KOHLER, Wis. (WFRV) — Notes from Friday afternoon’s second round PGA Championship.

HIROSHI IWATA JOINS CLUB 63

With a 9-under-par 63 in today’s second round, Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata ties the all-time 18-hole scoring mark in a major championship. Additionally, Iwata set the competitive Straits Course scoring record by one stroke. China’s Wen Chang Liang had a 64 in the third round of the 2010 PGA Championship.

Additionally, Iwata achieved the following:

  • Joins Japan’s Isao Aoki as the only Asian professional golfers to post a 63 in a major. Aoki recorded his 63 in the third round of the 1980 Open Championship.
  • Becomes the 25th individual to record a 63 in a major, a feat that has happened on 27 occasions.
  • Joins Michael Bradley (1995, PGA Championship 1st round) as the only players to record a 63 in a debut in a U.S. major championship
  • Owns the highest score in a major (77) prior to matching the all-time 18-hole record. Mark Hayes previously had the mark (76) in  the 1977 Open Championship (see chart)
  • Becomes the 13th player to post a 63 in a PGA Championship, a period of 40 years dating back to 1975 when Bruce Crampton had a second-round 63.

63s in Major Championship History (Updated)
Although the complete list of 63s in a major championship is listed below, note that Greg Norman and Vijay Singh are the only players to record a 63 in more than one major championship. Six players have won after posting a 63 in a major: Johnny Miller (1973 U.S. Open), Raymond Floyd (1982 PGA Championship), Norman (1986 Open Championship), Jack Nicklaus (1980 U.S. Open), Tiger Woods (2007 PGA Championship) and Jason Dufner (2013 PGA Championship).

SPIETH SURGES

Jordan Spieth’s 67 this morning was his lowest round in his three career PGA Championships, and for the 12th time in 14 major-championship rounds this year, he posted a sub-par score. Spieth’s magical moment of the day came on the 18th hole (his ninth hole of the day), when he holed a nearly 50-foot bunker shot for birdie. The 18th, which is Whistling Straits’ toughest hole, relinquished just a pair of birdies this morning; one from Spieth, the other from David Lingmerth.

Never one to be unprepared, Spieth did some pre-championship reconnaissance on the same bunker that fronts the 18th at Whistling Straights, “I actually talked to local caddies ahead of time,” he said. “That bunker, and I think there is one other one, always have much more sand than the rest of the bunkers on the golf course … I just struck [the sand shot] absolutely perfectly. It was sitting nicely on top of the sand, to where it was possible, but, no, I was not looking to make that. I would have taken four and walked off very, very happy guy.”


CEJKA WITHDRAWS PRIOR TO FRIDAY’S SECOND ROUND

Prior to today’s second round, Alex Cejka withdrew from the 97th PGA Championship due an ankle issue.