It was a round he will remember for the rest of his life. Jason Dufner shoots 63 on Friday and grabs the lead at the 95th PGA Championship with a two-shot lead over 2013 Masters Champion, Adam Scott, and two-time 2013 winner, Matt Kuchar. Scott went out early in the second round and posted a seven-under par which became the target for those playing in the afternoon. Dufner’s good fortune started on the second hole, and would continue throughout the afternoon that became a birdie-fest at Oak Hill Country Club.
The 36 year-old Dufner who is know for his laissez-faire attitude, and multiple waggles, hit his approach shot at the par four second hole long, and with just the right amount of spin to draw it back into the hole for an eagle two. He began his second round at two under par, and three shots off the overnight lead, but was quickly on the first page of the leaderboard.
On an afternoon that boasted over 200 birdies on the course before the afternoon flight teed off, Dufner was in high gear. Not only did he put five more birdies on his card, he went bogey-free on the afternoon, and made at least two par-saving putts when he needed them.
The three current 2013 major champions have played together for the first two rounds, it was Adam Scott who got hot on Thursday, and shot 65. US Open Champion, Justin Rose got off to a shaky start on Friday, but fired a 29 on the back-9 to put himself in contention. Scott ends the day at seven under par, and two shots off the pace. He is tied with Matt Kuchar, and 2003 US Open Champion, Jim Furyk.
Playing in the group of current major title holders, Phil Mickelson has not had a particularly great PGA Championship. After going three over on the first three holes on Thursday with an OB at the par five fifth hole and carding a seven, he would put together some birdies. Lefty got into red numbers before making a double bogey at the 18th hole to finish his day with a one over par 71.
Mickelson played better on Friday, but couldn’t get close enough on his approach shots to get an honest birdie putt. He got his tee shots under control and started to hit fairways, but couldn’t buy a putt. With the 36-hole cut at three over par, Mickelson will play on the weekend, but is too far back to have a realistic shot at a second major in 2013.
Tiger Woods came to Oak Hill after destroying the field at The Bridgestone Invitational last weekend to win by seven strokes over a field that included 49 of the worlds best 50 players. Tiger loves Firestone, but Oak Hill … not so much.
Tiger has struggled from the first tee-shot on Thursday, and has not been able to keep the ball in the fairway off the tee. This golf course not only requires a tee shot that finds the fairway, but needs to be in the correct spot, in the fairway. Tiger has done neither, and his one over par total for two days shows the effects of his woes with the big stick.
Starting on the back nine early on Thursday, Tiger managed to pick up two birdies before making a bogey at the par five fourth hole. Then the boogeyman bit him for a double bogey at the ninth hole(his final of the day) and he has never really recovered. He did his mandatory press conference, but refused to speak to any other on-course reporters, and quickly left the property.
Tiger made three bogeys, and three birdies on Friday, and finished with an even par 70 on the day, and is one over par for the tournament. I think he is too far back to make any noise on the weekend, and will more than likely have to wait until 2014 to break the five-year major drought that has lasted since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.
The only unfinished business here is the defending champion. Rory McIlroy opened on Thursday with a one under par 69, and followed in round two with a one over 71. He has played well at times, and looks lost at times, but his attitude looks to have improved, and with his even par total score, will play on the weekend to fully defend his title.
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