Justin Rose, Chris Kirk make big moves at PGA Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – Justin Rose strolled down the seventh at Aronimink Golf Club on Saturday when he mentioned to his caddie, Mark Fulcher, that a day earlier he was 5 over and in danger of missing the cut at the 108th PGA Championship before he holed out for eagle at No. 9, his 18th hole on Friday, to make the weekend. The 45-year-old had carded four straight birdies to that point en route to shooting a front-nine 30, becoming just the fourth player age 45 or older since 2000 to shoot 30 or lower on either the front or final 9 holes of one major championship round
“You wouldn't have thought I'd be walking down No. 7 under par in the tournament, would you?” Rose joked.
The birdies dried out a bit for the Englishman on the back nine, but Rose posted 5-under 65 and had clawed within two shots of the lead when he wrapped up his third round on Saturday.
Rose wasn’t the only player who barely survived the cut when the course setup drew complaints, but managed to take advantage of warmer weather, more accessible hole locations and ideal conditions for going low.
Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan, who won the Truist Championship last week, carded two eagles at Nos. 13 and 16, becoming just the second player over the last 30 years to card a pair of eagles over a span of four holes within one PGA Championship round. [Graham DeLaet posted back-to-back eagles in the third round in 2017 at Quail Hollow Club.] After failing to make a birdie on the first eight holes, Reitan did his damage on the back, shooting 30.
“I thought the front nine was gettable today. That's why I was a little bit frustrated that I wasn't able to take care of any of those chances,” he said. “Yeah, it can be gettable on the back nine, too. You have a drivable par-4. You have a par-5. If you hit a good drive, you can reach it fairly easily, especially with today's wind.
“Overall, I think the pins today were a little bit more forgiving, or they weren't as perhaps crazy as they were a little bit the first few days where they were sitting on top of the ridges a lot.”
Chris Kirk made five birdies in a six-hole stretch, firing at every pin, and shared the lead after a birdie at 17. If he could birdie 18, he would tie the championship record of 62, the lowest round shot in any of the four majors, but he made a mess on the green and carded a double bogey to settle for 65.
While the finish he said “stings,” Kirk enjoyed being able to play in shirt sleeves on a blue-bird day, and in sharp contrast to the first two rounds.
“I felt like I had a fat suit on, or like one of those T-Rex inflatables trying to swing the golf club, because it just was cold,” he said. “The younger guys may not have that same problem, but it just really was a struggle just trying to get my body to move in those colder temperatures. So a nice warm day like today helps me a lot.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rose, Reitan, Kirk make PGA Championship surge
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