Springfield, N.J. – For no particular reason, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn spotted the cards displayed behind framed glass on a wall in the Baltusrol clubhouse after arriving for the 87th PGA Championship. He stopped to take a closer look.
They revealed the course- record 63s of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf in the 1980 U.S. Open here. Bjorn matched the course record Saturday and became only the 22nd player in history to record a 63 at a major championship.
“I actually looked at the card in the clubhouse and realized who shot 63 around here,” Bjorn said. “I was well aware of what was going on (in trying to match the record), but I felt very calm.”
The last player to shoot 63 in a major was Vijay Singh in the second round of the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields (Ill.). Mark O’Meara registered the last 63 in a PGA – for his second round in 2001 at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Bjorn’s round included eight birdies and one bogey. He hit 14 greens in regulation and required only 25 putts.
“To get out on a (demanding) golf course like this and post this kind of number is certainly something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Bjorn said.
What is this, Mobile?
Sweltering temperatures reached 101 degrees on the course, and the high was expected to be in the 90s today.
And it was muggy.
“It’s not raining, it just looks like it is,” said Tiger Woods, looking down to see perspiration dripping from his chin after his round Saturday.
“You just have to drink a lot of water,” Davis Love III said. “At least it’s not hilly like last week (during The International at Castle Pines). It’s pretty flat.”
The PGA of America issued a “spectator heat advisory” and reminded fans they can bring their own water bottles to the course.
This should serve as a dress rehearsal for several future PGA sites likely to be sweatboxes in August: Southern Hills (2007) in Tulsa, Okla.; Atlanta Athletic Club (2011) and the Ocean Course (2012) at Kiawah Island, S.C.
Next year’s PGA will be played at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Woods won the 81st PGA at Medinah in 1999.
Tree is history
The tree that had a huge branch break away Friday – injuring three people when it fell 40 feet – had been completely removed before golfers arrived Saturday. The most seriously injured, Frank Choy, a freelance audio technician for Turner Sports, suffered trauma to his left leg and was transported to a nearby hospital.
Daly’s difficulties
Disgusted with his putter, John Daly putted with the edge of a wedge on the back nine after the shaft in his putter came loose.
Daly three-putted three times on the front nine with his putter, then slammed it against his golf bag on No. 10. He needed 36 putts for a 78 but did not three-putt with the wedge.
Daly took some solace in becoming the first player in the tournament to reach the 650-yard 17th green with a driver and 2-iron. He made birdie.
Footnotes
Four club pros made the cut, the highest number in 11 years. Three players with Colorado ties failed to make it to the weekend: Denver native Jonathan Kaye (150), David Duval (151) of Cherry Hills Village and 2005 U.S. Senior Open champion Mike Reid (157), who played high school golf at Cherry Creek. …
Basketball analyst Charles Barkley helped out with TNT’s PGA coverage and didn’t mince words about Phil Mickelson, who Barkley said is more talented than Woods or Vijay Singh. “If Phil wants to compete with Vijay and Tiger, he’s going to have to take it up another level workout-wise,” said Barkley, not exactly svelte himself. …
Woods finished precisely on the cut line in only one other major: the 2003 Masters.
