No player in the field has had a more bizarre couple of rounds than Justin Rose.
Rose, at 1-under, is just four strokes behind the leaders after the second round of the PGA Championship despite having hit just 7 of 28 fairways through 36 holes on an Oak Hill golf course with thick rough that demands driving accuracy.
Rose, en route to an even-par 70 on Friday, remarkably found the fairway only two times on 14 tries.
“Smoke and mirrors, I guess,’’ Rose said jokingly. “A few fair lies in the rough, to be honest. Advancing the ball up and around the green and good short game, stayed with it. When I did catch a bad lie in the rough, took my medicine and pitched out and tried to avoid the big number. “I felt like making a bogey or two around here is no big deal. The fact that I made 10 birdies [in 36 holes] is remarkable considering how I’ve put the ball in play off the tee. [My] iron play I felt was pretty good, and obviously I have made some really nice mid-range putts.’’
Rose’s only career major championship win came at the U.S. Open 10 years ago at Merion, so he likes difficult golf courses.
“Historically I’ve won typically on harder golf courses than not, so I think it fits my profile from that point of view,’’ he said. “This is right up there [in difficulty]. This feels a little bit of a hybrid kind of PGA-U.S. Open this week. I’m looking forward to the test.’’
Rose said at the start of the tournament he thought 4-under par would be the winning score by week’s end.
“It’s very hard to hit the ball in the fairway right now,’’ he said. “The fairways are so firm that that’s what’s kind of making them so hard to hit.’’
The last Englishman to win the PGA Championship was Jim Barnes, who won the first two championships, in 1916 and 1919. Rose has a chance to end that drought.
The PGA last winner born outside the U.S. was Jason Day in 2015 at Whistling Straits. The last champion from a European country was Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy in 2014 at Valhalla.
Patrick Cantlay made a significant rally on Friday, following his opening-round 74 with a 67 on Friday to climb to 1-over for the week.
“I played really well, did a lot of things well,’’ the world’s No. 4 ranked player said. “The golf course is playing difficult, and I hit a lot of really solid, smart shots.
I definitely drove it better today. I drove it poorly yesterday, and I’m used to driving it really well, and today I drove it like I’m used to.’’
Cantlay is not out of the tournament.
“On a golf course like this, good rounds go a really long way,” he said.
Mito Pereira, who lost the lead on the 72nd hole of last year’s PGA at Southern Hills, shot 69 on Friday and is 1-over for the week.
Asked to compare his game now to a year ago, he said, “I think I’m playing pretty similar to last year. I just know a little bit more myself and a little bit more experience. Obviously, all the moments, I mean, obviously count in Southern Hills, but all the tournaments add up a little bit and get to know yourself a little bit better and what you can do and what you can’t do.’’
Alex Beach, the lone club pro from the metropolitan area in the field (from Westchester Country Club), finished 17-over after shooting 80-77. … Chris Sanger, the club pro from Woodstock Golf Club, the nine-hole course with no driving range, finished last in the field at 25-over, shooting 84-81.
Every major champion at Oak Hill has been among the top-3 on the leaderboard at the end of Round 2. Here’s a look at the 36-hole rankings for all the major champions at Oak Hill:
At the 2013 PGA Championship, winner Jason Dufner was solo first after 36 holes. At the 2003 PGA Championship, winner Shaun Micheel was tied for first after 36 holes.
At the 1989 U.S. Open, winner Curtis Strange was solo first after 36 holes. At the 1980 PGA Championship, winner Jack Nicklaus was tied for second after 36 holes.
At the 1968 U.S. Open, winner Lee Trevino was solo second after 36 holes. And at the 1956 U.S. Open, winner Cary Middlecoff, tied for third after 36 holes.