A notable piece of golf history has moved into view at the halfway stage of the 99th PGA Championship but it’s not the anticipated one of the career Grand Slam.
While Jordan Spieth struggles alongside Rory McIlroy to live up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites, it’s world number three Hideki Matsuyama who has stolen a considerable march on both to set up a golden opportunity to become the first Japanese golfer to win a major championship.
Five days after winning the Bridgestone Invitational with a stunning final round 61, the brilliant 25 year old was at it again with an astonishing round of 64 to tie the halfway lead alongside American Kevin Kisner, who shot a second successive 67.
Not even a two hour rain delay that came when he was four holes from home could derail Matsuyama. He promptly went back out and played the most difficult part of the course in two under par to post his wondrous score.
Perhaps he will suffer an attack of nerves and struggle with the weight of expectation over the weekend but only a fool would put money on the possibility. Matsuyama is like McIlroy in the sense he’s not a great putter but, like the Northern Irishman, when the momentum is with him he looks unstoppable. He’s also finished in the top 14 in each of the first three majors this year, and looks ready now to cross the final frontier.
There are, however, other players who retain hopes of their own, including Australian Jason Day, who showed he is quite capable of some spectacular scoring of his own with a 66 to be just two behind. Day won this event in 2015 and finished runner-up last year, so he certainly should not be discounted, even if he has endured something of a lost year to this point.
Italian Francesco Molinari will start three back following a wonderful 64 of his own, alongside former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen. English hopes are led by Paul Casey, who is five back after rounds of 69,70, alongside Americans Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, who will have another chance to claim his first major.
As for Spieth and McIlroy, not much went right for the Texan, who looked more in danger of missing the halfway cut than making a charge when the delay came. He was three over par after ten holes – the cut was projected at four over – but he came back out and instantly birdied the 12th, his first birdie of the day, and on one of the most difficult holes at that.
With the course soft after the rain and playing far easier than earlier, it looked made for a mini-charge from Spieth but none came. He bogeyed the 18th for a 73 to fall 11 shots off the pace – and it’s hard to imagine anyone, even Spieth, giving Matsuyama that much of a lead, given the mood he’s in.
McIlroy’s day began with a great escape but it will need a positively miraculous one to pull off a victory given he’s only one shot nearer the lead than Spieth. The Northern Irishman finished with two birdies in his last three holes to rescue a round of 72 and felt he was right in the mix when he finished following a brutal, humid morning that turned this sedate part of North Carolina into a veritable steam bath.
His hopes receded into the distance however, as Matsuyama took full advantage of the easier conditions that prevailed after lunch. When McIlroy played he said he could only see six birdie opportunities on the course. Matsuyama actually converted seven.
Kisner deserves special praise, therefore, for comprising his eight under total in the most stifling weather. After all the talk of this course being a playground for the bombers, here was a plodder leading the way and showing there’s still an inestimable value in finding the fairways.
McIlroy’s exasperating round certainly tested his patience and sanity. He finished begging a putt at the 9th to drop that had come to rest with seemingly half its circumference over the hole.
Somehow it defied gravity. It would have been his third birdie in a row for a 71, and repair a costly run that had seen him drop four shots in six holes, but it’s been that sort of season for Rory.
At least he provided perhaps the day’s highlight, certainly for the thousands who gathered at 8-25am. With a par five for openers, McIlroy was hoping to hit his stride early and jumpstart his challenge after an opening 72.
Trouble was, a wild opening tee shot at the 10th was followed by an even wilder second shot. It crashed into the trees before bouncing back down a cart path. Now he really was in a world of bother, facing a calamitous big number to begin his day. Trees left and right. The narrow cart path in front of him. No bail out shot. Everyone was looking at each other, stumped. What does he do now?
Sometimes you need great imagination to go alongside great skill. McIlroy decided to use the cart path as the route back into the tournament. Skipping the ball twice along the concrete with a six iron, it skirted the trees, bushes and gallery before running through a bunker and finishing on the back of the green, from where he salvaged a par.
The day had begun with a small moment of magic.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever played a shot like that before,’ said the Northern Irishman. ‘I thought I was a bit unlucky where it finished but it was great to escape with a par, as it could quite easily have been a six or seven.’
No need to look too hard to see where McIlroy needs to radically improve this weekend. In terms of proximity to the hole with his approaches he ranks 116th. What makes that stat particularly damning is those approaches usually follow a majestic drive, leaving him playing from spots 40 yards closer to the green than most players.
Englishman Jordan Smith will never forget his first appearance in a major. After beginning with a double bogey on Thursday, he fought back so well he was three under par for the event after five holes yesterday and lieing joint seventh.
Next up was the easiest hole on the course, the par five 15th. A bogey there, alas, set in motion a horrible run that saw the 24 year old from Chippenham give back all the shots he had recouped to lie three over again – but at least he’s around for the weekend to continue his great adventure.
