Carnage At Kiawah Leads To Record High Scoring, Club Pro Humiliation, Inability To Finish 36 Holes On Time!
/Doug Ferguson about summed up the brutality of Kiawah during the PGA's second round with this:
One score in the 60s, two in the 90s.
Of the 41 players who failed to break 80, nine of them could be found among the top 50 in the world ranking.
Through 11 hours of relentless wind, with gusts up to 30 mph that turned the Atlantic Ocean choppy with white caps, about the one thing that looked vaguely familiar was Tiger Woods making one putt after another. He had a 1-under 71, one of only four rounds under par on the Ocean Course, to share the lead with Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson going into the weekend.
Just like that, the major known as "Glory's Last Shot" turned into one last chance for Woods to finally win another major.
"I thought going out today, anything even par or better was going to be a good score," Woods said. "So I went out today and I accomplished that. It was a tough, tough day. It was blowing all day. I don't think anyone had an advantage."
The cut will fall at 6 over, and there were more scores in the 90s on Friday (two) than in the 60s (one, Vijay Singh). Somewhere, we are pretty sure, Pete Dye was in front of a television set, grinning broadly.
Four of the course’s toughest six holes resided in that stretch from 5-13, including both the toughest (the par-4 13th) and second toughest (par-4 ninth). Heck, even the two par-5 holes in that span exacted their pound of flesh, with Dustin Johnson making triple bogey at the seventh.
“I missed the putt for 7,” he said, “and that equals 8.”
Johnson was told by reporters that 6 over, which is where he stood after rounds of 71-79, likely was going to be good enough to make the cut and play two more rounds. Would that a good or bad thing, he was asked.
Johnson smiled. “I decline to comment,” he said.
Ryan Herrington on one of the many club pros who posted big numbers in the brutal conditions.
4. The field scoring average for the second round was 78.107 when play was halted at 8:16 p.m. with Joost Luiten the only player on the course. Regardless of how Luiten plays the 18th hole Saturday morning, the second round will rank as the highest day in a PGA since the first round in 1958 at Llanerch (76.8). It also will be the highest round in a major since the closer of the '04 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills (78.727), followed by the first round of the '99 British at Carnoustie (78.314). This year's second round also finishes slightly below the first round of the 1993 Buick Invitational (78.383).
