Tough going at Oak Hill

There looks every chance of the final major of the season – the United States PGA championship – being won by a record score at Oak Hill this weekend. A record high score, that is.

Rochester, New York, was one of the towns affected by the massive black-out, but the problems the world’s top golfers were encountering had nothing to do with a power failure. Just a player failure on one of the toughest lay-outs imaginable.

Phil Mickelson, trying to make his 46th major his first win, led by three when he birdied the long fourth in his second round. But that was followed by a double bogey as Mickelson tried too much from the thick rough and found water.

The 33-year-old American, 17 times in the top 10 without turning one of them into a victory, then drove into the creek at the 461-yard seventh and double-bogeyed again.

As a result he was one under and by the time he dropped another shot on the 14th the lead had been taken by another left-hander – Masters champion Mike Weir - and only three players were left under par.

With six to play the Canadian was two under, one ahead of Americans Billy Andrade and Tim Herron.

The championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1958 and since then the highest winning score was Larry Nelson’s one under aggregate at PGA National in Florida in 1987.

Of the first half of the field only one man finished under par – Andrade, coincidentally a late replacement for Nelson this week and originally the fifth reserve. He added a 72 to his opening 67.

World number two Ernie Els looked set to join him on 139, one under, but finished with a double bogey six at the 452-yard ninth. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, remained four over with six to go – and far from out of the hunt with two more punishing rounds to come in the heat.

Andrade said: “I got a call Monday that I was second alternate because Davis Love (already exempt) won on Sunday. Then I got another that I was first alternate because Larry Nelson withdrew and then two minutes later I got another saying that (Hidemichi) Tanaka declined to play.”

He was making better use of his late opportunity than any of the 29-strong European contingent.

German Alex Cejka was in on three over and that was starting to look better by the minute because of what was happening to many of those in front of him.

England’s Luke Donald, making his debut in the event a month after partnering Woods in the first two rounds of the Open, was four over after 10 but of the British and Irish players Ian Poulter was next best at seven over.

Poulter, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia, who led the European challenge after their opening rounds of 72, could do no better than 75, 76 and 77 respectively and Lee Westwood had six bogeys in seven holes to be eight over, the likely cut-off mark, along with Paul Casey.

Ulsterman Darren Clarke, who improved nine strokes on his opening 79 but was pessimistic about his chances of taking part in the final 36 holes at nine over.

Paul McGinley was in the same position, Greg Owen and Bradley Dredge one worse, Brian Davis and Justin Rose 11 over and Colin Montgomerie, already 12 over following his worst-ever round in America, a wretched 16 over after five more bogeys on the front nine.

His game picked up from there, but not enough to make a difference.

Phillip Price’s three at the long fourth was only the third eagle of the week - at all the holes, not just that one – but he was nine over after 11, while Scot Alastair Forsyth, three over after seven, dropped five shots in the next seven.

Harrington said: “I don’t feel hard done by. I had a few putts horseshoe out, but they were always for saves. I didn’t play very well.”

He refused to blame it on having his mind on matters back at home, where wife Caroline is waiting to give birth to their first child.

It was due next Monday, but the Dubliner said: “The doctor said it could be more than a week away, so I’m not a bit distracted. The course is tough, but very playable – the pins were slightly harder today, but you do get birdie opportunities if you are playing well.”

Clarke felt he had from tee to green again, but he was unable to recover from beginning the first round with a double bogey and then a triple bogey.

“I’m probably one too many,” he said after fighting his way back to seven over and then bogeying the 15th and 17th. “I hit the ball well, but scored terrible.

“It’s one of the best courses I’ve ever played, though. Very tough, but very fair.”

Meanwhile, young Australian Aaron Baddeley, joint sixth overnight, was penalised two strokes for missing his tee-off time.

Baddeley, three shots behind leaders Phil Mickelson and Rod Pampling thanks to an opening 69, thought his start time was 7.35am when it was, in fact, five minutes earlier and he was late by 40 seconds.

After a 77 he said: “I was walking to the tee when a friend told me. I said ’Are you serious?’ and then began running.

“It’s one of those things. There’s nothing you can do. I was a little bit annoyed at first (both with himself and his caddie presumably for not double-checking). I thought my two tee-off times were 12.35 and 7.35.”

David Duval was already on his way home to Florida.

The former Open champion, in a real slump, was bothered by more back trouble and after starting with an 80 he managed only four more holes before retiring.

The first was a double bogey six, the third a triple bogey six and the fourth a bogey six to leave the Ryder Cup star 16 over.

Duval has failed to make the cut 15 times in 18 starts this season, also withdrawing from the recent Great Hartford Open after an opening 83.

In the Open at Sandwich last month he shot 83-78 to be 19 over par and he has not been around at the weekend in any of the four majors. He also suffered a first round defeat to Justin Rose in the Accenture world match play in California in February.