CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Latest on the PGA Championship (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
Rickie Fowler is keeping up his birdie binge at the PGA Championship.
Fowler picked up two more during his first nine holes of the second round, including one on the tricky 17th hole. That gives him eight birdies through 1½ rounds.
He made the turn at 1 under for the day and 3 under for the tournament – three strokes behind leader Kevin Kisner.
The 177-yard, par-3 17th yielded just five birdies during the first round. That’s the fewest of any hole at Quail Hollow Club.
Fowler had a birdie on the 14th and another on the 17th after plopping his tee shot about 15 feet from the flagstick and making the putt.
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10:50 a.m.
Phil Mickelson has played 1½ rounds without a birdie or better at the PGA Championship.
Mickelson started the second round on the back nine and had bogeys on three of his first nine holes. That moved him to 3 over for the day and 11 over for the tournament.
It also dropped him into a tie for 141st place. There were 154 players remaining in the field.
On Thursday, Lefty shot a 79 for his worst round at a PGA Championship. It came at a Quail Hollow Club course he considers one of his favorites on the PGA Tour.
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10:30 a.m.
Rory McIlroy was never been so excited to make par.
Starting on the par-5 10th hole, McIlroy’s second shot sailed right toward the gallery. The ball hit a downhill cart path and kept on rolling before settling in the rough of the 11th hole.
Instead of going over the trees, McIlroy chose to hit a 6 iron from 110 yards , skipping it along the cart path into the bunker, then out of bunker and across the green until in landed on the fringe on the other side. Two putts later, he had his par.
McIlroy is 1 under for the day and even par for the tournament.
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10 a.m.
Kevin Kisner has taken sole possession of the lead at the PGA Championship after birdieing two of his first three holes.
Kisner started his round on the back nine. He moved to 6 under after birdies on No. 10 and 12, but gave a shot back on No. 13 with a bogey. He is currently 5 under, one shot ahead of Thorbjorn Olesen, who will tee off in the afternoon.
Kisner won the Dean & Deluca Invitational this year but has never won a major. He finished 18th at the PGA Championship last year.
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9:25 a.m.
Rory McIlroy opened the second round of the PGA Championship with three straight pars. The 28-year-old from Northern Ireland is looking to make up ground on leaders Thorbjorn Olesen and Kevin Kisner, who are five shots ahead.
The 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship winner is considered a favorite this week, along with Jordan Spieth, to take home the Wanamaker Trophy. McIlroy started the day at 1 over for the tournament.
McIlroy had a three-hole stretch Thursday that included a double bogey after he had reached 2 under for the tournament. He noted the grainy greens of the Quail Hollow course were fast and difficult.
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8 a.m.
Jordan Spieth wasn’t overly worried about being five shots behind after one round of the PGA Championship. He just wants to make sure the deficit is a little smaller after the next round.
Spieth, who needs this major to complete the career Grand Slam, will know the target by the time he tees off at Quail Hollow on Friday afternoon.
Kevin Kisner, who shared the 18-hole lead at 4-under 67 with Thorbjorn Olesen, was among the early starters on another calm morning with a few gathering clouds.
Rory McIlroy let a good round get away from him and shot 72, the same score as Spieth. McIlroy also plays Friday morning and is hopeful the slightly smoother greens will allow him to make more putts.
