PITTSFORD, New York: The rain let up at soggy Oak Hill.
Adam Scott kept right on rolling.
The co-leader from the opening round shot a 2-under 68 Friday at the PGA Championship, taking advantage of a course softened up even more by morning showers.
Scott could’ve gone lower if not for a long putter that was a bit shaky. The Aussie missed a couple of attempts inside 10 feet and a few more that were just a little farther away.
Of course, there was a 40-footer that dropped in the cup at the second hole, so Scott couldn’t complain too much.
He headed to the weekend contending again in a major championship at 7-under 133 overall.
“I felt like if I was really hot with the putter, I couldn’t have been a lot better,” Scott said. “But the course was playing really long when it was raining. So 68 is a good score.”
The Masters champion was hardly in the clear.
US Open winner Justin Rose, bouncing back from missing the cut at the British Open, shot 6-under 29 over his final nine holes for a 66 that left him just one stroke behind Scott.
Webb Simpson, a former US Open champ, also made a big charge. He was 7 under through his first 15 holes and flirting with the major championship scoring record before a bogey at the seventh — his 16th hole of the round — stemmed the momentum. He had one more birdie shot at the eighth, but missed a 10-footer.
Simpson finished with a 64, tying the course record but one stroke shy from the lowest round ever in a major.
“I was thinking about it coming down the last few holes,” said Simpson, whose 136 total left him three shots off the lead. “I just kept plodding along. Even though I played well, it felt like a 10-hour round out there.”
Jim Furyk was tied with Scott after they both shot 65 in the opening round. The 43-year-old American had an afternoon tee time, starting out two strokes off the lead. The weather was expected to turn sunny — and remain that way through the rest of the weekend.
Tiger Woods had a lot of work to do in his bid to break an 0-for-17 drought in the majors.
The world’s top-ranked player closed his opening round with a double-bogey for a disappointing 71. By the time he teed off in the afternoon, there were 41 players between him and the top spot on the leaderboard.
Others ripped through a course that was very much there for the taking, the birdies falling into the cup at an alarming rate.
Eagles, too.
Jason Duffner holed out from the fairway on the second hole, quickly pushing his score to 4 under.
But Oak Hill still had some bite. Just ask Lee Westwood, who made a double-bogey at the eighth, then a bogey on his final hole for a 73 that knocked him off the board.
Also in contention at midday: Robert Garrigus, Martin Kaymer, Paul Casey and Matt Kuchar. Canadian David Hearn, who opened with a 66, dropped back with a double-bogey at the 11th.
For a while, the final major of the year looked more like a British Open. The early starters had to break out the umbrellas and rain gear for showers that turned heavy at times, though the course drained well and there no stoppage of play.
“I much prefer the weather in the UK,” quipped England’s Luke Donald.
Really, he had no reason to complain. The dreary weather provided another chance to go right at the soft greens, which made the opening round seem more like a regular tour event than a test of major proportions.
“It’s a course you can attack,” said British Open champion Phil Mickelson, whose game wasn’t up to the task.
Lefty shot his second straight 71, leaving him nine strokes behind Scott and flirting with the cut line.
Defending PGA champ Rory McIlroy was headed to the weekend after bouncing back from a tough start. He played his first 10 holes at 5 over, but closed with four birdies for a 71 that left him even for the tournament.
“I’ve just got to try to get off to a fast start tomorrow,” said McIlroy, who won last year by a record eight strokes at Kiawah Island. “I need to shoot something in the mid-60s to give myself a chance on Sunday.”
While Woods came in as the overwhelming favorite, Scott increasingly looks like a player who will add more major titles to the one he finally got in a Masters playoff back in April.
Three weeks ago, he had the Sunday lead on the back nine at Muirfield before fading. In the last major of the year, there were times he looked unstoppable.
I’m playing well in the majors and giving myself a chance,” he said. “I don’t care if they call me the best player as long as I win on Sunday.”
Scott keeps rolling as rain lets up at Oak Hill
Scott keeps rolling as rain lets up at Oak Hill
Related
Japan take on resurgent China in U-23 final in Jeddah today
- China have defeated Australia and Uzbekistan and impressed defensively
JEDDAH: Chinese soccer faces its biggest match in more than 20 years on Saturday when it plays Japan in the final of the U-23 Asian Cup in Jeddah.
Despite never advancing past the group stage of the tournament, China is just 90 minutes away from its first continental title since 2004, when the U-17 team was crowned champion. That came two years after the senior team made its first, and so far only, World Cup appearance.
With such successes coming a generation ago, there is huge attention on the U-23 side. On the road to the final, China has defeated Australia and Uzbekistan and impressed defensively, not conceding a goal in five games.
In the first four games, the team scored only once. After eliminating Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, however, China beat Vietnam 3-0 in the last four match.
“It’s important to enjoy this victory — not just for the players but also for the staff,” the team’s Spanish coach Antonio Puche said. “Moments like this are significant for football in China as we continue to work toward improving the game.”
Others have taken note of the new China.
Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik praised China after his team’s defeat.
“This is my first time coaching a team against China, and their performance was truly outstanding, especially their defense, which was very impressive,” Kim said. “I believe they will perform even better, and Chinese soccer is indeed improving.”
Puche was tossed into the air by his players after the semifinal win. “I enjoyed this moment, I enjoyed the game. I’m so happy not just for myself or for the coaching staff, but for Chinese football as a whole.”
Defending champion Japan will present the toughest test yet.
“You know the Japanese team, I know the Japanese team, we all know the Japanese team,” Puche said. “They are a strong team. We will compete against them. We will fight.”
Japan has conceded just one goal in five games and scored 12. A deserved 1-0 win over South Korea in the semifinal was another impressive performance as it chases a second consecutive title and third overall.
“There are many great things we can take from the semifinal into the final,” Japan midfielder Ryunosuke Sato said.
“We’re going to win with all 23 players, starters and subs. The subs have this in mind as well. All 90 minutes against Korea, we managed to defend and persevere, and that’s why we won ... Now we have to focus on the final.”
