Scott produces round of the day but can't get near Koepka
Adam Scott produced one of the best putting rounds of his US golf career, and the round of the day, but it was still not enough to keep US PGA Championship leader Brooks Koepka within arm’s length.
Scott is tied for second after two rounds at New York’s Bethpage Black but faces a seven-shot deficit in round three on Saturday.
Scott rattled off seven birdies and one cheap bogey to fire a six-under-par 64, which elevated him to five-under.
But Koepka (63-65) tops the leaderboard at 12-under and his total of 128 earned the lowest 36-hole score in major championship history.
Scott shares second with three-time major winner Jordan Spieth (66), who needs a PGA Championship win to complete golf’s career grand slam.
I came out and they just started rolling in and didn’t think much about it and felt very good with it.
Adam Scott
Former Masters winner Scott was on pace to become the second player to shoot 62 and the majors on Friday.
But he missed a two-foot par putt at the par-3 17th and then was forced to save a miraculous par at the 18th.
He might wonder what could have been with five putts missed inside 10 feet on day two.
However, it was still a career-best putting round for the Queenslander, making birdies from 25, 38 and 27 feet, racking up 165 feet of putts for the most in his PGA Tour career.
‘‘I came out and they just started rolling in and didn’t think much about it and felt very good with it,’’ Scott said after his round.
Scott duelled with Koepka at last year’s PGA Championship, playing with the big- hitting American in the final group on Sunday and even took a share of the lead on the back nine.
Koepka is gunning for a fourth major win in less than two years, having won that PGA and two US Opens.
But Scott is not ready to hand him the PGA’s Wanamaker trophy just yet.
Not at Bethpage Black, which uses thick rough and narrow fairways to punish errant shots.
‘‘I think there are double-bogeys left and right out there, once you get out of position.
‘‘I think someone, hopefully me, will chip away tomorrow and sneak up.
‘‘His good front-running has to come to an end eventually,’’ Scott joked. ‘‘Let’s hope it’s not 12 years like Tiger’s front-running lasted.’’
Woods, meanwhile, took a phlegmatic approach to missing the cut at Bethpage.
I’m not playing the weekend. That’s disappointing. Just didn’t quite have it.
Tiger Woods
Woods had been one of the favourites to claim a 16th major title after his emotional victory in the Masters last month but missed the cut by a single shot following rounds of 72 and 73.
The former world No.1 had been unable to practice on Wednesday due to illness and had not played competitively since winning his first major for 11 years at Augusta National.
‘‘I’m not playing the weekend. That’s disappointing,’’ Woods said.‘‘Just didn’t quite have it. I’m the Masters champion and 43 years old and that’s a pretty good accomplishment.
‘‘I’ve enjoyed being the Masters champion again. The PGA was a quick turnaround and unfortunately I just didn’t play well.
‘‘I didn’t do all the little things I need to do correctly to post good scores and put myself in position to shoot good scores.’’
Asked about his lack of preparation, Woods added: ‘‘It’s just the way it goes. You know, just don’t feel well and just not able to do it. But resting would be better, so I would have energy to play.
‘‘There’s no reason why I can’t get up to speed again and crank it back up. I’ve got to start feeling a little bit better first before that happens. We’ll do that first and then start cranking it back up again.
‘‘I just wasn’t moving the way I needed to. That’s the way it goes. There’s going to be days and weeks where it’s just not going to work, and today was one of those days.’’