Birdies and Bogeys

The final major of the season is at the halfway mark. Who flourished on Friday? Who faltered? Let's take a closer look with another PGA Championship edition of birdies and bogeys.

Birdie: Ross Fisher -- You know what they say, it's not a big tournament unless Ross Fisher is in contention. OK, no one says that. But this will mark the third straight major that the 28-year-old Englishman will be high up the leader board on the weekend.

Bogey: Steve Elkington -- Come on, man, we know you're old school (after all, this is the guy who pulled out of a U.S. Open qualifier because the course wouldn't allow metal spikes), but is it really necessary to make your bag man lug around an all-leather golf bag that weighs in at 60 pounds (or about 15 pounds more then the average tour bag)? In this heat? We think not.

Birdie: CBS -- Unlike its counterparts at ABC during the British Open, the Tiffany Network will have Tiger Woods on the weekend, and with a desirable late-afternoon tee time no less.

Bogey: CBS -- Careful what you wish for. CBS might have Tiger, but at this rate, it might not have much in the way of a compelling tournament. "This was a moment ago. To move within just eight of the lead ..."

Birdie: Resilient South Africans -- Ernie Els and Tim Clark both shot 68, the only players in the morning group to post a round in the 60s. Els improved 86 places in the standings to T-9 and Clark jumped 97 places to T-13. They weren't the only Springboks with impressive leaps. Rory Sabbatini's 70 improved him 56 spots to T-13, Charl Schwartzel's 70 helped him climp 72 spots on the leader board to T-38, and Retief Goosen's 71 moved him up 66 spots to T-62.

Bogey: Brian Gay -- Fighting a bad back, Gay missed the cut after rounds of 78-81. Once as high as sixth on the Presidents Cup standings, Gay, a two-time winner this year, was 11th on the list entering the week, and won't get into the top 10 after the PGA, losing out on an automatic spot on the team. Fred Couples will make his captain's picks after the Deutsche Bank Championship, and Gay's poor showing makes him an unlikely choice. "In a lot of the big tournaments he hasn't played really well, and that hurts him," said Couples. Gay missed the cut at the U.S. and British Open. He didn't play the Masters.

Birdie: Corey Pavin -- The shortest player in the field playing the longest major course in history. Thanks for coming, right? Actually, yes, thanks for coming, and please stay awhile. The 1995 U.S. Open champion and U.S. Ryder Cup captain is tied for 13th place at even par.

Bogey: Mathew Goggin -- The Aussie was the only one of eight players who began the tournament with a round in the 60s to miss the cut. After a first-round 69, Goggin shot 80 Friday to finish at five-over 149 and miss the cut by one stroke.

Bogey: Adam Scott -- Two words to describe Scott's play at Hazeltine: Good. Grief. Rounds of 82 and 79 from a player once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world is simply Duval-esque in its defiance of description.

Birdie: Club pros -- No sweater-salesman jokes, please. Two of them made the cut into this weekend, led by Grant Sturgeon, the Oakmont Country Club assistant who is just seven shots off the lead and currently T-13. Heck, these guys may need more spots in the field!

Bogey: Club pros -- Hold that thought. It wasn't pretty for all of them. Thirteen of the 20 club pros finished double-digit over par.

Birdie: Padraig Harrington -- To quote our own Dan Jenkins, "You gotta play hurt." Harrington did just that Friday. After going through extensive treatment on his back because of spasms, Harrington still pieced together a gritty 73 on Friday to give himself a chance into the weekend.

Bogey: Misinformed fans -- Although nearly everyone standing right of the 15th fairway knew Justin Rose had hit his tee shot out of bounds, a fan tells him it is in play, having mistaken Hunter Mahan's ball for Rose's. When informed his ball is indeed OB, a miffed Rose utters, "That toolbox over there told me it was alright."

Birdie: John Senden -- Despite missing the cut with rounds of 73-77, the Aussie helps out the economy by dropping $35 in the merchandise tent for a commemorative flag. Which of course, begs the question of why you would want a commemorative anything from an event in which you missed the cut?

Compiled by John Antonini, E. Michael Johnson and Sam Weinman