LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The challenge finally arrived for Rory McIlroy, and he was better than ever Sunday to win the PGA Championship.

On a back nine filled with clutch shots and as much tension as a major can provide, McIlroy emerged from a four-man race to outlast Phil Mickelson and the darkness at Valhalla to capture his second straight major.

McIlroy closed with a 3-under 68 and became only the fourth player in the last century of golf to win four majors at 25 or younger. The others were Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones, three of the game’s greatest players.

Boy Wonder appears on his way to belonging in that group.

“I didn’t think in my wildest dreams I’d have a summer like this,” said McIlroy, only the seventh player to win the last two majors of the year. “I played the best golf of my life. I really gutted it out today.”

But one of the greatest shows on soggy turf came with a most peculiar ending.

Three shots behind going to the back nine, McIlroy rallied to take the lead and then hit a 9-iron from the fairway bunker to 10 feet for birdie on the 17th hole for a two-shot lead going to the par-5 18th. Because of a two-hour rain delay earlier, darkness was falling quickly and it wasn’t certain McIlroy would be able to finish.

McIlroy was allowed to hit his tee shot before Mickelson and Rickie Fowler had reached their drives. Both were only two shots behind, still in the game. McIlroy came within a yard of hitting in a hazard right of the fairway.

Then, the PGA of America allowed McIlroy to hit his second shot. Mickelson and Fowler had to stand to the side of the green.

“We were cool with hitting the tee shot,” Fowler said. “We weren’t expecting the approach shots.”

Fowler had a 50-foot eagle attempt to tie for the lead. He was well off the mark, and missed the short birdie putt attempt that cost him his third straight runner-up finish in a major. Mickelson was short of the green, and his chip came within inches of dropping for an eagle that would have tied him for the lead.

Mickelson appeared upset that they had to wait to finish the hole – not standard procedure in a PGA Tour event – and he made two references in a TV interview that this is the only championship the PGA of America runs all year.

“It didn’t affect the outcome of the championship at all, I don’t think,” Mickelson said. “It’s not what we normally do. It’s not a big deal either way.”

Mickelson closed with a 66 and was runner-up for the ninth time in a major.

Fowler became the first player in history to finish in the top five at all four majors without winning one. He closed with a 68 and tied for third with Henrik Stenson, who fell out of a share of the lead by missing a 3-foot par putt on the 14th hole. Stenson shot a 66.

McIlroy hit his second shot into a bunker, and he had to two-putt from 35 feet for the win. He lagged the first one to tap-in range, and the major was his. McIlroy repeatedly pumped his fist before letting out a scream above the gallery that had been treated to one of the best shows ever in a major.

He won his first two majors by eight shots at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship. Only a month ago, McIlroy took a six-shot lead into the final round of the British Open and completed a wire-to-wire win with only a brief scare.

This was his first big test, and it took some of his best golf to come through.

“I think I showed a lot of guts out there to get the job done,” he said.

The winning shot turned out to be that 9-iron from the bunker and the birdie putt on the 17th hole that gave him a two-shot lead, the largest margin for anyone on a day when as many as five players claimed a share of the lead.

It might not have been possible without a 3-wood on the par-5 10th hole.

Standing in the fairway, McIlroy watched Fowler drain a 30-foot birdie putt to take the outright lead. McIlroy was 281 yards away, slightly uphill, and his short caught the left side of the fairway and rolled onto the green before stopping 7 feet away for an eagle that got him back in the game.

Mickelson holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole to tie Fowler, and it looked to be his day when he rolled in a 30-foot par putt on the 12th. Stenson hit a bold shot to the island-green 13th for a short birdie to tie for the lead, only to fall back.

McIlroy caught the leaders with a birdie on the 13th.

None of the other contenders made another birdie the rest of the way until it was too late.

All that was left after an exhausting day of raw emotions was the coronation. Not since Woods in 2008 has anyone won three straight tournaments, and they were big ones for McIlroy – the British Open, a World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship. He played them in a combined 48-under par.

“He’s better than everyone else right now,” Mickelson said.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet tied for 15th, seven shots back of McIlroy at 9-under, after a final round 70.

Rory McIlroy (Jeff Gross/ Getty Images)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Australia’s Cameron Percy won his first Web.Com Tour title Sunday, birdieing the final two holes for a one-stroke victory over four players in the Price Cutter Charity Championship.

The 40-year-old Percy, a five-time winner on the Australasian Tour, closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 21-under 267 at Highland Springs. He earned $121,500 to jump from 33rd to 12th on the money list with $217,347. The top 25 after the final two regular-season events will earn 2014-15 PGA Tour cards.

“It feels unbelievable,” said Percy, making his 131st start on the tour. “I’ve been playing well for a while. To get out with a win feels fantastic.”

Brandt Jobe, Zac Blair, Michael Kim and Carlos Sainz Jr. tied for second. Jobe finished with a 65, Blair had a 66, and Kim and Sainz shot 67. Kim was penalized a stroke on No. 18 for lifting his ball in the rough.

“I was in the first primary cut and it’s been muddy all week,” Kim said. “I wanted to check if there was mud on the ball anywhere for the lay-up. I marked it, I picked it up, and I put it back right where it went. The rules official came over because we weren’t’ sure if that was a penalty or not. And he told me it was a one-shot penalty. … It’s pretty disappointing.”

Percy drove into the left rough on the par-5 18th and hit a hybrid from 208 yards through the green. After a free drop from a sprinkler head, Percy got up-and-down for the victory.

“It’s amazing what goes through your head,” Percy said. “I got lucky that ball was next to the sprinkler.”

Former Team Canada member Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. was the leading Canadian, finishing tied for 9th, three shots back of Percy.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  – As Rory McIlroy watched the ball drop into the cup on his final stroke of the day, he pumped his right fist and managed a slight grin.

He had fended off every challenger Saturday.

He was right where he wanted to be going to Sunday.

Leading the PGA Championship.

McIlroy finished off a 4-under 67 with an 8-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole, getting up-and-down from a bunker to maintain a one-shot advantage after the third round.

“It’s not the biggest lead I’ve ever had, but I’m still in control of this golf tournament,” said McIlroy, who birdied three of the last four holes. “It’s a great position to be in.”

With greens softened by overnight rain, this was a day for going low at Valhalla. Plenty of players did, most notably Bernd Wiesberger. The 28-year-old Austrian provided the biggest surprise of the round, shooting a 65 that put him in the final group of a major for the first time.

Shoot, this is only the second time he’s ever made a cut at a major.

“This is a dream come true,” said Wiesberger, a regular on the European Tour. “I’m very proud of myself, the way I played today. This is a completely new situation for me.”

Beyond Wiesberger, there were plenty of players ready to take aim at McIlroy on what figures to be a wild final day on the rolling hills outside of Louisville.

Rickie Fowler was right in the mix again at another major, shooting a 67 that left him two shots behind McIlroy’s 13-under 200. Fowler has been the runner-up at the last two majors, and finished fifth at the Masters. Maybe this is the week he finally breaks through.

Then there’s Phil Mickelson, who already has five major titles. Lefty hasn’t won since the 2013 British Open – his longest drought since 2003 – but he’s clearly back on his game. He birdied four of the last five holes for a 67 and was three shots off the pace.

“I needed to finish strong to get back in it,” Mickelson said.

Australia’s Jason Day was also three strokes behind, having lost some ground despite a 69 that included a barefooted shot. After hitting his drive left of a creek at No. 2, he had to take off his socks and shoes and roll up his pants to get across the water. He wound up saving par.

Still, that was a rather pedestrian score in this round, with 37 players getting into the 60s. Hunter Mahan joined Weisberger with a 65, matching the best round of the week, and seven guys shot 66.

At one point, there was a five-way tie for the lead. When it was done, McIlroy was still on top but a dozen players were separated by only five shots, meaning the leader will have to work a little harder for this major than he did for the three first three championships.

McIlroy had runaway victories at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship, and took a six-shot lead to the final round of the British Open last month, hanging on for a two-stroke win that was never really in doubt.

He doesn’t mind a tougher challenge.

“Yeah, it’s stressful at times, but you’ve got to enjoy it,” McIlroy said. “This is the best position to be in at a golf tournament.”

Weyburn, Sask. native Graham DeLaet is tied for 10th after carding 68 in the 3rd round. He’s sitting 8-under, five shots back of McIlroy.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At No. 7, Tiger Woods bent over so gingerly to pick up his tee that you wondered whether he’d get back up.

At No. 8, he leaned so heavily on his putter while retrieving a ball from the cup that the shaft bowed like a guitar string.

By then he was 3-over par for the day, a half-dozen strokes on the wrong side of the cut line with a still-sore back and one foot already out the door. Sympathy for Woods might be in short supply, but it was still sad to watch.

Sadder still, we might look back someday and remember what happened at this PGA Championship as his Willie Mays moment.

Like Woods, Mays was the greatest player of his era. But Mays was already 41 and a shell of what he used to be by the time he returned to New York to play his final two seasons for the Mets. In Game 2 of the 1973 World Series, he stumbled and fell trying to run down a ball in the outfield and said not long after, “growing old is a helpless hurt.” He batted in Game 3 and never appeared in a major league contest again.

Woods may not be done winning majors, but he’s close. He’s 38 and the physical breakdowns are gradually piling up closer together, like some slow-motion car crash. The days when he was better than everyone with every club in the bag are a fast-fading memory. He drives the ball erratically and can’t make short putts when they matter most.

Woods said Friday after shooting a second consecutive 74 that his back nearly went out on him while practicing on the range. If nothing else, his performance on the golf course afterward made that easy to believe. He made only one birdie in the first round – holing out from 100 feet with a wedge – and didn’t make his first conventional birdie until he rolled in a 12-footer on No. 15 in round two. About the only time he looked out from under the bill of his cap and up at the gallery was to acknowledge a warm ovation for his third and final birdie at No. 18.

Afterward, Woods said most of the same things he’s been saying a lot the last few years. He needs to get stronger. He needs to fix some technical flaws. His game is close to coming back together. The only revealing thing Woods said was when someone asked whether he felt old.

“I felt old a long time ago,” he replied, smiling. “It’s darn near 20 years out here.”

Golf desperately needs Woods, but now the converse is true, too. That much was clear when he rushed back to play in this tournament just a few days after he withdrew from last week’s barely able to bend over far enough to tie shoes.

Speculation ran the gamut earlier this week on what Woods genuinely hoped to accomplish: win the tournament, impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson enough to make the team as a wild-card pick, get enough face time to add another sponsor to his dwindling stable – take your pick. No matter what his real motivation was, he’s leaving town empty-handed yet again. He hasn’t contended on the final nine of a major since that November day in 2009 when his SUV careened out of control down the driveway of his Florida mansion.

Woods’ critics were out in force long before then. Some portion of the audience found him too arrogant right from the start, and even after he ascended to the top of the game and tournament after tournament put on the best show in sports. Another big chunk peeled off after the scandal. Every time he’s humbled – and despite a combined eight tour wins in 2012-13, there have been no shortage of those instances – Woods gets carpet-bombed on social media and barroom conversations.

Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. Woods said he has no idea what his schedule the rest of the year looks like. Asked what he’d tell Watson if he calls about the Ryder Cup, Woods was glib.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “He hasn’t called.”

At this point, Watson shouldn’t bother. The soon-to-be-65-year-old captain didn’t make the cut, either, but he still beat Woods here, and at last month’s British Open to boot.

Woods wasn’t waiting around in any case. Not long after his round was done, he threw his golf shoes, along with the rest of his gear in the back of a car, and slipped into a pair of sneakers – this time without even bothering to tie the laces.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rory McIlroy goes to the weekend of the PGA Championship with a one-stroke lead.

It seems bigger than that.

Such is the state of McIlroy’s game.

“When I’m playing like this, it’s obviously very enjoyable,” he said after a 4-under 67 on Friday. “I can’t wait to get back out on the course again (Saturday) and do the same thing all over again.”

Jason Day and Jim Furyk are right on his heels, but the Aussie acknowledged that it will be tough for anyone to beat McIlroy.

“I’m clearly not the favorite,” Day said. “This whole year he’s been playing great. He looks confident. He’s hitting the ball longer and straighter than pretty much everyone in the field. It’s going to be tough to beat him.”

Here are things to watch for in the third round of the PGA Championship:

OH CANADA: Graham DeLaet starts Saturday just 4-shots back of McIlroy despite injuring his neck prior to his round Friday. “I kinked my neck pretty bad, I wasn’t able to really move,” said DeLaet.  “If you’d asked me this morning, I thought I was going to miss the cut.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to get it around.  A bunch of Advil, some Tylenol. I made a few good putts today, just kind of bunted it around.  Some days when you don’t have any expectations, you never know what’s going to happen.”

RORY’S QUEST: Tiger Woods was the No. 1 player in the world when he won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla for his third straight major. McIlroy isn’t that far along, though he does have a small slice of history at stake if he can win the Wanamaker Trophy. McIlroy is trying to become only the seventh player to win the last two majors of the year, and the first since Padraig Harrington in 2008. Woods did it twice. It would be McIlroy’s fourth major. The only other players to have won four majors before age 26 were Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Willie Anderson and Young Tom Morris.

YOUNG GUNS: Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are not yet among the best players to have never won a major. But they might be the best young players without one. And they keep giving themselves chances. Day won the Match Play Championship in February until a thumb injury derailed his year. The 26-year-old Aussie appears to be in form again after the low score of the second round, a 6-under 65 that put him in the final group. Day has been runner-up three times in a major, most recently at the U.S. Open last year. Fowler shot a 66 and was two shots behind McIlroy. He is no stranger to being in contention at the majors on the weekend. Fowler, 25, played in the final group at the last two majors and was runner-up in both. He is the first player since Woods in 2005 to finish in the top five at the first three majors of the year.

LEFTY’S SURGE: Phil Mickelson has been mired in his longest losing streak since 2003. But it looks as though he has found his game. Mickelson shot a blistering 62 in the final round at Firestone, and it has carried over to his best 36-hole start in a major since winning the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. Mickelson opened with a 69 and eagled the final hole Friday for a 67. Lefty is looking for his first victory since capturing the 2013 British Open at Muirfield. Mickelson has several agendas this weekend, one of which includes locking up his spot on another Ryder Cup team. He already holds the record by qualifying nine times in a row, and he doesn’t want captain Tom Watson to have to use a wild-card pick this time.

PART-TIME STRICKER: Steve Stricker will be an assistant captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. But first, he has to take care of some business at the final major of the year. The 47-year-old Stricker, who became a part-time player last year to spend more time with his family, still has plenty of game. He shot 68 Friday and was four strokes off the lead heading to the weekend. He has been a top-10 finisher in the majors 11 times, most notably a runner-up finish to Vijay Singh at the 1998 PGA Championship. He would be one of the oldest major champions in golf history if he comes through at Valhalla.

TIGER’S FUTURE: Tiger Woods won’t be at Valhalla this weekend – he missed the cut at a major championship for only the fourth time in his professional career – but there are plenty of questions about his future. Woods shot back-to-back rounds of 74, leaving him a whopping five shots below the cut line. Woods said his ailing back flared up again, and he conceded that he needs to get stronger. It looks like he’ll have plenty of time to work on his game. Unless he plays next week at Greensboro, North Carolina – which he’s never done – his season is effectively over. Woods failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and there seems little chance he will be picked for the Ryder Cup by Watson. For Woods, the focus turns to 2015.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For Tiger Woods, there was a familiar complaint.

Yes, his back was hurting again.

His performance at the PGA Championship is becoming more the norm, as well.

Once the game’s most dominant player, Woods looked old and tired at Valhalla. He was surely overmatched Friday, shooting his second straight 3-over 74 to miss the cut at one of golf’s majors for only the fourth time in his professional career.

Not that this was a big surprise.

Woods was playing in only his fourth tournament since back surgery in late March, and he hasn’t been a factor in any of them. He failed to make the cut at the Quicken Loans National. He had his worst 72-hole showing in a major at the British Open. He had to withdraw on the final day of the World Golf Championship at Firestone after taking an awkward swing and hurting his back again. He showed up Wednesday at Valhalla, proclaimed himself fit – and flopped again.

“I tried as hard as I could. That’s about all I’ve got,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I just didn’t play well. Consequently, a pair of 74s is not very good.”

With the cut at 1 over, Woods wasn’t even close to playing on the weekend.

He was effectively done after shooting a 4-over 39 on the front nine, including a double bogey at No. 6 – where he three-putted from 18 feet – and a really ugly bogey at the par-5 seventh. He drove into a muddy bog far left of the fairway and had to punch out. He sailed his third shot over the green, and a sloppy chip came up short.

Woods played better on the back side – a couple of birdies, a single bogey – but he was all done at that point.

He said his chances effectively ended when the same problem that left him barely able to bend over at Firestone cropped up again on the driving range at Valhalla.

“I was sore,” Woods said. “There was no doubt I was sore. It went out on me on me on the range. I just had to play through it.”

There were no obvious indications of pain on the course, certainly nothing like his tortured departure from last week’s tournament. He appeared to reach for his back a little after the errant tee shot on No. 7, but didn’t actually touch it. There were plenty of grimaces, but those usually came after he hit another poor shot.

Woods insisted he had the “same feeling, same pain, same spasms” that forced him to drop out at Firestone, though he was encouraged that it wasn’t in the same spot as his back surgery.

“It was telling me on the range that it probably wasn’t a good idea (to play),” he said, referring to his back. “I couldn’t make a back swing. I can’t get the club back. I’m coming through fine. I just can’t get the club back. That throws everything off. I can’t get anywhere near the positions I’m accustomed to getting to. I just can’t do it. I have to rely on my timing and my hands, and hope I time it just right.”

He’ll not have plenty of time to work on his game and build up his strength.

If he doesn’t play next week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, – and he never has – his season is over. Woods needed to win the PGA to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

It also seems highly unlikely that Woods will be one of the wild-card picks by U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson, who said over and over that he wanted to see some sign the 14-time major champion was rounding into form.

Instead, Woods can’t even beat the 64-year-old captain, finishing behind him at the British Open and three shots worse at the PGA.

“I don’t know,” Woods said, when asked about his chances of being chosen by Watson. “He hasn’t called.”

Might be best if he sits out this Ryder Cup.

Woods conceded he needs to get stronger and more fit to have any chance of being close to the player he once was.

“I felt like I wasn’t that far away when I came back at the Quicken Loans,” Woods said. “But obviously, the more I play, I can’t develop my strength while playing a lot. I need to get back in the gym and get stronger.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tiger Woods is in danger of missing the cut at a major championship for only the fourth time in his professional career.

Woods played the front nine of the PGA Championship at 4-over 39 on Friday, pushing his total score to 7 over. With the projected cut at 1 over – and little chance it would go much higher – he needed a sudden burst of birdies after the turn to have any chance.

That seemed highly unlikely.

Through his first 27 holes at Valhalla, Woods made only one birdie – a chip-in from off the green at the 16th hole Thursday.

The last time he failed to make a major cut was the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta. He also missed at the 2009 British Open and 2006 U.S. Open.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On a soggy day at Valhalla, Rory McIlroy put himself in a familiar position – at the top of the leaderboard in the PGA Championship.

For Tiger Woods, this also is becoming the norm.

Another major disappointment. He’s heading home for the weekend.

McIlroy, the overwhelming favorite from Northern Ireland, started on the back nine after a 50-minute rain delay Friday, made a couple of early birdies, then claimed the outright lead for the first time when he rolled in a 30-foot eagle putt at the 18th hole.

McIlroy picked up two more birdies in his final three holes for a 4-under 67, good enough for a one-shot lead over Jason Day and Jim Furyk. Day turned in the best round of the day with a 65, and Furyk had a 68.

Rickie Fowler and Ryan Palmer were two shots back, with Fowler surging into contention again at a major by shooting 66. He is already the first player since Woods in 2005 to finish in the top five of the first three majors of the year.

And don’t forget Phil Mickelson, who rolled in an 8-footer for eagle at the final hole for a 67. Lefty was just three shots back.

Woods, meanwhile, struggled to his second straight 74 and failed to make the cut at a major for only the fourth time in his professional career.

“That was tough,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of shots out there. Seventy-four of `em. It was a long day.”

Palmer was tied for the lead after the opening round with Lee Westwood and Kevin Chappell. Palmer turned in the best follow-up from that group, shooting 70 to stay firmly in the mix. Westwood faded a bit with a 73 and was four shots back. Chappell struggled to a 74 and dropped six strokes off the pace.

Woods was 109th place after Thursday, his only realistic goal to make the cut.

He wasn’t even close.

Woods lipped out a 3-foot birdie attempt at the third, missing a chance to gain some momentum. He followed with a bogey at No. 4, after driving into a fairway bunker, and took a double bogey at the sixth when he drove far left of the fairway and three-putted from 18 feet. Still reeling from that debacle, he yanked his tee shot at the par-5 seventh into a muddy bog, could only pitch up to the fairway, pulled the next shot behind the green, failed to reach the short grass with his chip, and made another bogey.

The back nine was better – a couple of birdies, one bogey – but it didn’t matter at that point.

Wood was all done at this PGA, still stuck on 14 major titles, the last one coming more than six years ago.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is at the top of his game. He arrived at Valhalla having won his last two tournaments. He captured the British Open at Royal Liverpool with a wire-to-wire performance, and rallied for a victory at Firestone last weekend.

Midway through the final major of the year, he is once again the guy everyone is chasing.

“I’m confident,” McIlroy said. “I’m really in control of my game and my emotions. I need to do that over the weekend as well.”

He dropped a shot with a bogey at the 12th, but birdied two of the next three holes. He seized the outright lead for the first time with the long putt at No. 18 and nearly made another eagle at the par-5 seventh. He stuck a shot from 243 yards to 8 feet, but the putt stayed right of the cup.

McIlroy grimaced and rolled back his head.

No problem.

He closed with another birdie at the ninth, finishing off his round by curling in a 16-footer that left him at 9-under 133 overall.

McIlroy is going for his fourth major title at age 25, having already won the PGA Championship at Kiawah in 2012. He’s got plenty of youth behind him – Fowler is 25, Day 26.

The old-timers didn’t fare too shabby, either.

Steve Stricker – a 47-year-old, part-time player who was picked as an assistant U.S. Ryder Cup captain this week – showed he’s still got plenty of game. He made four birdies on his first nine holes on the way to a 68, which left him four shots back along with Westwood. Also at 5 under were Graham DeLaet (68), Victor Dubuisson (68), Joost Luiten (69), Henrik Stenson (71).

Kentucky native Kenny Perry will get to celebrate his 54th birthday on Sunday at Valhalla after shooting 69. A pair of 51-year-olds, Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, also made the cut.

A steady rain forced officials to suspend the round after just 20 minutes because of too much water on the putting surfaces and fairways. Work crews already were using squeegees on the greens when another burst of showers hit Valhalla.

Play was halted as Palmer was playing the first hole. He hung out in the tower with some volunteers, snapping pictures of the water.

“I wasn’t quite sure we should have teed off, to be honest with you,” he said. “You could barely see the fairway.”

The sun came out late in the day.

Not soon enough to brighten Woods’ day.

The RBC Canadian Open means something different to everyone. To some, it’s an opportunity to introduce their children to the game, to others, it offers motivation to perfect their swing. Tony Harris, however, looks at the national championship a little differently.

As the official artist of the RBC Canadian Open, Harris recreates some of Canada’s most renowned courses on canvas. A golfer himself, he insists on producing imagery that appeals to both the artistically inclined and the golf enthusiast.

“If I’m commissioned to do a painting of a golf course I want to find the hole that shows the character of the entire course,” Harris said of his passion for painting courses. “If it’s going to be one hole, I’m hoping to really display the character of the entire 18 hole experience. Even as a non-artist looking at a golf painting, you’d be able to see if you’ve played St. George’s 18th hole [because] you’d know you’re about 200 yards out and you’re going to have to hit a soft fade to that back right pin if you want to get it close. That’s what I try to do for the golfer, not necessarily as an artist, but I always want that picture to make sense to the golf purist who understands and knows golf.”

Producing these pieces is not a simple task, and usually takes longer than most golf tournaments themselves. Harris noted that most pieces take him between 50 – 80 hours to complete, and this is after the initial photography of the golf course.

“I work from photograph. I take pictures and I’ll often do some sketchwork from the course.I’m usually there for the entire day so the light can fall at different times,” he continued. “Unless I’m absolutely sure of what hole to paint, I’ll generally spend time between two different holes to give myself some options. I’ll travel between the holes, do sketches, and take lots of pictures early in the morning.”

And Harris’ favourite course to paint? Augusta National, naturally.

“I could paint Augusta National forever,” he said. “I’ve done four different paintings of No. 12 from so many different spots; it’s just one of those things that will just never get old.Even though it’s the same every year, every year there’s always a different time of day that makes the hole look different.”

Harris has not only mastered the art of golf landscapes, but maintains an extensive collection of sports portraits as well. Having painted some of the NHL’s biggest names including Henrik Sedin and Mike Fischer, as the world evolves into one based on instant digital photography, it is refreshing to watch Harris continue to capture the action and emotion of professional sports on canvas.

The 17th hole at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The second round of the PGA Championship was off to a soggy start and a sudden stop Friday.

A steady rain forced officials to suspend the round after just 20 minutes because of too much water on the putting surfaces and fairways. Work crews already were using squeegees on the greens when another burst of showers hit Valhalla.

Play was halted about 45 minutes before Rory McIlroy was to tee off, and as Ryan Palmer was playing the first hole.

Palmer, Lee Westwood and Kevin Chappell shared the first-round lead at 6-under 65. Palmer was the only one of the leaders to play Friday morning. McIlroy was among those one shot behind.

It already was shaping up as a long day.

Play resumed after 45 minutes, but with more rain in the forecast, it is unlikely the second round would be completed Friday. Tiger Woods, in 109th place and in danger of missing the cut at the PGA for the second time in four years, plays in the afternoon.

Adding to the difficulty of a soggy course, players had to contend with mud.

Championship director Kerry Haigh said the ball was to be played as it lies – the players will not be allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls through the green as often happens in regular tour events.

He said no consideration was given to restarting the second round using preferred lies. Once a round begins under one set of conditions, it cannot change. Haigh didn’t see the need.

“We are playing the ball down,” Haigh said. “Once we start the round, we will not change. Really, there was no consideration to that. The fairways are good. And the Rules of Golf allow for relief if the ball is in casual water.”

Rain was in the forecast for most of Friday. While it would soften the greens, it would make the course longer.

Palmer came up short of the green from out of the rough on the 504-yard second hole, though he pitched to 2 feet to save par. He opened with three straight pars to stay in a share of the lead.

McIlroy typically enjoys soft conditions. That was the case at Firestone last week, and he said he was “licking his lips” when he saw the course. McIlroy rallied from a three-shot deficit to win the World Golf Championship, his first tournament since a wire-to-wire victory at Royal Liverpool in the British Open.

McIlroy won his first major at rain-softened Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open with a record score of 16-under 268.