Matt Jones Leads Halfway at 2015 PGA Championship

The benign weather conditions of Whistling Straits couldn't last all day yesterday. By the latter part of the second round, severe thunderstorms had rolled in, causing the round to be suspended. It picked up again early this morning and as of now Matt Jones sits atop the leaderboard at 11-under (he just finished his round a few minutes ago). The Austrailian leads by two ahead of fellow Aussie Jason Day and by three ahead of Justin Rose. The cut has also been set at 2-over.

Jones played well throughout his entire round, shooting a 65. He dropped no shots and made seven birdies to get to this number. Day carded a 67 which consisted of seven birdies also, but two bogeys. It's also worth noting the Jones is T7 and Day is 1st in GIR's so far, showing once again how accuracy is so valuable on a course like Whistling Straits. Jones is also 2nd in driving distance and Day is T13.

The biggest story of the day came earlier on in the round. It was that of Hiroshi Iwata, a 34-year old Japanese golfer, who was unknown to many until now (he did almost win the 2014 HSBC Champions in Shanghai though). Iwata was relatively quiet after an opening round of 77, but stunned many and made history during his second round by shooting a 9-under 63. This is a new course record at the Straits Course and ties the lowest round ever in a major championship. A 63 has only ever been shot 27 times (including Iwata) throughout major history, 13 times at the PGA Championship. He started out well with a 34 on the front nine, but blasted off on the back nine, shooting a 29 made up of five birdies and an eagle. This is only the Japanese golfer's fourth major and many eyes will be on him during his round today; he sits at T15.

Some notables who missed the cut include Tiger Woods (+4), 2015 Open Champion Zach Johnson (+3), Graeme McDowell (+5), and John Daly (+11). John Daly also made news today on the par 3 7th hole. After hitting several of his wedge shots into Lake Michigan, Daly turned to the lake and tossed his club into it. A lucky fan with a boat was able to retrieve it. Daly carded a 10.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Dustin Johnson: T10 at 5-under
2) Jim Furyk: 1-under at T37
3) Jason Day: 2nd at 9-under

We've talked about Day already. Dustin, despite a bogey filled round of 73, is still well in contention. Jim Furyk will have to put in a bit of work on the weekend to get into contention. Anything's possible really, especially at Whistling Straits.


The weekend at a major is really something special and always exciting. Be sure to check it our and stay tuned for our round 3 recap.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Japan's Hiroshi Iwata Sets a New Course Record at Whistling Straits