DAY THEN NIGHT
Jason tied with fellow Aussie Jones before play is halted
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. − Whistling Straits did more than that Friday. It howled with Olympian fury.
A storm that was worthy of the last major at St. Andrews suspended the PGA Championship, leaving fellow Aussies Jason Day and Matt Jones tied for the lead at 9-under.
It also has Jordan Spieth in the middle of things, Dustin Johnson flailing and Tiger Woods trying to avoid his third missed cut in a major, a career-first.
Day is through 14 holes and Jones is through 12. Justin Rose, one shot back at 8-under, has one hole left to play.
“There was trouble lurking there for a second, and then the horn blew and I was kind of glad that we’re in,” Day said. “Obviously it’s a mess out there so I’m just trying to get some rest tonight and go into tomorrow.”
Spieth, looking for his third major victory of the year, put together a 5-under round of 67 in the morning to move to 6-under for the week.
Spieth was buoyed by a birdie from out of the greenside bunker on 18, his ninth hole of the day.
“Got off to a good start making birdie on my second hole, and then the one on 18 was a great spark to get things going, get a little confidence, a little pep in my step. I was staring 1-over on the round down and instead make the turn in 2-under. So that was a nice kind of two-shot swing in one shot. Then I was able to take advantage on the front.”
Sweden’s David Lingmerth, who obviously found himself with his debut win at the Memorial this year, is the clubhouse leader at 7-under. But the suspension does him no favors.
When play resumes at 7 a.m., the players will find a softened up course ripe for scoring.
Day will have a makeable 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th green to get to 10-under. He’s trying to break through and win his first major after putting himself in contention countless times.
“I have a putt on 15 to get to 10. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. We’ve got some scoring holes and some tough ones to finish on, but I’m real happy to be done,” Day said.
Starting the day two shots off Johnson’s lead, Day went out in 34 and started a string of three straight birdies at the 11th hole.
Johnson, meanwhile, fell back to a tie for 12th, 1-over through 14 holes, 5-under for the week. His third birdie of the day on 10 had gotten him to 8-under, but he bogeyed three of the next four holes.
“It is what it is but hopefully it will help me out,” said Johnson, the 36-hole leader at the last two majors. “I’m just struggling a little bit today. It felt like I was hitting some good shots, just not driving it as well today. And this golf course, if you are not driving it in the fairways, it’s tough. But I’m in a good position on 15, right down the middle.”
Rose may be the only one unhappy with the suspension.
He would rather have finished the last hole.
“Obviously calling it for the day now is a bit of a drag, because it means we’ll come out at 5 a.m. and play one hole and then probably, play around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Do I go back to sleep? Go chill? But I’m in good position.”
Then there is Woods’ predicament, not good position.
He may have to come back in the morning just to miss the cut. He’s 4-over for the week through 13 holes with the cut at 2-over. He’ll have softer conditions to pick up the two shots he’ll need but he also must play 15, 17 and 18, three difficult holes.
Woods began Friday’s round with two birdies in his first three holes but promptly doubled No. 4. His drive found the right rough ,and from there, he yanked his approach shot into a greenside bunker. Facing a bad lie, he put it into another bunker. He bogeyed No. 8 as well. Afterward, the PGA Tour announced that Woods will compete in next week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Woods isn’t mathematically eliminated from the FedEx Cup playoffs.