Page 19 - aruba today 12aug2017

A19
SPORTS Saturday 12 auguSt 2017
Matsuyama, Kisner tied for

lead at PGA Championship

By DOUG FERGUSON around the turn and before ed by darkness, leaving 26
AP Golf Writer the storms, began smash- players who had to return
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — ing driver without regard Saturday morning. That in-
Hideki Matsuyama never that it might run through cluded Chris Stroud, who
looks satisfied with his shots the fairways and into the was 5 under and had five
or his score, no matter how rough. He shot 66 and was holes remaining.
good they look. two shots behind. Kisner doesn’t have the
Perhaps it will take winning There were pitch marks on length for this 7,600-yard
a major to change that. the putting surfaces. There course, but he has golf
Five days after the 25-year- were splotches of mud smarts, a reliable swing
old Japanese star closed of the sides of golf balls. and a good putting stroke
with a 61 to win his second But the biggest difference for the greens. He saw the
World Golf Champion- was the rain took the fear changes to the course ear-
ship, Matsuyama motored out of putting on the fast, lier this year on a soft, damp
through a dampened frightening greens and sent day and wondered how he
Quail Hollow with a 7-under scores tumbling. would manage.
64 that gave him a share of Francesco Molinari also The plan was to make bird-
the lead with Kevin Kisner shot a 64 and was at 5-un- ie on the par 5s and the
(67) in the PGA Champi- der 137, along with Louis two short par 4s, and play
onship.They were at 8-un- Oosthuizen, who had a 67. for par everywhere else.
der 134, all but ending the Matsuyama, finishing his It has worked to near per-
hopes of Jordan Spieth to swing with one hand as tee fection through two rounds,
get the career Grand Slam shots found the fairway, particularly on the par 5s: a
this year. Heavy rain that already was playing great wedge to 10 feet on No. 10;
suspended play Friday af- and putting even better. a wedge to 5 feet on No. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, hits from the bunker on the 16th
ternoon made Quail Hollow The storm delay did not 15; and the eagle putt on hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf
more vulnerable than it has stop him. No. 7 that rolled against the tournament at the Quail Hollow Club Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, in
been all week, only Spieth He ran off four straight bird- pin and disappeared. Charlotte, N.C.
couldn’t take advantage. ies starting on No. 12 when “I’m just excited about the Associated Press
He made only one birdie, he hit his approach into 12 opportunity,” Kisner said. average finishes. When I (70) were five shots behind.
finished with a bogey, and feet. That was the longest “I’m really fired up about it start hitting it the way I am Day hasn’t won since last
shot a 73 to finish 11 shots of his seven birdie putts, the way I’m hitting the golf now, I play well.” May, though his confi-
out of the lead. though he also made a 20- ball. I haven’t hit it this well Justin Thomas (66), Rickie dence is building with each
“I kind of accept the fact foot par putt on the ninth this whole summer. A lot of Fowler (70) and Paul Casey round. q
that I’m essentially out of hole. When the round re-
this tournament pending sumed, Matsuyama got
some form of crazy stuff up-and-down for birdie on
the next couple of days,” the 15th, saved par from
Spieth said. Kisner faced a bunker on the 16th and
tougher, faster conditions then drilled a 7-iron over
in the morning and holed the bunker to 7 feet for
a 50-foot eagle putt from birdie on the par-3 17th.
short of the green on the He had a putt just over 12
par-5 seventh hole. When feet for birdie on the 18th
his round was over, Kisner that would have tied the
had a five-shot lead over PGA Championship record
the players from his side of of 63, but it missed to the
the draw. left. No matter. He was tied
It didn’t look as though going into the weekend,
anyone would get close. raising Japanese hopes of
“These guys going out this its first major championship.
afternoon, they break 70, “The greens here at Quail
they’ve done a hell of a Hollow, as you know, are
job,” Rory McIlroy said after really fast. And there’s a
a 73 that put him 10 shots lot of putts that honestly,
back. A light rain began I’m not trying to make,”
falling not long after McIl- Matsuyama said. “I’m just
roy’s prediction. trying to get it up near the
Then, the storms rolled hole, and a lot of them are
in with heavy rain that going in.” His best shot was
drenched the course and the 7-iron on No. 17. His
forced a rain delay of worst shot? “There were
1 hour, 43 minutes. And too many. I can’t count
when the second round re- them all,” said the guy who
sumed, it felt like an entirely shot 64. “Somehow, my
different golf course. worst shots were finding the
Jason Day, who played a fairway.”
four-hole stretch in 5 under The second round was halt-