Hoey Kiawah Dream Ends in Nightmare

One of the best rounds of Michael Hoey's career counted for nothing on Friday night when he was disqualified from golf's final major of the year.

The Northern Irishman's second-round 70 at the USPGA Championship was only one off the low round of the day, and an eight-stroke improvement on his opening score. However, after signing his card he later brought an incident to the attention of officials.

Hoey, having embedded his ball deeply in a sandy area on the ninth hole, brushed away sand to identify it, but failed to replace the sand on his ball. It would have been a two-stroke penalty if his card had not been signed, but because it had the punishment was disqualification.

Wannamaker Harrington Back in Touch

For Padraig Harrington, it was a case of making hay while the sun shone as the Irishman grinded his way into contention at the US PGA Championship before storms hit Kiawah Island.

Following rounds of 70 and 76 over the first two days in South Carolina, Harrington, playing in far more benign conditions than had been seen during a windswept second round, took advantage of the slightly easier front nine midway through Saturday.

Birdies at the par five second and short third gave Harrington’s third round a fast start as further birdies at the sixth and seventh holes helped him reach the turn in 32 and propelled the 40 year old up the leaderboard on the morning of Moving Day.

And despite carding a double bogey at the tenth the three-time Major Champion fought back, chipping in from a greenside bunker for birdie at the short 17th, to sign for a three under par 69 that left him tied for 11th just five shots behind the leaders before play was halted as an enormous electrical storm cell descended on the US barrier island.

“It was a good round overall,” said a satisfied Harrington. “There were some highs, and made a very bad double bogey on 10, but I got it going right on the last couple holes. 

“I finished it off solid, that kind of makes up for it. I think through 16 holes I felt like I'd left a number of shots out there but to hole a bunker shot on 17 and then to get up and down from 35 yards on the last I've got to be comfortable; that's the score I sort of deserved today.”

Harrington, who won his third and last Major Championship in this event when it was staged at Oakland Hills, Michigan, in 2008, just about completed his third round before the suspension, but was ambiguous in his assessment of whether it would help or hurt his chances of lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time tomorrow.

“It could be a good break, but it could be a bad break, as well,” he said. “We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out. 

“I would have settled for the guys to play the same conditions we played in and have them play the back nine in the wind because the back nine was a lot tougher than the front nine and there's not too many to make too much headway on the front nine.

“It depends on the leaders and this weather could change everything so who knows what's going to happen now. But if say four under par is in the last couple of groups for the final round it means my score of one under still has a chance tomorrow.”

Weather Halts McIlroy PGA Charge

Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh are tied for the lead in the third round of the PGA Championship, which is being delayed because of storms in the area. 

McIlroy birdied five of his first eight holes Saturday before a bogey on No. 9 dropped him back to 6-under par, even with Singh. 

Tiger Woods entered the day sharing the lead, but was 3 over through seven to fall five strokes off the pace. 

Adam Scott is second, a stroke behind the leaders. Carl Pettersson is another shot back. 

McIlroy saved par on the third hole after his tee shot became stuck in a tree, and aside from that adventure, he wasn't having much trouble with Kiawah Island's Ocean Course early on. 

McIlroy had quite a start to his third round: Birdie, birdie, ball in tree. 

Moments later, he was tied for the lead. 

McIlroy saved par on the third hole after his tee shot became stuck in a tree, and aside from that adventure, he wasn't having much trouble with Kiawah Island's Ocean Course early on. 

After two birdies to start, McIlroy's tee shot on No. 3 somehow got lodged in the thick branch of a tree in the middle of the fairway. After searching for a bit, McIlroy realized where his ball was. He pulled it out, took a drop -- and got up and down for par, sinking a 6-foot putt. 

The windy second round Friday was the toughest at the PGA Championship since the tournament switched to stroke play, with 41 players failing to break 80. A battered group of golf's top players found milder conditions Saturday, which was hot and clear. The course was set up at 7,451 yards, the shortest it's been so far. 

Woods entered the day with a share of the lead, but Singh improved to 5 under with a birdie on the par-4 first hole. 

Woods, trying for his 15th major championship and first since 2008, missed the fairway with his first drive, and his ball nestled down in the rough to the left. He was able to reach the green with his next shot, though, and settled for par after missing a 10-foot birdie putt. 

On the third hole, Woods missed a 4-foot birdie putt, and he made a mess of the fourth, twice hitting into the gallery en route to a bogey. 

Elsewhere, players were taking advantage of the more favorable conditions. Steve Stricker and Jimmy Walker shot 5-under 67s -- two strokes better than anyone managed in the second round. Stricker moved to 2 under, a stroke ahead of Walker. 

Bo Van Pelt was 4 under through 15 holes and was three back of the lead. 

After a fairly tame first round, the wind arrived in earnest Friday, when there were more rounds in the 90s (two) than in the 60s. Singh managed a 69 in the second round, but he was an exception. 

Woods had a share of the lead at the U.S. Open this summer until rounds of 75-73 plunged him into a tie for 21st.

McDowell Enjoys Happy Kiawah Day

Graeme McDowell was left content after a whirlwind first day at the US PGA Championship, as the Northern Irishman made seven birdies and three bogeys en route to a four under par 68 at Kiawah Island.

Playing in the more testing afternoon conditions in South Carolina when the wind was at its strongest, the 2010 US Open Champion made three birdies and two bogeys over the first nine holes to reach the turn one under par, before more peaks and troughs coming home in the form of a birdie-bogey-birdie start to the back nine.

McDowell then made a superb up-and-down on the par three 14th after dragging his tee shot left of the green, a par save that he credited with “kick starting” a final few holes in which he made birdies at the 15th and long 16th and put himself in position for further makeable birdie opportunities at the closing two holes.

With his 68 leaving him just two shots shy of first round leader Carl Pettersson, the Northern Irishman was pleased to get a good start on the Ocean Course.

“It was a good round of golf, obviously,” said McDowell. “Apart from a couple of sloppy sixes that I made out there I am generally very happy with my ball striking today.

“I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of solid iron shots and in this strengthening breeze as the afternoon went on there was still a score out there if you could control the ball well. I’m very happy with that, it’s a good start.”

Indeed, while it was almost a flat calm when play got underway at 0720 on Thursday morning, there were not insignificant gusts to contend with for the later starters.

“I know the guys got nine fairly calm holes this morning, but the breeze came up this afternoon and even though it made it a decent test the golf course remained fairly playable,” said McDowell.

“Hopefully we can get out there tomorrow morning and perhaps we can play it in slightly more benign conditions.”

Pete Dye-designed golf courses are known for their quirkiness and unique challenges, and McDowell enjoyed figuring out the Ocean Course’s 7,676-yard layout on day one of the season’s final Major.

He reflected: “The golf course is fairly receptive, so if you can drive the ball well it gives you a chance to be fairly aggressive with your iron shots. And I really was good on the greens today, I read them well.

“I think one of the secrets to playing this golf course is being aggressive with the par fives and playing the par threes well. There really is a nice balance of par fours too, some tough ones and some easy ones, but the threes and the fives are key.”

Having been there and done that before so memorably at the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach in 2010, McDowell is well-placed to muse on what counts in the opening rounds of the four Majors.

“You know, in these Major Championships, there's no doubt getting in contention early and getting the juices flowing is key, so it’s nice to have had a solid start.”

McIlroy Makes Fast PGA Start

Rory McIlroy got off to a dream start at the USPGA Championships after hitting a superb five under par 67.

The Northern Irishman took advantage of the dry, boiling conditions at Kiawah Island to produce a bogey-free round, and even got a helping hand off a spectator.

In last month's Open at Royal Lytham McIlroy's hopes of a second major title nosedived after he rebounded off a teenager's head out of bounds late on the first day.

On this occasion he hit a lady on the hip after badly pulling his tee shot to the dangerous short 17th - his eighth - but it came back into a nice lie in the sand only 25 feet from the flag, from which he saved par.

"It's becoming a habit hitting people at majors, so I will try not to do that again," he said.

"I think that's my first bogey-free round in a while and it was a great way to start.

"I'm pretty comfortable on the course and only played nine holes on Monday and nine on Tuesday. I didn't feel I needed to play more."

Dutchman Joost Luiten was clear of the field after an eagle and six birdies, but he bogeyed his last four holes and had to settle for a 68.

Tiger Woods kept himself in the hunt with a 69, Ian Poulter returned a 70.

But there was disappointment for Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, who signed for 75 and 79 respectively.