Friday's Birdies and Bogeys

By golfdigest.com

August 12, 2015

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Birdie: Jason Day

After a history of near-misses and close calls, will Whistling Straits give Day his long-awaited major championship? The Australian put himself in prime position heading into the weekend, as Day was five under through 14 holes on his Friday round before play was suspended and tied for the lead at nine under. Day's dangerous toolset of distance and accuracy makes his game conducive for success at Whistling Straits. And if his putter can hold up, the Wanamaker Trophy will be Day's to lose. -- Joel Beall

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Bogey: Dustin Johnson

An outright lead was Johnson's again in the second round of a major after a long birdie at the 10th hole. But instead of continuing strong, three bogeys over his final four holes of the day returned a familiar sight: More frustration in a major. This time, on a Friday. DJ's certainly not out of it yet. Not by a mile. But as we saw at St. Andrews, once the momentum starts turning, it can be hard for him to right the ship. -- Stephen Hennessey

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Birdie: Hiroshi Iwata

Who? Unless you're a follower of the Japan Golf Tour, Iwata's name won't ring a bell. But the 34-year-old posted a 63 on Friday, tying the lowest score recorded in a major championship round. It was a slight improvement from Iwata's opening-round performance. And by "slight," we mean 14 shots. -- J.B.

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Bogey: Rory Mcilroy

Rory turned in his second straight sub-par round, which is never a bad thing at a major championship. Unfortunately, in a morning that saw a 63, 65 and 66, McIlroy's 71 left the No. 1 player in the world wanting more. This was especially true on the greens, where Rory couldn't convert on his solid iron approaches. He'll be playing this weekend, but he has his work cut out. -- J.B.

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Birdie: Jordan Spieth

Despite battling a shaky driver, Spieth officially put his name in the Wanamaker conversation on Friday with a second-round 67. The 22-year-old Texan compiled five birdies during a nine-hole stretch, including a holed bunker shot on the difficult 18th hole. While the conditions facilitated friendly scoring across the board, Spieth's name near the top for a fourth consecutive major certainly doesn't go unnoticed. -- J.B.

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Bogey: Tiger Woods

There was a glimmer of hope Woods had figured things out when he birdied two of his first three holes to climb inside the cut line. But that dream was quickly dashed with a double bogey on the next hole and Woods failed to make another birdie the rest of Friday. On the bright side, Woods played better than he did at the previous two majors at Chambers Bay and St. Andrews, which is perhaps the reason why the 14-time major winner committed to play in next week's Wyndham Championship -- the last regular event of the PGA Tour season -- for the first time. Unless he does something special early Saturday morning, though, he'll have to wait to hit his next competitive shot in Greensboro. -- Alex Myers

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Birdie: Matt Jones

This was always supposed to be a special week for Matt Jones. His brother, Brett, a club pro at ultra-private Due Process in Colts Neck, N.J., qualified for the PGA Championship, too. The two enjoyed a practice round with Jordan Spieth on Tuesday. Now younger brother Matt is adding a cherry on top of the week for the Joneses. He shares the lead with fellow Aussie Jason Day with six holes to go in his second round. We have a feeling the whole family will stick around to watch little brother over the weekend. -- S.H.

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Bogey: Adam Scott

After contending at Chambers Bay and St. Andrews, Scott had to feel good about his game coming into this week. But after birdieing his first two holes on Thursday, Scott reverted to the inconsistent form that's plagued him for most of a disappointing 2015 campaign. More troubling for Scott, who shot 76-75 to miss the cut badly, is this could be the final major utilizing two of his biggest crutches. Caddie Steve Williams is expected to return to retirement and Scott is going to have to change putting strokes when the anchoring ban goes into effect on January 1st. -- A.M.

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Birdie: Phil's slide

Who says major championships have to be a serious affair? Mickelson had a bit of fun on the eighth hole on Friday after a wayward shot, sitting cross-legged and sliding down one of Whistling Straits' steep hills. Phil got up with a big smile and without a stain on his pants. Impressive. -- A.M.

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Bogey: Phil's play

Unfortunately, Mickelson's slide was the highlight of his first two days at Whistling Straits. The five-time major champion hit the ball all over Wisconsin and had to scramble his, um, butt off just to make the cut. With a T-2 at the final major of 2014 and another runner-up at the first major of this year, Mickelson tricked us into thinking he could time his great play for the golf calendar's four biggest events. But after lackluster performances at Chambers Bay, St. Andrews, and now here, the chances of Phil, 45, adding to his career major total are getting slimmer. -- A.M.

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Birdie: David Lingmerth

Eight birdies. Five pars. Four bogeys and a double. This round of 70 truly is one of the biggest roller-coaster rounds of the year. Birdies on three of his first five holes gave the Swede a two-shot cushion to start the morning. But a few holes later, it seemed like Lingmerth might slide back to the pack. A closing birdie on 18 put Lingmerth in at 7 under and in the thick of things. The Memorial champion has four top 10 finishes since June, and thus far, his hot play has carried over at Whistling Straits. -- S.H.

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Bogey: Zach Johnson

As Johnson stood with Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy on the first tee Thursday, it seemed they had the golf world at their hands. Winners of the last five majors, the trio gave each other daps and shared big laughs before kicking off their first rounds. Thirty-six holes later, Zach Johnson was headed home. The British Open champion started Friday with three consecutive birdies but slipped up coming in. Who knows if the high expectations -- or being in the marquee pairing -- got to Johnson. But after a T-3 in 2010 at Whistling Straits, this can best be classifieds as a disappointment. -- S.H.

Photo By: Julio Cortez/AP Photo

Birdie: Brian Gaffney

It wasn't quite the one-under-par 71 Gaffney shot on Thursday, but the club pro did enough to ensure he'd make it to the weekend at Whistling Straits. It looks like he'll be the only one of his brethren in the field who will be able to make that claim meaning Gaffney will be a part of the Wanamaker Trophy presentation on Sunday. This is the first time the 45-year-old Quaker Ridge pro has made the cut in five major appearances and he's the first club pro to play the weekend at the PGA in four years. -- A.M.

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Bogey: Ryan Kennedy

The PGA Professional out of Oakmont Country Club is taking that "Do as I say, not as I do" thing to heart. In spite of enjoying the morning's easy conditions, Kennedy posted a 90 in his second round. Most notably, he was two shots away from a Hawaiian 5-0 on the front. And you thought Tiger was struggling. -- J.B.

Photo By: Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America via Getty Images

The American Express

Friday's Birdies and Bogeys

Shop This Look

Birdie: Jason Day

Bogey: Dustin Johnson

Birdie: Hiroshi Iwata

Bogey: Rory Mcilroy

Birdie: Jordan Spieth

Bogey: Tiger Woods

Birdie: Matt Jones

Bogey: Adam Scott

Birdie: Phil's slide

Bogey: Phil's play

Birdie: David Lingmerth

Bogey: Zach Johnson

Birdie: Brian Gaffney

Bogey: Ryan Kennedy

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