The Leaderboard after Round 2:
-8 J Vegas
-6 M Pavon, M Fitzpatrick, SW Kim
-5 M Homa, S Scheffler
-4 10 players
Others:
-1 Tom McKibbin
+1 R McIlroy
Selected revised tee times:
16:43 Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, Wyndham Clark
16:48 Rafael Campos, Matt Wallace, Tom McKibbin
17:05 Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm
17:49 Taylor Pendrith, Bryson DeChambeau, Richard Bland
18:38 Chris Kirk, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
18:44 Si Woo Kim, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler
18:55 Jhonattan Vegas, Matthieu Pavon, Matt Fitzpatrick
Go out and get some sun on your cheeks, we’ll see you shortly after 4.0 this afternoon. You’d fear that mud balls might be an issue again.
Here are those revised tee times on a very disrupted Saturday at Quail Hollow. We now have threesomes off split tees from 4.43 to 6.55 (Irish time).
1st Tee
16:43 Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, Wyndham Clark
16:54 Keegan Bradley, Marco Penge, Lucas Glover
17:05 Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm
17:16 Cam Davis, Adam Scott, Joe Highsmith
17:27 Tony Finau, Ben Griffin, Eric Cole
17:38 Davis Riley, Alex Noren, Ryo Hisatsune
17:49 Taylor Pendrith, Bryson DeChambeau, Richard Bland
18:00: Garrick Higgo, J.J. Spaun, Aaron Rai
18:11 Sam Stevens, Denny McCarthy, Ryan Gerard
18:22 Alex Smalley, J.T. Poston, Robert MacIntyre
18:33 Michael Thorbjornsen, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Ryan Fox
18:44 Si Woo Kim, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler
18:55 Jhonattan Vegas, Matthieu Pavon, Matt Fitzpatrick
10th tee
16:48 Rafael Campos, Matt Wallace, Tom McKibbin
16:59 Beau Hossler, Corey Conners, Luke Donald
17:10 Nicolai Hojgaard, Harry Hall, Austin Eckroat
17:21 Byeong Hun An, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young
17:32 Daniel Berger, Brian Campbell, Taylor Moore
17:43 Nico Echavarria, Harris English, Stephan Jaeger
17:54 Rasmus Højgaard, Thorbjørn Olesen, Maverick McNealy
18:05 Justin Lower, Tom Kim, Sergio Garcia
18:16 Brian Harman, Elvis Smylie, Kevin Yu
18:27 David Puig, Bud Cauley, Michael Kim
18:38 Chris Kirk, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
18:49 Max Greyserman, Sam Burns
Oh heck, Rory McIlroy won’t now tee off until 6.38pm Irish time, a whole five hours, 13 minutes later than when he was due to start. A day that was already going to be challenging has just got a whole lot tougher.
From PGA TOUR Communications: “Due to dangerous weather still in the area, the third round of the PGA Championship will now feature threesomes off split tees from 11:43 a.m. (4.43 Irish time) - 1:55 p.m. Revised starting times will be released shortly by the PGA of America."
Shot of the day on Friday? This wasn’t a bad effort from Si Woo Kim on the sixth….. the longest hole-in-one in major championship history.
Sky Sports are saying that play won’t get under way for another 90 minutes. That’s the bad news. The good is that it’ll be sunshine all the way thereafter - if a little windy.
While we’re waiting for the storms to pass..... Shane Lowry wasn’t the only big name to have a miserable time of it on Friday, three more of the world’s top 10 ranked players - Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and Sepp Straka - missing the cut. And Jordan Spieth’s hunt for a career grand slam goes on.
How pleased is Rory with the suspension in play, five minutes before he was due to tee off? Not a lot. Let’s just say, he reacted to the klaxon with some industrial language. Wouldn’t you?
We spoke too soon, we have our second suspension. If only they had weather like Ireland.
Practice was briefly suspended at Quail Hollow due to a pesky thunderstorm, but we’re good to go, the thunderstorm has passed.
Max Greyserman and Sam Burns get round three under way at 1.15, and 10 minutes later Rory McIlroy, accompanied by Xander Schauffele again, will attempt to produce one of those rounds for the ages to get himself in to contention. Tom McKibbin tees off at 4.05 alongside England’s Matt Wallace.
A 68 on Friday moved Bryson DeChambeau in to contention, Denis Walsh writing about how “golf’s Elon Musk”, who wasn’t always loved, has changed his image to the point where he has become “relatable”. On Friday morning, “he dragged the biggest galleries around the course”. “Do we love him? We love the act. That’s enough.”
[ It looks like love for Bryson DeChambeau at the US PGAOpens in new window ]
Afternoon everyone, welcome to the Irish Times Golf Blog for round three of the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow where Jhonattan Vegas remains in pinch-me territory, the Venezuelan two shots clear of Matthieu Pavon, Matt Fitzpatrick and Si Woo Kim on top of the leaderboard.
It’s the first time in his 17-year professional career that Vegas has led a major. Mind you, he might have been another two shots clear only for that double bogey on the 18th, but sure look, that’s golf: coulda, woulda, shoulda.
It was another decidedly tough day at the office for Rory McIlroy who only just made the cut, Denis Walsh looking back on a rollercoaster of a round for the Irish players. Tom McKibbin is safely through but Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington and Séamus Power are all heading for home. Ominously, a promising talent you might have heard of has moved up to a share of fifth: Scottie Scheffler.
[ Rory McIlroy fails to catch fire while Jhonattan Vegas maintains lead in US PGAOpens in new window ]
Lowry had an especially frustrating time of it on a course for which he’s never had too much love. “F**k this place,” he roared after he sent his second shot on the 8th hole in to a bunker, the combination of an horrendous lie, after his ball had rolled into a pitch mark, and an ESPN on-course reporter adding to his ire.
[ ‘F**k this place’: Shane Lowry enraged by unfortunate lie at PGA ChampionshipOpens in new window ]
