Dufner equals record to lead way at Oak Hill
The eight-under-par round at Oak Hill matched that scored by 23 different players in the majors and gave the 36-year-old American a one-shot clubhouse lead as the second round drew towards a close in Rochester, although Dufner missed a birdie putt at the last that would have given him a record-breaking 62.
Meanwhile Masters champion Adam Scott accepts he will have to putt better this weekend if he wants to add a second Major of the year to his resumé with victory tomorrow night at the PGA Championship.
Scott, 33, broke his majors duck at August National in April and came close to winning The Open last month, only to relinquish the lead on the back nine at Muirfield. The Australian has an instant chance to make amends at Oak Hill and is well placed to close out the deal after adding a second-round, two-under-par 68 to his opening 65 to take the clubhouse lead last night at seven under par.
Dufner and Robert Garrigus were vying for that lead having avoided the heavy rain that Scott had played much of his round in earlier in the day, playing a softer, more receptive course once the morning downpours had subsided.
Dufner, a play-off loser to Keegan Bradley in this championship two years ago, started the day at two under par and by the 11th hole was tied for the lead with Scott at seven under, while Garrigus had briefly led at eight under after eight holes of his second round, only to fall back into a share with three holes to play.
Dufner, though, took the outright lead on nine under.
Both the course and conditions had been forgiving during Thursday’s opening round when 35 players had broken par, Oak Hill having given up the mark just 12 times on the corresponding day at the 2003 PGA, the last time the New York course staged the championship. But the heavy rain presented the early starters with a course playing much longer than the previous day and difficult conditions in which to traverse it.
Not that it hampered Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open champion who played through the worst of the conditions and emerged with a course-record-tying 64, one outside the all-time low rounds scored in majors but still good enough to place his name in Oak Hill lore alongside the great Ben Hogan, who shot the same number here in 1942.
That left Simpson on four under par at the halfway stage alongside 2010 PGA champion Martin Kaymer (68), with reigning US Open champion Justin Rose also in the clubhouse, a shot behind the satisfied Scott, whose 68 featured five birdies and three bogeys.
“I’m pleased with the round. It was difficult this morning. The course was playing really long with the heavy atmosphere and the rain, so I got off to a good start, which was important after yesterday’s 65, and kept myself moving in the right direction. But when it eased up, it became really score-able out there, and I didn’t quite take advantage of that, as I missed a few putts. But hopefully I saved them for the weekend.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job of working myself into form for the right weeks. But I’ve just got to make the most out of that now this weekend.”
Scott’s friend Rose, playing in a group also including fellow 2013 Major winner Phil Mickelson, burst into contention having started the day at two under, his four-under 66 featuring a six-under inward nine of 29, once conditions eased. “The rain stopped. That was pretty much it. Fresh glove, took the rain pants off, and began to feel like you could get after the golf course,” Rose said.
Furyk had begun his second round with a birdie to move to six under followed by eight straight pars but joined the Australian on seven under with a birdie at the 10th.
Another American, Matt Kuchar, picked up three shots over his first 12 holes to move alongside Rose at six under and was still bogey-free for the tournament while Steve Stricker and Henrik Stenson were also in the mix at five under after 14 and 11 holes respectively.
Early starter Lee Westwood had shared second place overnight at four under with David Hearn of Canada, the Englishman having gone bogey free on Thursday but a double bogey-bogey finish saw him end the day on one under after a 73.
World number one Tiger Woods was finding it tough to make an impression. Having secured a fifth victory of the year at the Bridgestone last week he was a hot favourite coming into Oak Hill but following an opening, one-over 71, he was struggling to get any traction in his second round last night, and was even for the day through 11 holes.
Open champion Phil Mickelson, who also started at one over par, fared even worse, slipping back a shot to two over with a 71, with the projected midway cut at three over par.
Rory McIlroy’s late rally was enough to take the defending champion out of the danger zone at four over par after 10 holes and back to level par following a second-round 71, leaving the world number three as the leading Irishman in the clubhouse with Graeme McDowell on the same mark 13 holes into his second round, level for the day. Darren Clarke was two shots further back after a 73 and Shane Lowry was closing in on securing his weekend’s participation at one over par, level par for the day.
Pádraig Harrington was also battling to make the cut after a 76 and was one under for his round, five over for the tournament, with five to play.
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