PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka seven clear after record start

Brooks Koepka continued his record-breaking start to his PGA Championship title defence to open up a seven-stroke halfway lead in New York.

The world No 3 followed his bogey-free 63 with a stunning five-under 65 at Bethpage Black to get to 12 under and grab the largest 36-hole lead in the tournament’s history.

Koepka’s 128 shots over the first two days is also the lowest-ever 36-hole total in majors and puts him firm favourite to win a fourth major title, while playing partner Tiger Woods missed the cut in his first appearance since Masters victory.

Adam Scott fired a round-of-the-day 64 to join Jordan Spieth – who can complete the career Grand Slam this week – as Koepka’s closest challengers on five under, with world No 1 Dustin Johnson in the group a further shot back alongside England’s Matt Wallace.

“This probably sounds bad, but today was a battle,” Koepka said. “I didn’t strike it that good. I was leaking a few to the right. The way I hung in there today and battled it, I think that was probably more impressive than yesterday.”

Koepka’s overnight lead had already doubled two by the time he teed off, where he quickly extended his advantage by birdieing his opening two holes and adding a two-putt gain at the par-five fourth.

The three-time major winner followed a number of missed chances over the rest of his front nine by carding his first bogey of the week at the par-four 10th, where he found a bunker off the tee, only to bounce back with a two-putt birdie at the 13th.

Back-to-back birdies from the 15th increased Koepka’s cushion to seven, where he bounced back from a three-putt bogey at the 17th by rolling in a 10-footer at the last.

Scott got off to an incredible start by opening with three consecutive long-range birdies, holing putts from 25 feet, 38 feet and 27 feet, before making a 15-footer at the fifth on his way to a front-nine 31.

The Australian looked like creating his own major history after following a 12-foot birdie at the 11th with back-to-back gains from the 13th, taking him to seven under for the round, only to three-putt the 17th and slip back into the share of the second.

Wallace held outright second after five birdies in a six-hole stretch, but two bogeys in his last three holes dropped him back to tied-fourth alongside Johnson, Daniel Berger, Kelly Kraft and Luke List.

Rory McIlroy recovered from the worst three-hole start to his major career by birdieing four of his final five holes to make the cut on three over alongside Jason Day, while Sky Sports’ Rich Beem – the 2002 PGA Champion – closed out a back-nine 30 with five birdies in six holes to make it through to the weekend.

Woods suffered an early exit for the first time since the 2018 US Open, with the 15-time major champion bogeying the first three holes of his back nine on his way to a three-over 73.

Watch the PGA Championship throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf and 5.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

(c) Sky News 2019: PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka seven clear after record start