Updated 10.05
RORY MCILROY’S CLIMB up the leaderboard was cut short on Saturday after play in the third round of the 94th PGA Championship was suspended because of thunderstorms.
McIlroy had an entertaining third-round charge at the season’s final major championship as he opened his round with two consecutive birdies then had his tee shot on No. 3 get stuck in a tree on the soggy Kiawah Island Ocean Course.
McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champ, was four under through nine holes on the day and tied for the lead with Vijay Singh at six-under overall when the horn sounded in the late afternoon to call the players off the course.
Graeme McDowell is two-under through 11 holes while Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke were among the players to complete their third round, finishing on one-under and five-over respectively.
“It was a great start, the start I was looking to get off to,” McIlroy said. “I saw that a few guys early in the day got off to good starts and I wanted to do that to.”
Former two-time PGA champion Singh was two-under through seven holes in his round while playing alongside world number two Tiger Woods.
After one of the toughest rounds in PGA Championship history on Friday, Mother Nature bared her teeth again on Saturday as the storm clouds that had threatened all day finally arrived.
Organizers suspended play at 6:30 pm (2330 GMT) with the remainder of the third round scheduled to resume at 7:45 am Sunday. Once the third round is complete, the final round will go off in groups of three beginning at 11:44 am.
PGA of America spokesman Kerry Haigh said he doesn’t think there will be a problem getting all the rounds completed by Sunday evening.
“Unfortunately, the weather gods turned against us today,” said Haigh. “We had lightning very close by and obviously some heavy rain. But the forecast for tomorrow is very positive.”
Australia’s Adam Scott was alone in third at five under overall after playing nine holes Saturday while second round co-leader Carl Pettersson of Sweden was in fourth at four-under overall.
Woods, who shared the second-round lead with Pettersson, tumbled down the leaderboard Saturday as he had three bogeys through his first seven holes and was one under on the tournament, five strokes back of McIlroy and Singh.
Fiji’s Singh, who turns 50 in February, is trying to become the oldest player to win a major golf championship.
American Bo Van Pelt was the clubhouse leader at three-under after a five-under 67 on Saturday.
McIlroy birdied the par-four first and par-five second holes before going on an adventure on the 390-yard, par-four third hole. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman hit his drive high in the air and when it came down it got stuck in a dead branch of a Cypress tree.
McIlroy spent a several minutes looking for it on the ground and was just about to climb the tree when someone spotted it and alerted him.
He had to take an unplayable lie and hit his next shot to 10 feet and made par.
“I was sure it’s just somewhere around here in these long grass things or in the wood chip or whatever,” he said. “We’d been looking for it for about three minutes and then one of the guys that was working for the TV came over and said, ‘you know, it’s actually stuck in the tree.’
“I’m like, how can it be stuck in this thing? There’s no branches, no leaves for it to be stuck in. But it had wedged itself in between the tree bark and the actual tree, so I was just happy to get it up-and-down for four,” he added.
“I think that’s the first time a ball has ever got stuck up a tree on me. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
McIlroy retrieved the ball out of the cup and flung it into the alligator pond behind the fourth tee box.
Second round co-leader Woods was in Saturday’s marquee group with Singh. Between the two of them, they have six PGA Championship titles.
Woods began his day with three pars but then made bogey on three of the next four holes.
“I got off to a rough start today and couldn’t get anything going,” said Woods. “I’ll come back tomorrow morning and see what happens. There are a lot of holes left to play.”
(c) AFP, 2012
Hopefully the trio make it! They are an integral part of our Six Nations squad. Keep it up lads!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: lowe and Dan are part of the 6 nations squad but connors is nowhere near that squad. Hodnet, timoney, pendergast are all way ahead of him. Not to mention with conan going to 8 we have doris who can play 7 as can POM. Infact I’d rather see Scott penny get time for leinster than will.
@chris mcdonnell: I completely agree. I’d ate my own underpants if Connors is named tomorrow
@Niall Boyle: hopefully those pants are in better condition than the pair I wore on Sunday
@Niall Boyle: I’ll hold you to that
@chris mcdonnell: with the best will in the world POM cannot play 7 in the 6 Nations.
Hope they don’t rush Sheehan back this Saturday. 50 mins against the Stormers on the 25th of Jan and then into the 6 nations squad. Connors now needs to stay fit for the rest of the season if he wants to ever make an Ireland squad, at nearly 29 time is running out
Lowe is too slow. Osborne a better long term bet.
@conor carroll: Osbourne isn’t a wing, he can do the job but he’s a 12 or 15. Lowe being “slow” didn’t stop him being named in the world XV this year or being one of our best performing players.
@conor carroll: not on the wing he isnt,hes not a winger and it showed on sunday,great 12 and 15,lowe though offers far more on the left wing,breaks tackles,carries,big left boot and has vastly improved his defence,also always goes hunting for the ball and gets stuck in to mauls and excellent under the high ball,pace is not everything.
@conor carroll: Interesting statement. If you actually watched rugby you’d see that Lowe is probably quicker than Osborne in a foot race. Osborne has many, many strengths. Pace isn’t one of them.
@conor carroll: Nash is the pace merchant played all the 6 nations last year
Honestly, is Lowe still a starter for Leinster? I just really can’t see how you leave out Jamie Osborne even if he was rusty on the wing at the weekend, like his skill level for that try was ridiculous. He also has just a big left boot as Lowe.
@Eoin H: lowe is the left winger for both ireland and leinster.
@Eoin H: Osborne isn’t a winger and should only be playing there in a pinch. Lowe is also the better player generally right now
@Gary D: He definitely isn’t the better all round player generally, no way
@Eoin H: Well he has been a starter for the last 7.5 years. And he was a starter right up until his injury. Osborne is far far better utilised at 12 or 15. Let’s just play lads in their correct positions.
@Eoin H: I partially agree with you. Osbourne has an ability to hold on to passes that others would knock on and is too good to leave out of the team. Lowe is a try scoring machine as well though so not sure I’d leave him out either. I’d probably play Osbourne at 12 and leave Henshaw on the bench for impact