America says Lipsky was walked toward the first tee for his 12:43 p.m. start time with his putter and a golf ball, but he was not within the area defined as the starting point.
He was assessed a two-shot penalty, meaning the birdie he made on No. 1 turned into a bogey, and his 72 turned into a 74. Lipsky, the American who plays the European Tour, was at 4-over 144.
That was right around the cut line.
___
4:35 p.m.
Brooks Koepka has made his first bogey of the PGA Championship.
The defending champion and first-round leader landed in the fairway bunker off the 10th tee, then hit his second shot into the rough in front of a sand trap protecting the green. He pitched past the hole and then left his par putt about 9 inches short.
Koepka had seven birdies and no bogeys in the first round en route to a course-record 63 at Bethpage Black. He was the only player in the field to post a bogey-free round on Thursday.
Koepka was still at 9 under through 10 holes, with a four-stroke lead over Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott.
___
3:25 p.m.
Tiger Woods is falling further behind in his attempt for a 16th major championship.
In fact, he is closer to missing the cut than he is to leader Brooks Koepka in the second round of the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.
Woods started the day at 2 over and then hit his very first shot into the gallery to the left of the No. 1 fairway. His approach went into the bunker, but he managed to get up and down from 5 feet to save par. Another errant tee shot on No. 2 left him with a bogey.
He missed the first five fairways, but a birdie on No. 6 left him at 2 over. An early projected cut line was plus 3.
Koepka started the day at 7 under and birdied three of the first four holes to improve to minus 10.
___
1:10 p.m.
Jordan Spieth, seeking the career Grand Slam, made a big move in the second round of the PGA Championship with a 4-under 66 on Bethpage Black.
Coupled with Spieth’s opening 69, he stood at 5 under for the tournament, two strokes behind leader Brooks Koepka. The defending champion tees off in the afternoon session.
Spieth, who owns a Masters, U.S. Open and British Open title, began on the back nine and shot even-par 35. He got things going with a birdie on No. 1, then also birdied the 4th, 7th and 8th holes.
Playing partner Dustin Johnson, the No. 1-ranked player, shot 67 and finished at 4 under, tied with Daniel Berger.
___
12:15 p.m.
One day after besting Bethpage Black, Danny Lee saw the beast the course can be.
The New Zealander was alone in second place, one stroke behind defending champion Brooks Koepka, after a 64 on Thursday. He finished that round with a pair of birdies.
This time, Lee went 10 strokes higher, including consecutive double bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16. He had had four bogeys and four birdies on his card, and shot 41 on the back nine. Lee stood at 2 under par halfway through the tournament.
___
11:30 a.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick has birdied four straight holes and made six overall in the second round of the PGA Championship in a bid to make the cut.
The 24-year-old from England made putts from 5, 23, 33 and 16 feet on the first four holes — his second nine — to get to 6 under for the round and 1 under for the tournament. The former U.S. Amateur champion shot a 75 on Thursday.
First-round leader Brooks Koepka is not scheduled to tee off until almost 2 p.m. He shot a course record 7-under 63 Thursday.
Dustin Johnson and three others are now his closest competitors after a wild ride on Bethpage Black’s back nine. The top-ranked player in the world began the day at 1 under and promptly bogeyed the 10th hole; he opened his first round with a bogey, too.
But then he got rolling, with birdies at the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th. Suddenly, he was at 5 under for the tournament.
Danny Lee, who started the round a shot behind at 6 under, is 4 over and is now five shots behind the leader.
___
10:30 a.m.
Dustin Johnson took a wild ride on Bethpage Black’s back nine as he moved up the leaderboard.
Johnson, the top-ranked player in the world, began the day at 1 under and promptly bogeyed the 10th hole; he opened his first round with a bogey, too.
But then he got rolling, with birdies at the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th. Suddenly, he was at 5 under for the tournament, two shots behind leader Brooks Koepka, who tees off in the afternoon.
A drive into the rough and an approach wide of the green led to a bogey on 18, however. Johnson, whose only major victory was in the 2016 U.S. Open, had only two pars on his first nine holes.
___
9:30 a.m.
The PGA Championship is keeping its prize money at $11 million, with $1.98 million going to the winner. That trails the other two U.S. majors, with the Masters at $11.5 million and the U.S. Open last year at $12 million.
The Players Championship this year was $12.5 million, the largest purse to date.
Last place receives around $19,000, which is $6,000 more than Jack Nicklaus earned for his first PGA Championship title in 1963.
Unlike regular PGA Tour events, everyone goes home with something. Players missing the cut, or anyone who has to withdraw on the weekend, still receives $3,100.
___
9 a.m.
Rory McIlroy was looking for a rally in the second round of the PGA Championship. This wasn’t what he had in mind.
The two-time PGA champion drove into a bunker right of the 10th fairway, found rough on the other side of the fairway and started with a double bogey. He missed another fairway on No. 11 and made bogey. He was wild on No. 12 and made another double bogey. And just like that, he was 5 over for his round, 7 over for the tournament and 14 shots behind.
He wasn’t alone in his struggles.
Danny Lee, who shot 64 on Thursday to get within one shot of Brooks Koepka, made two bogeys, two double bogeys and shot 41 on the back nine. He was back to even par, seven shots behind.
Bryson DeChambeau, the No. 8 player in the world, opened with two double bogeys and a bogey. He was 7 over for the tournament.
___
7:30 a.m.
For once, everyone is talking about Brooks Koepka before he has the trophy from another major championship.
Koepka was impossible to ignore in the opening round of the PGA Championship, partly because he was playing with Tiger Woods, mainly because of his 7-under 63 that broke the course record at Bethpage Black. He became the first player to shoot 63 twice in the same major.
But it’s a long way to the finish line.
Danny Lee was one shot behind and played Friday morning ahead of a forecast that includes more rain. And of the eight previous players to shot 63 in the first round of a major, only two went on to win — Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 U.S. Open and Raymond Floyd in the 1982 PGA Championship.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
