[title_words_as_hashtags
07:25 PM
Scheffler on fire
The perfect start for current leader Scottie Scheffler, who opened up with successive birdies to move to -5.
07:22 PM
Viktor Hovland (-4) follows Scheffler’s lead
Hovland sinks back-to-back birdies like Scheffler did to get his round underway with a bang. He is -4, one shot off Scheffler.
Meanwhile Justin Rose closes out his round with a par for an even par 70. His round started off well but he really had to fight for the rest of the round.
07:08 PM
Justin Thomas bogeys (+3)
Not the start Thomas would have been after as he bogeys his second hole to fall to three over par.
07:07 PM
Viktor Hovland (-3) birdies his first hole
Good start for the Norwegian Hovland as he birdies his opening hole of the day to move to three under par, two shot behind leader Scottie Scheffler.
06:58 PM
James Corrigan live at Oak Hill
Rose needs to keep it together these last two holes. He has hit only one fairway all day so far, so the fact that he is level par for the second round is extremely commendable. One-under will be right in the thick of it come Saturday morning. But shots can disappear like confetti in the wind at Oak Hill.
06:57 PM
Scottie Scheffler into the lead
Two birdies in his first two holes means Scottie Scheffler takes the outright lead on five under par. Perfect start to his round.
06:55 PM
Scheffler takes share of the lead
This is how Scottie Scheffler joined Bryson DeChambeau on -4.
06:53 PM
McIlroy (+1), Thomas (+2), Morikawa (+1)
Three opening pars for McIlroy, Thomas and Morikawa. McIlroy found himself in a little trouble off the tee but he rescues a par.
06:51 PM
Fowler’s chances of making cut in the balance
Rickie Fowler faces an anxious wait to see if he will make the weekend as he finishes off his round on six over par, which as it stands will not be enough but that could change.
06:49 PM
Back-to-back bogeys for Justin Rose (-1)
After an impressive start to Day 2 for Justin Rose, his round is getting away from him now as successive bogeys drop him now to one under par, three shots off the lead.
06:48 PM
Conners misses golden chance to join the leaders
Canadian Corey Connors has a massive opportunity to join Scheffler and DeChambeau on four under par but his put just misses. He remains on three under par.
06:42 PM
Scheffler into share of the lead
Scottie Scheffler taps in the easiest of putts to put him level with Bryson DeChambeau on -4. Great start from the world number two.
06:41 PM
James Corrigan live from Oak Hill
The wind seems to have died slightly, but if the meteorologists are correct and the gusts do arrive with intent then Justin Rose has a marvellous opportunity to take the 36-hole lead. The Englishman has three left and is two-under.
06:40 PM
Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas tee off
Hot on the heels of Scheffler and Koepka, McIlroy, Morikawa and Thomas are getting their second rounds underway. McIlroy struggled off the tee yesterday and his first drive misses the fairway on the left. Thomas’ tee shot is just on the fairway. Morikawa hits his opening shot into the middle of the fairway. This is a pretty mega group that will have plenty of following for sure as they make their way around the course.
06:38 PM
Scottie Scheffler to start with a birdie
After a good tee shot on his opening hole, Scheffler plays a beauty of a shot within a couple of feet of the pin. He will become the joint-leader on four under par when he taps that in.
06:35 PM
Rose drops shot to -2
Justin Rose now falls two shots off the lead with a bogey at the sixth (his 15th).
One man who needs to end his round well is Phil Mickelson, who has missed an opportunity to get a birdie on his penultimate hole. He is five over par, which currently is one shot off making the cut. +5 may well though end up being good enough.
06:31 PM
Scheffler, Koepka and Woodland off and running
One of the high-profile groups remaining is just getting underway as Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland tee off. World number two Scheffler hits a nice tee shot onto the right hand side just off the fairway. Koepka, the 2018 and 2019 PGA Championship champion, hits a beautiful shot straight and long. Woodland’s opening shot of his second round is also onto the fairway. Three lovely shots to get their rounds going.
06:22 PM
Big hitters soon to get underway on Day 2
Some of the biggest names in the sport will be getting their second rounds underway over the next hour or so. Here is a reminder of those tee times:
18:25 Brooks Koepka (+2), Scottie Scheffler (-3)
18:36 Rory McIlroy (+1), Collin Morikawa (+1), Justin Thomas (+2)
18:47 Viktor Hovland (-2), Shane Lowry (+3), Jordan Spieth (+3)
18:58 Matt Fitzpatrick (+6), Jon Rahm (+6), Cam Smith (+2)
19:31 Bryson DeChambeau (-4)
06:20 PM
Ryan Fox underway
One man who had a good day yesterday was New Zealander Ryan Fox, who is currently at two under par after a 68 yesterday. He is through one hole today with a par on his opening hole. Fox, who is the son of All Blacks rugby union legend Grant, has battled pneumonia and suffered sleepless nights following the birth of his second child in recent weeks but he posted a very respectable 68 yesterday.
06:15 PM
Johnson drops another shot
After more issues off the tee, Dustin Johnson drops another shot to one over par with one hole to play. He has now dropped three shots in the last three holes. Things going the wrong way for Johnson but that is what this unforgiving course can do. Playing alongside him is Tyrell Hatton who has just birdied the eighth to move to four over par.
06:10 PM
Rose misses birdie chance
Justin Rose has a chance to re-join the lead but his birdie putt on the fifth green goes just by the hole. He remains at three under par with four holes left in his second round.
Rose is not the only one having issues off the tee today. Dustin Johnson went way off the fairway at eight, his penultimate hole of the day.
06:05 PM
Scheffler knows value in staying calm
Patience and positioning is key at Oak Hill, with thick rough causing huge problems for wayward tee shots. While many players had a frustrating day, Scottie Scheffler, who tees off in around 20 minutes, was calm and composed and he managed to shoot 67 without dropping a shot
It was his first bogey-free round in a major in 15 starts.
“This is one of those places where you just try and stay in position, make the important par putts and just keep the momentum going. I did a good job of that. I feel like my game is better suited for this kind of test. I get more excited for a tournament like this versus a birdie-fest like last week. With that being said, I don’t think mentally I would be able to handle playing a tournament like this every single week on Tour.”
05:59 PM
Block living the dream
One man who will make the cut is club professional Michael Block. Two solid rounds have him at even par.
05:57 PM
Cut line
As it stands the current cut line is at four over par, although that could change in the coming hours. As it stands, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson could be set to miss out on the cut as could Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick, although those two are yet to tee off.
05:56 PM
Phil Mickelson in trouble on the sixth (his 15th)
On the par four sixth hole, Mickelson is in a whole heap of trouble. He double bogeys which drops him to five over par. That will be hugely frustrating for Mickelson as he had just birdied the previous hole. One step forward, two steps back.
05:47 PM
Michael Block a happy man
We mentioned that club professional Michael Block finished his round even par for the tournament after successive 70’s. After completing his round, he has been speaking to Sky Sports.
“I think I’ve made it. To make the cut in this tournament was the last goal in my career so I am very excited about. To do it at Oak Hill, a place of such historical prestige, is an amazing thing. My game is actually pretty good at the moment. I think I can compete, have a nice finish and make my wife happy!”
05:42 PM
Cameron Young’s problems get even worse
Cameron Young has picked up a two-shot penalty for failing to return his marker to its original spot. He is now eight over par with just a couple of holes to play so his hopes of making the cut are not looking great.
05:38 PM
Dustin Johnson in trouble on the sixth (his 15th)
Like Max Homa before him, Johnson is finding the sixth rather tricky. He is made to pay for his mistakes as he double bogeys to drop back to even par.
Meanwhile on the fifth (his 14th) Mickelson birdies to move to three under par.
05:29 PM
Patrick Cantlay birdies
Cantlay birdies the fourth (his 13th) to move to even par, which as the leaderboard shows is a very competitive score on this course. Meanwhile Max Homa has double bogeyed the sixth (his 15th) to drop to two over par. That highlights the challenge that Oak Hill poses.
05:21 PM
Dustin Johnson moves to two under par
After a good tee shot on the par three fifth, Johnson holes his putt for birdie to move up to -2, just a couple of shots off the lead.
05:16 PM
Justin Rose saves par again
Rose holds his nerve after more problems off the tee to save par on the second (his 11th). He needs to improve off the tee quickly, but he will be heartened by the fact that he is just one shot off the lead on -3 despite being all over the place from the tee.
05:14 PM
Michael Block shoots even par for second straight round
After playing a superb shot out of the bunker, Block pars his last hole and that is two 70’s to leave him even par for the tournament. His is a great story as a club professional and he is certain to be through to the weekend. He may have played a terrible tee shot a few holes back that people may have chuckled at, but he has had two strong rounds to put him in a decent position going into the weekend.
05:12 PM
Xander Schauffele birdies at four (his 13th)
Schauffele has just birdied the fourth hole to move to +3 and he has just played a superb tee shot on the par three fifth to give him a shot at successive birdies. Playing with him are Dustin Johnson and Tyrell Hatton, who also play great tee shots to give them all a shot at birdies.
05:04 PM
Justin Rose tee woes continue
After saving par on the first (his tenth), Rose is wayward off the tee once again and his tee shot lands in trouble in the bunker on the right hand side.
05:00 PM
Rickie Fowler bogeys on the third (his 12th)
Fowler’s difficult day continues with a third bogey of the day. He is now six over par and that is right around the cut line at the moment. Mickelson manages to save par on the same hole to stay at +4.
04:57 PM
Justin Rose saves par
Big, big save from Rose on the first (his tenth). After once again getting in trouble off the tee Rose has a tricky putt to save par and he sinks it. That would have been successive drop shots so that was really important for the Englishman.
04:56 PM
Taylor Pendrith moving on up
Canada’s Taylor Pendrith is up into a tie for fifth on two under par as a result of putts like this.
04:54 PM
Golfers are humans!
We often think these golfers are super-human, but from time to time we receive a reminder that they are also human beings. Unfortunately for Michael Block he is the one to remind of us that on this occasion.
04:51 PM
Dustin Johnson bogeys on 3 (his 12th), Schauffele double bogeys
Johnson is having issues in and around the third green and he drops a shot with a bogey to drop to -1 for the tournament.
Xander Schauffele has double bogeyed the same hole having had issues in the bunker just in front of the green and he is now back at +3.
04:44 PM
Justin Rose bogeys on 18 (his ninth)
Rose gets himself into trouble again off the tee and not long after joining the lead, he is now one shot behind after a bogey. He now starts his back-nine which will be on the front nine. And he follows that bogey up with another poor tee shot on one, which is way right and his woes off the tee continue.
04:39 PM
Late tee times
Still a few hours from these tee times, but a reminder of when the likes of Masters champion Jon Rahm, world number three Rory McIlroy and world number two Scottie Scheffler tee off:
18:25 Koepka, Scheffler
18:36 McIlroy, Morikawa, Thomas
18:47 Hovland, Lowry, Spieth
18:58 Fitzpatrick, Rahm, C Smith
04:36 PM
Wayward off the tee, good to the greens
As Justin Rose approaches the end of his first nine holes today, he has yet to hit a fairway so far. However he has hit six of the eight greens.
04:34 PM
A couple of bad shots in quick succession
Homa has a difficult chip just off the green on the third, but he duffs it about three feet.
Justin Rose missed the 18th fairway with his drive and turns over his approach from the rough, finding the bank of rough front-left of the green. Would be a good par save from there. No bogeys yet for Rose.
Dustin Johnson gets his first birdie of the day on the second, his 11th hole of the day to go to -2 for the tournament.
04:32 PM
Long, long putt
Canada’s Nick Taylor is in a tie for 39th place on two over par but look at him sinking this long-range putt
04:30 PM
Later groups
A number of players currently in the top ten of the leaderboard are yet to tee off in their second round. Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland are all setting off in the next few hours.
04:27 PM
Current cut line
The current cut line is at four over par as it stands. Not a lot of players under par at the moment with Oak Hill proving a real challenge
04:22 PM
Rose remains at -4
The Englishman takes an age to line up his short par putt. It works, he sinks it. Tidy round so far, very tidy. No bogeys so far.
04:14 PM
Dustin Johnson with a par putt on the first (his 10th)
Plenty of pars for him today and just the one bogey and he makes it from 20-odd feet. Excellent golf.
04:12 PM
Michael Block has responded to that awful double bogey well
Nailed a drive and then his approach has rolled up the slope from distance to leave himself a 15ft birdie putt on a very difficult hole. Stopping the rot, at least.
04:08 PM
New co-leader alert!
Rose birdies the 16th, his seventh, to go to -4 for the tournament, the first man to match DeChambeau today.
Cantlay then confidently sinks his birdie putt to go to -3 for the day and +1 overall.
The current cut is at +4. Sepp Straka is four within that now after missing a foot-and-a-half long par putt… you don’t want that.
04:01 PM
Tyrrell Hatton salvaging something from his weekend
He birdies his ninth hole of the day to go out in -3. Still +4 for the tournament but with a much better chance of making the cut than he had a couple of hours ago.
03:55 PM
Mickelson misses a short putt
Pushed it left and goes to +4 overall. A bit messy for Phil. Cam Davis gets his fourth and fifth birdies of the day in succession to go back to that group at -2. Not too many men under par and very few indeed far under par.
Michael Block, on the back of that bogey, plays an awful shot off the tee on the par three fifth. A shank? Hard exactly to see where it went on the TV images, but it was bad. A replay shows it went at pretty much a 45-degree angle right. We’ve all done it…
Looks like it may have bounced off something on the far right and bounced back to the middle of the hole. He’s still got 70 or so yards to go. He makes a bit of a hash of the next shot too, short of the bunker in front of the green… needs to try and avoid a nightmare here.
He gets it out well enough and has a slippery 10ft bogey putt…
03:45 PM
Homa maisses his birdie putt
Goes out in 34 with just two pars…
Tony Finau makes his par putt to go out in a one-over 36. Block does not make his up-and-down and slips back to -2. Should have sunk that putt and it’s a six for him.
03:43 PM
Block has an awkward chip on the fourth
He’s in the rough on the upslope of a greenside bunker. His feet aren’t in the trap but they are very unevenly placed on the slops he has an extreme upward lie. He plays it well, delicately knocking it just a few feet beyond the hole. Four birdies and one bogey is very good going today from the 46-year-old club pro.
03:39 PM
Homa going backwards now
He follows up his bogey at 16 with another on 17. He has, at least, a decent chance of making birdie on 18, his ninth of the day. His short approach ran towards the hole and is around 10ft away.
Dustin Johnson misses another makeable putt… just not really going for him today.
03:35 PM
James Corrigan is at Oak Hill
Just come in from the course and the conditions are very playable even if the layout, itself, is uber demanding. There is a stiff breeze and the occasional gust takes you by surprise. Think the afternoon starters – including Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy – will get the worst of it as the winds are forecast to rise towards the 30mph mark. The challenge would thus transform from tricky to treacherous.
03:32 PM
Lovely touch from Fleetwood here
That chip in on the 17th (his eighth hole) gets him back to level par for the day and +2 overall. Dustin Johnson’s run of pars comes to an end with a bogey on his seventh hole of the day.
03:30 PM
Rose misses a chance to go to -4
His ball just slips right of the cup. Close, though and he’s playing well and creating plenty of birdie chances. Taking some of them, at least.
03:24 PM
Homa’s par-less run continues
Unfortunately for him it’s with a bogey on 16th so he moves back to -1 overall and tied for 12th. A while until a few of the names near the top tee off: 7.31pm for DeChambeau, around half past for Scheffler and Conners and 6.47 and 7.31 for Hovland and Bradley.
03:20 PM
Rose misses the fairway by some margin on the 13th
A bit hooky… and he’s in the rough. It didn’t look like a brilliant lie.
03:09 PM
Justin Rose birdies the 12th, his third…
That moves him to -2 for the day and -3 overall. Nobody has broken DeChambeau’s -4 yet so far today. Tony Finau, meanwhile, sinks a nasty five-footer for par to stay at +2. He is even par for the day.
Cantlay drops a shot to go back to +2 overall and -2 for his round.
02:59 PM
Patrick Cantlay has started very well
A four-over 74 yesterday but birdies on his first, third and fifth holes have put him back in the top 30 at +2 overall.
02:53 PM
Homa back on the charge
He birdies 15th which makes his run today: par, birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie. -3 for the day, the best score of anyone along with Michael Block who birdies the first (his 10th) to go to -3 overall and for the day.
02:46 PM
Eric Cole slips back further
He is now +1 for the day after two and -2 for the tournament, tied for sixth. Just needs to stop the rot a bit now. Dropped a couple this morning finishing off his first round and has now dropped a further shot at the start of his second round.
02:44 PM
Dustin Johnson with another chance to share the lead
It’s a good putt on the 14th but misses just right. That’s five consecutive pars for DJ so far today.
02:40 PM
Max Homa’s interesting day continues
After a bogey on 13, he birdies 14 to go back to -2 for the day. Just the one par in his opening five holes… Adam Scott does similar, birdying 14 after bogeying 13 to go back to -2.
02:29 PM
Dustin Johnson lips out for birdie on his fourth today
A 20ft putt, he gave it some but it had just a bit too much pace for it to drop. Would have taken him into a tie for the lead. Decent start for DJ today.
02:22 PM
Block bogeys to move back to -2
A little too much, but that is no disaster. Justin Rose begins his second round as he ended his first, with a birdie. Not a chip-in this time, but he is now at -2 overall and tied for sixth.
02:20 PM
Cantlay moves to +3 overall and -2 for the day
He sinks a 15ft, slippery birdie putt on the third. He’s in the group with Mickelson and Fowler.
02:12 PM
Michael Block having a more difficult time of it
He has left himself a 40-ft putt for par so will likely move back out of that group at -3.
02:07 PM
Max Homa making moves
02:06 PM
A bit of a mis-read for Dustin Johnson on his third hole
A slippery and tricky downhill one but one with not quite as much left to right borrow as he anticipated. Still, a tap-in for par.
02:00 PM
Johnson hacks out of the rough with a high-lofted club
He finds the green and has a 15ft birdie putt on the 12th, his third hole of the day.
Fleetwood with a decent approach into the green on the par-5 13th. Probably a 22-ft putt for birdie, though.
01:50 PM
Thomas Pieters now moves into a tie for second at -3
A birdie on the par five fourth hole moves him one from the overall lead of Bryson DeChambeau.
He is not happy with his tee shot on the following par 3, though, hitting it right into the bunker. He looks fairly disgusted at himself as well he might be after a couple of birdies on the previous two holes.
Dustin Johnson pars his third hole of the day to stay at -3.
01:49 PM
Michael Block continues his fine start to the day
He has gone 3-3-3-5-3-3 for his first six holes of the day and is now at -3 overall, in a tie for second. He is the PGA Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club and this is his fifth US PGA Championship.
01:43 PM
Mickelson’s second is a decent effort
From the rough way, way, way left on the 10th, he lands it towards the back of the green and it just rolls onto the back fringe. It’s a long putt from there, if he chooses to putt it.
01:38 PM
DJ nearly into a tie for the lead…
But he lips out on the 10th, his first of the day, to stay at -3. A little gentler and it may have dropped.
01:37 PM
Mickelson and Fowler get their second rounds under way
Fowler pulls his a little and finds the rough on the left. Mickelson hits a horrible slice – a truly horrible slice – and will have a tricky shot if not a drop from there. “My god,” he mutters to himself not long after striking the ball.
We’ve all been there, Phil…
01:30 PM
Davis makes that putt to move to -2
Cameron Young, after a bogey on the 10th, birdies the 11th to move back to +4 overall.
01:23 PM
Aussie Cam Davis going well so far
-2 after five holes today (-1 overall) and he has given himself a very short birdie putt on the155-yard par-3 15th, his sixth of the day. That would move him into a tie for sixth.
01:19 PM
Fleetwood narrowly misses a birdie putt on his first hole of the day
The knees bend as the ball sneaks narrowly left of the cup. He stays at +2 for the tournament.
Keith Mitchell, though, sinks his birdie putt to move to -2 and into a big group of players on that score.
01:12 PM
Cole with a long putt for birdie on his 18th
Good line but sends it just a few feet past. He should tap that in for an opening-round 67. Not too shabby.
01:05 PM
Rose chips in on the 18th!
Out of the greenside rough and nearly dead weight as it rolls into the cup. He finishes his first round with a birdie for 69.
01:03 PM
Michael Block has made a move early on day two
He is now two under for the day and tournament after three, moving him to tied for sixth.
01:02 PM
Ben Taylor still at +1 for the tournament
He has two holes to play as he finishes off his round and is currently tied for 26th.
12:56 PM
Mickelson pars the 17th…
…but then makes a mess of the final hole to double bogey it. That means he finishes his opening round with a 73 at two over. Rickie Fowler also finishes his round, ending on 73.
12:54 PM
That was a double bogey for Cole on his first hole of the day
He moves out of the lead and back to -3… DeChambeau now the sold leader.
12:45 PM
Mickelson on the 17th
His drive did not find the fairway, missing left. Left himself 230 to the pin and he runs it onto the green but well past the hole. It’s a decent effort given the difficulty of the rough. He has left himself a 55ft birdie putt, with the hole up a tier. Tricky.
12:38 PM
Victor Perez pars his 16th hole
Finishing off the first round, too. He two-putts from 60ft or so to remain minus one for the tournament. Justin Rose has parred the par-3 15th to stay at -1 too.
A bit of an up-and-down round from the Englishman: six birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in his first 15 holes.
12:27 PM
Trouble for Cole
His second shot on six finds the water… not the best start to the day.
12:26 PM
Cole finds the fairway
Finishing off his first round at -5, with a handful of holes left to play, overnight leader Eric Cole sends a 320-yard drive down the middle of the fairway on hole six, his 15th. 175 to the pin from there, with water all along the left.
12:13 PM
Revere him or revile him, Bryson DeChambeau cannot be ignored
The big-hitter’s first-round 66 at the US PGA seems to be reflective of a greater equilibrium in his life and a less-obsessive approach.
Read Oliver Brown’s full feature on his opening round and the man himself, here.
12:01 PM
Round two tee times
Full tee times for the second round are available here. We have picked out some of the most prominent names below, though. All times BST.
Starting on hole one:
18:25 Brooks Koepka (US), Scottie Scheffler (US), Gary Woodland (US)
18:36 Rory McIlroy (NI), Collin Morikawa (US), Justin Thomas (US)
18:47 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Shane Lowry (Ire), Jordan Spieth (US)
18:58 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Jon Rahm (Spa), Cameron Smith (Aus)
19:09 Luke Donald (Eng), Adrian Meronk (Pol), Yannik Paul (Ger)
19:31 Keegan Bradley (US), Jason Day (Aus), Bryson DeChambeau (US)
Starting on hole 10:
13:00 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Cameron Young (US)
13:11 Tony Finau (US), Max Homa (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
13:22 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Dustin Johnson (US), Xander Schauffele (US)
13:33 Patrick Cantlay (US), Rickie Fowler (US), Phil Mickelson (US)
14:06 Billy Horschel (US), Francesco Molinari (Ita), Justin Rose (Eng)
11:30 AM
Good morning
Welcome to our coverage for day two of the 2023 US PGA Championship from Oak Hill Country Club. After (most) of the first round was completed, there were some familiar names towards the top of the leaderboard as well as some more unfamiliar ones.
Eric Cole, playing in just his second major championship, leads the way at five under after 14 holes but not too far behind him is Bryson DeChambeau on four under. Former world No 1 Scottie Scheffler is tied for third at three under, alongside Corey Connors and Dustin Johnson.
Viktor Hovland, who had a good run at last year’s Open Championship is at -2 alongside Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott. it was a more difficult day for Rory McIlroy, but far from a disaster. James Corrigan wrote this in his report of yesterday’s play:
Rory McIlroy called his first round of the US PGA “a mess” but he somehow still managed to fight his way through the clutter to shoot a 71 and stand just five off the clubhouse pace set by resurgent LIV rebel Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy accepts, however, that he will “have to play a lot better than this if I am going to figure in this tournament”.
The stats implied his effort was fairly remarkable. Still fighting his driver and the dreaded two-way miss, McIlroy hit only two fairways, his fewest ever in a major. This rough is, to put it mildly, substantial, so to limit the damage to one-over was courageous. And his par save on the second (his 11th hole of the day) could be classed as heroic.
Certainly, it handed him a cape in which to carry the momentum and play his last seven holes in two-under and at least keep himself in sight of the resurgent Bryson DeChambeau one clear of the players who finished over a group including world No 2 Scottie Scheffler and another member of the Saudi-funded circuit in Dustin Johnson.
It was, though, an even more trying day for 2023 Masters champion and current world No 1 Jon Rahm, who carded a six-over 76 in his opening round to put him in a tie for 117th. A lot of work to do if he is to make it to the weekend.
The first few groups of the second round are about to tee off and we will be here for all of the updates on round two at Oak Hill over the next 12 hours or so.
