ordan Spieth began his quest for the career Grand Slam by not making a putt longer than 5 feet. What helped was that Quail Hollow punished just about everyone at some point Thursday in the PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark emerged as the top survivors on a course with some of the fastest, scariest putting surfaces the PGA Championship has ever seen. And both had to watch lengthy birdie putts creep into the cup on the 18th hole to share the lead at 4-under 67.

For all the talk about this 7,600-yard course favouring the big hitters, the shortest club in the bag turned out to be just as valuable.

“Any time you have a putt down grain, downhill … we just tap it and hope it stops by the hole,” Jon Rahm said after a 70.

Spieth is among the best putters in golf, especially from long range. On consecutive holes, he ran long putts some 10 feet by the cup and made bogey. He saved his round with two late birdies for a 1-over 72 and still was just five shots behind.

The 24-year-old Texan would become the sixth, and youngest, player to complete the Grand Slam if he were to win the PGA Championship.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka led five players at 68. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was 1-under 70 to tie for 15th after the first round. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was 7-over 78 and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was 8-over 79.

Koepka missed a half-dozen putts from 12 feet or closer, and while it looked as though he hit the ball well enough to go low at Quail Hollow, he wasn’t the least bit frustrated.

“It’s going to test your patience one way or another,” Koepka said. “That’s just a major. You’ve got to stay patient. You can’t make doubles out here. That’s the big thing. Make sure the worst score you make is a bogey and give yourself a couple of good chances on the easier holes.”

That’s the way Kisner approached it.

It helps that he grew up in the South and loves Bermuda greens. Given the size of Quail Hollow, Kisner drew up a simple plan. He identified four or five holes where he could make birdie, and he played for par everywhere else.

“I birdied them all today,” Kisner said. “Make a lot of pars, and get to a par 5 or one of those short par 4s, I can do my wedge game and get it to 10 or 12 feet. That’s my plan. Other than that, I’m playing for par.”

The 18th was not one of the birdie holes he had in mind, especially with his ball nestled in the Bermuda rough 205 yards from the pin. Kisner thought the grass was thin enough behind the ball to get a 5-iron on it, and from there it was a matter of judging how much it would bounce. It ran up to the green about 20 feet away, and he used that rhythmic putting stroke to trickle it into the cup.

Olesen picked up birdies on most of the same holes, and he finished with a 30-foot birdie that also sounded like an accident.

“It was a little bit of a safe shot into the green,” he said. “That’s what can happen on this golf course. When you play safe into the greens, you give yourself very tricky putts, like the one I had – downhill, left-to-right. It was very, very fast. But it was just a very good roll. So it was nice to see that one drop.”

Rickie Fowler made plenty of birdies, and he needed them to offset his triple bogey on the sixth hole.

Rory McIlroy, the betting favourite coming into the week because of his two victories at Quail Hollow, was motoring along just fine when he birdied the 10th hole to reach 2 under, just two shots behind. One swing changed everything. He hooked his tee shot into the water on the reachable par-4 14th, had to drop in nasty rough and missed a short putt to make double bogey. He failed to birdie the par-5 15th and closed with three pars for a 72.

Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day were among those at 1-under 70.

Quail Hollow played to an average score of 74.7, making the PGA Championship look like the toughest test of the year in the majors. The PGA Championship typically features good scoring because it’s held in August when water has to be kept on the greens to keep them from dying.

The club switched to Bermuda grass, and with the undulation on the greens, it became a beast to play. The 67s were the highest score to lead the opening round of the PGA Championship since Matt Kuchar shot 67 at Whistling Straits in 2010.

Spieth failed to take advantage, and while he could appreciate they were tough to putt, he had a good day off the tee. That was his main concern.

As for the pressure of trying to get the final leg of the Grand Slam?

“I don’t think I was as free rolling as I thought I would be, as you can tell by some frustration,” he said. “If I would have shot 1 over and didn’t strike it well and everything was average, it would have been fine. But when I had the chances that I had and I just couldn’t get the ball to go in on the greens, that is when I get the most frustrated I can get out there.”

At least he was still in the game.

Phil Mickelson failed to make a single birdie – the second straight major that has happened – and shot a 79, his worst score ever in the PGA Championship. Ernie Els, who might be playing his final PGA, matched his worst score in the championship with an 80. He also shot 80 when he was 22 playing his first one at Bellerive in 1992.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – In a joint announcement, the PGA of America and the PGA TOUR today announced that beginning in 2019, the PGA Championship will be played in the month of May – while THE PLAYERS Championship will be contested in March at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“In weighing the complex evolution of the golf calendar, the PGA of America’s key objectives were to promote the best interests of our signature spectator Championship, do what is best for the game and its great players, and find the most advantageous platform to fulfill our mission of serving our nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals and growing the game,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “Our analysis began in 2013 and included an extensive list of factors, including having to shift the date every four years to accommodate the Olympic Games. In the end, we determined that playing the PGA Championship the week prior to Memorial Day in May, making it the second major championship of the golf calendar, will achieve those three objectives.

“The golf calendar is dramatically different, especially in the latter portions of the schedule, than it was in the 1970s when our PGA Championship took up residence in August. We are excited about this move to May. It provides our PGA Championship a strong landing spot on the calendar and a consistent major-championship rhythm that golf fans can embrace. For nearly 85 percent of our Membership, May is also on the front-end of the golf season. This date change will allow them to engage new players and introduce various Growth of the Game initiatives entering the heart of the golf season across much of the country.”

“We are thrilled to announce these two significant changes, which will greatly enhance the professional golf calendar starting in 2019,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our thanks to the PGA of America for its partnership in what will allow both organizations to meet our short- and long-term objectives, while delivering incredibly compelling golf to our fans around the world.

“The calendar for the PGA TOUR season is among the most important and challenging aspects of our business, and the changes we’re unveiling today give significant flexibility to create a schedule including the FedExCup Playoffs that is in the best interests of players, fans, tournaments, communities and our partners, from start to finish.

“THE PLAYERS Championship has grown in stature since we moved to May in 2007 and, regardless of the date, is clearly one of the premier events in all of golf – the best players in the world, a premier venue in THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, an unmatched fan experience and a significant charitable component that benefits the Jacksonville-area community. THE PLAYERS moving to March in 2019 will enhance an already strong Florida portion of our calendar and play a significant role in an overall improved schedule.”

From May 16-19, 2019, Bethpage Black in Farmington, New York, will host the 101st PGA Championship, which will be the first conducted in May since Sam Snead’s triumph in 1949.

A total of four PGA Championships have been held in May. Ben Hogan claimed the second of his two PGA Championship victories in May of ‘48. Denny Shute also hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy in May 1937, as did Snead for the first time in May ’42.

Since its inception in 1916, the PGA Championship has been played in nine different months. It has been the final major championship of the year from 1959-70, and from 1972 through 2017.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Lucas Glover walked off the 18th fairway at Quail Hollow still feeling slightly underdressed.

He wasn’t alone.

“I don’t recognize some of these guys out here, and I’m sure they probably don’t recognize me either,” Glover said.

For the first time in its 99-year history, the PGA Championship allowed players to wear shorts during practice rounds this week , in part to combat the August heat in North Carolina. But on a rain-soaked Tuesday, only about half of the players took advantage of the change, with many like Rory McIlroy choosing to stick with long pants.

But like Glover, Scotland’s Martin Laird couldn’t resist.

“This feels great,” Laird said following his practice round. “It gets a little hot out here during the summer.”

Still, it was different, if not odd, watching Jim Furyk practicing bunker shots wearing shorts and seeing Dustin Johnson chilling in the interview room with bare legs.

The running joke leading up the PGA Championship was that no other major championship course had so many white stakes – except they weren’t boundary markers. They were legs.

“Everybody is razzing each other a little bit,” defending champion Jimmy Walker said. “Some guys look good in shorts and some guys don’t. It’s pretty funny. There are a lot of untanned legs out there. You can tell those Florida boys, they have been soaking the sun up. I’ve been up in Utah and overseas for a few weeks so my legs are kind of untanned.”

Johnson, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, wore long pants on Monday out of habit, later saying he completely forgot about the rule. But he wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice, throwing on shorts for Tuesday’s practice round.

“Hopefully we can do this a little more,” Johnson said.

Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler wore shorts as well on Tuesday.

Never one to miss a fashion statement, John Daly broke out some red, white and blue shorts with stars. And Pat Perez donned bright cherry red shorts that matched his high-top Jordan golf cleats.

Even Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, who are gearing up for their 100th majors this week, opted for shorts on the practice tee.

“I love that they took a risk and did something with the players in mind and I think it’s turned out well,” Mickelson said. “I hope that their example gets followed by the tour. I think it would be a great thing.”

McIlroy, the odds-on favourite to win the tournament, said he opted for long blue pants when he looked outside in the morning and saw dark skies.

“Hey, if it was sunny it would be great,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “Obviously it’s raining out. So I don’t get why people are wearing shorts.”

Still, McIlroy is one of many golfers who likes that the rules have been relaxed.

While the look Tuesday was in stark contrast to a century ago when golfers wore coats and ties on the course, McIlroy said the game needs to adapt because tournaments are being held in warmer climates during summer months.

“I know walking 18 holes around there, if it was hot and humid and in the 90s, as it is here sometimes this year, shorts are very much appreciated,” McIlroy said.

Some traditionalists have criticized the move, saying it’s inappropriate and lacks class. Others point to the LPGA Tour, where women have worn shorts and skirts for years.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with professional golfers showing the lower half of their leg,” McIlroy cracked.

PGA of America president Paul Levy announced in February that players would be allowed to wear shorts during practice rounds of its championships. The European Tour approved a similar rule last year, allowing players to wear shorts during practice rounds and pro-ams.

Italy’s Francesco Molinari called the change “a step in the right direction” for golf.

He’s among many professional golfers who’d like to see the PGA Championship allow players to wear shorts during competition, not just practice rounds.

“Hopefully one day we will get there,” Molinari said.

Chris Stroud ended more than a decade of futility on the PGA Tour with two of the most important shots of his career.

One was a 5-wood to 5 feet on the final hole of the Barracuda Championship that got him into a playoff. The other was a 5-iron to 12 feet on the par-5 18th hole that made him a PGA Tour winner for the first time in 11 years and 289 tournaments.

“Eleven years I’ve waited for that,” Stroud said when he was introduced as a tour winner. “So it’s a dream come true.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., had a hole in one and tied for 34th at -10. Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch was tied for 65th at -1.

Not even in the picture for so much of the final round, Stroud rallied over the final six holes at Montreaux Golf and Country Club with three birdies and an eagle to get into a three-man playoff. He won with a two-putt birdie on the second extra hole.

The victory sends Stroud to the PGA Championship next week, the first of many perks. He also gets a two-year exemption, almost as important as playing a major for a 35-year-old who only had conditional status this year.

He also gets into the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, the start of the new year reserved only for PGA Tour winners.

It required a frenetic finish, especially with the modified Stableford format that awards five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and take away one point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

Stroud picked up 20 points in the final round – 11 of them on that final stretch – and got into the playoff with 45-year-old Greg Owen (making his 264th start on the PGA Tour without a victory) and PGA Tour rookie Richy Werenski.

Owen drove into the water on the 17th hole and made bogey, only to bounce back with a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th to join the playoff. Werenski also was clutch, making an 8-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Owen caught a bad lie in the bunker on the 18th hole in the playoff, bladed it out to 45 feet and missed his birdie putt. He was eliminated when Stroud two-putted from 25 feet for birdie, and Werenski calmly rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt.

“Disappointed,” Owen said. “This time of my career, you don’t get many more chances.”

Returning to the 18th hole, Stroud hit 5-iron to 12 feet. Werenski went long, chipped to 25 feet and missed the birdie putt.

Stroud was inspired by Sergio Garcia, who finally won a major this year at the Masters after 70 tries in the majors as a pro. He ran into the Masters champion at the AT&T Byron Nelson this year.

“I gave him a hug and said congratulations and he said, ‘Just take it easy. It will come to you.’ And I don’t think he even realized how important that was for me,” Stroud said. “I took a back seat. I didn’t push so much to try to win a golf tournament. I just did the best I could to prepare and to show up every week ready to play. And it just came to me.”

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Hideki Matsuyama warmed up poorly and then turned in the best round of his career at the Bridgestone Invitational, a 9-under 61 that tied the course record and gave him another blowout victory in a World Golf Championship.

It was the lowest final round in four decades at Firestone Country Club and led to a five-shot victory over Zach Johnson.

Matsuyama knew from experience that the course record was a 61 because he was in the same group when Tiger Woods shot 61 in the second round in 2013. All it would take was birdies on the last three holes, and like everything else Sunday, the 25-year-old from Japan made it look easy.

“I knew 61 was the number,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. “I was thinking about that at 16. I knew if I birdied 16, 17, 18 I could get there.”

Five wins at the age of 25.

Life is good for Hideki Matsuyama. pic.twitter.com/jYwQucXcgw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 6, 2017

He spun a wedge back to 4 feet on the par-5 16th for birdie. He holed an 8-foot putt on the 17th hole and then closed with another approach and settled 6 feet away. Matsuyama, who began the final round two shots behind Johnson and Thomas Pieters, finished at 15-under 265.

He now has won two World Golf Championships by a combined 12 shots, having captured the HSBC Champions by seven shots in Shanghai last fall. It was his fifth PGA Tour victory, and third this season, tying him with Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth.

Johnson, winless since his British Open victory two years ago at St. Andrews, pulled within one shot with a long birdie putt at the 11th, but he could do no better than pars the rest of the way and shot 68.

Pieters was never in the game after missing 4-foot par putts on successive holes to close out the front nine. He closed with a 71.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 69 to finish the tournament at 7 under and tied for fifth. He began the day three shots back. Mackenzie Hughes (68) of Dundas, Ont., was 9 over for the event.

The only other player with a chance was Charley Hoffman, who also was one shot behind on the back nine. Hoffman was three shots behind on the par-5 16th hole when his caddie suggested laying up because there was no place to get it close by going for the green 282 yards away.

“I’m trying to win a tournament,” Hoffman said. “I’m tired of finishing second.”

"Why not?"

From 282 yards away, @hoffman_charley takes on The Monster head on. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/klgM2CLoHa

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 6, 2017

He ripped a 3-wood onto the green and over the back into light rough, chipped weakly to 15 feet and made par anyway. He wound up with a 66 to finish third, though it was a big step in trying to make his first Presidents Cup team.

Matsuyama’s final birdie broke by one shot the lowest final round by a winner at Firestone. Fulton Allem shot 62 when he won the old World Series of Golf in 1993.

Matsuyama stays at No. 3 in the world by a fraction behind Spieth, though he takes plenty of momentum into the PGA Championship next week as he tries to become the first player from Japan to win a major.

He’ll carry plenty of pressure, too.

Matsuyama moved into elite company last fall in a stretch of six tournaments in which he won four times and was runner-up the other two times. He added to his profile with a playoff victory to win the Phoenix Open for the second straight year.

The winning scorecard.

6️⃣1️⃣ ? pic.twitter.com/VKD9HAgIYQ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 6, 2017

And while he has played well in the majors, including a runner-up finish to Brooks Koepka in the U.S. Open, he has yet to seriously contend.

“I haven’t really played well at Quail Hollow, but hopefully I can keep my game up and do well there,” Matsuyama said. “All I can do is my best. I know a lot of us have tried from Japan to win majors. Hopefully, some day it will happen.”

Rory McIlroy got within one shot of the lead on the front nine with three birdies in six holes until his momentum stalled with a few missed putts. He stumbled on the back nine and shot 69, leaving him in a tie for fifth with Russell Knox, Paul Casey and Adam Hadwin.

Spieth closed with a 68 and tied for 13th in his last tournament before he goes for the career Grand Slam in the PGA Championship. After the Bridgestone Invitational, add one more player – Matsuyama – to the list of major obstacles in his way.

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RENO, Nev. – Greg Owen of England had nine birdies on Saturday to take five-point third round lead of the Barracuda Championship.

Owen had eight birdies and three pars on 11 holes before a double-bogey on 18 to finish a 14-point round in the modified Stableford scoring system that gave him 37 points going into Sunday’s final round.

Stuart Appleby and Derek Fathauer both had birdies on 18 to finish round three tied for second with 32 points. Ricky Barnes had 15 points, including five consecutive birdies, to move up 14 spots into fourth place with 31 points. Second-round leader Richy Werenski had three of his four bogies on the back nine and fell into a tie for fifth with Tom Hoge, Ben Martin and Dicky Pride with 30 points apiece.

The tournament is the PGA Tour’s only Stableford scoring event. The system awards eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was tied for 55th at 16 points, while Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch was 68th at eight points. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., withdrew from the competition.

AKRON, Ohio – Thomas Pieters finds golf to be a lot more enjoyable when he’s playing from the fairway.

Sometimes, that includes another fairway.

The big hitter from Belgium ripped a fairway metal from the third fairway at Firestone over the trees and onto the green at the par-5 second hole, leading to one of his three straight birdies to start the third round at the Bridgestone Invitational. Pieters needed another long shot – this one a 30-foot birdie putt that rammed into the back of the cup – to cap off a wild day with a 4-under 66 and a share of the lead with Zach Johnson.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is three shots back following a 67. He finished his round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 73 and is 11 over.

Johnson, who watched Rory McIlroy blast drives 300 yards or more all day, showed that an efficient wedge game works, too. Just like Pieters, he had eight birdies in a round of 65 and holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Johnson now figures to get another front-row seat to the power game.

Pieters and Johnson were at 9-under 201 going into the final round, and it’s particularly meaningful for both of them.

Johnson hasn’t won since he captured his second major at St. Andrews, and he’s just now starting to find some form with his short game. Pieters is a three-time winner on the European Tour who showed his awesome potential at the Ryder Cup last year, and now has his best chance to win in America since he captured the NCAA title at Riviera while playing for Illinois.

Pieters headed for the driving range after the round to figure out his driver. He was 5 under through eight holes and led by three shots when his accuracy took a turn in every direction – mostly to the left. He didn’t hit a fairway after the 10th hole, dropped three shots and fell out of the lead only as long as it took him to make his eighth and final birdie .

“First eight holes I was in the fairway, hit good shots, made putts,” Pieters said. “And the last 11 is a struggle. I just was out of position every hole. Tomorrow I’ve just got to figure out a way to hit fairways. That’s it.”

Johnson only missed two fairways. More importantly, he is giving himself chances and converted.

“Honing in the wedges with that distance control has been the key, and I think especially the scoring irons,” Johnson said. “And then on a course like this, you’ve got to hit the ball in the fairway. This is the best I’ve driven it probably all year. It’s probably the best driver I’ve had in my bag all year, if not ever.”

He said that after playing with McIlroy, who now has hit 39 out of his 42 drives at Firestone at least 300 yards. McIlroy, however, had to settle for a 68 and left him three shots behind in pursuit of his first victory since the Tour Championship last year.

“I felt like I could have got a lot more out of it,” McIlroy said. “I think if I would have walked off today with a 65 or a 66, I would have felt that was a fair reflection of how I played. But only three behind going into tomorrow, I can get off to a fast start and try and put a bit of pressure on the guys up ahead of me.”

One shot out of the lead was Scott Hend of Australia, who got into his first Bridgestone Invitational on a loophole and posted a 63 even with two three-putt bogeys. The World Golf Championship set aside one spot for the winner of a designated event on the Asian Tour. When that tournament never came together, organizers agreed to take the winner of the Order of Merit from the previous year.

Hend is making the most of his chances in his debut at Firestone. After his lone bogey on the par-3 seventh with a three-putt bogey, Hend took only 10 putts over the final 11 holes, three of them from 30 feet or longer, one of those for par.

“Just channeling my inner Jordan Spieth,” he said.

Hideki Matsuyama, already with one World Golf Championship he won last fall in Shanghai, had a 67 and was two shots behind.

Spieth, meanwhile, needed to channel his inner Hend. He took bogey on the last two holes for a 71 to slip seven shots behind in his bid to win his third straight tournament going into the PGA Championship next week.

Pieters has been looked upon as yet another player to add to the deepening talent pool of young players, especially after his 4-1 record in the Ryder Cup last year at Hazeltine. He has a big game and big expectations, and he can run hot when his game goes sideways.

Pieters made only three pars over his last 11 holes. He took solace going into the final round because he believes he can straighten out his driver, and because he’s in contention for a World GolfChampionship.

“My bad golf is getting better,” he said. “That’s always good.”

RENO, Nev. – Richy Werenski birdied six holes and eagled No. 18 on Friday to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s only modified Stableford scoring event.

The 25-year-old American had a 15-point round to reach 26 points for two trips around the high-altitude course at Montreux Golf and Country Club.

The scoring system awards eight points for double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

Stuart Appleby sits alone in second after a six-birdie, two-bogey round. Greg Owen, Luke List, Ben Martin and Dicky Pride are all tied for third at 23 points. First-round leader John Huh had two birdies and two bogeys to drop into a tie for 19th with 16 points.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was tied for 28th at 15 points, while Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., were in a group tied for 60th at 10 points.

Play was delayed for over an hour due to rain and lightning in the area.

AKRON, Ohio – The sun finally came out, and Jimmy Walker saw a glimpse of what he hopes are brighter days ahead.

In a year marked by coping with Lyme disease and bouts of fatigue, Walker endured rain delays of nearly five hours Friday and posted a 5-under 65 for a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational.

The timing couldn’t be better for Walker, who goes to Quail Hollow next week to defend his title in the PGA Championship.

“It hadn’t been a lot of fun this year,” Walker said. “But it’s nice to see some putts go in and make some solid swings and keep rounds going, make par putts, just the stuff I haven’t been doing.”

He was at 7-under 133, two shots ahead of Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who had a 70.

Walker didn’t have a lot going last year until he finished well in the Canadian Open, and then went wire-to-wire at Baltusrol the next week to win the PGA Championship. So maybe there’s another spark he can find at Firestone Country Club.

“There’s still a lot of golf on a hard course, but I know it’s there,” he said.

He also has a slew of players not far behind him in this World Golf Championship. Rory McIlroy put together a steady round of 69 and was three shots back, along with Zach Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, who each shot 67.

The large group at 3-under 137 included Jordan Spieth, going after his third straight victory. Spieth missed a short par putt on the 15th and was slipping behind when he faced an awkward lie from the edge of a bunker. Stumbling out of the sand backward, he nearly holed the shot and made birdie, and then he stuffed his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 18th hole to salvage a 70.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is also four shots back after a 69. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a second straight round of 74 and is 8 over.

Jason Day, winless in nearly 15 months, also got back into the picture despite some mild back pain. He opened with three straight birdies and shot 30 on the front nine to get back near the leaders, though two bogeys on the back nine slowed him and he shot 66. He was in the group at 137.

“The front side definitely felt like 2015, 2016,” Day said, alluding to his best stretch of golf when he rose to No. 1 in the world. “I was just pouring in everything. I know that it’s still in there. I’ve just got to keep practicing hard. I know it will eventually happen.”

Day felt he was slowed by the last – and longest – of the rain delays. He returned to three-putt the 10th for a bogey and never got back any momentum.

It was like that for everyone who slogged through a 10-hour day.

The second round was delayed 45 minutes at the start, and then another 45 minutes when a small band of storms rolled through. A delayed of some 3 1/2 hours followed, making it feel like two separate rounds and one long day.

Walker still isn’t out of the woods just yet. He first thought he had mononucleosis around the Masters, and it eventually was diagnosed as Lyme’s disease. He has tried to muddle through the year when his energy allowed, though there hasn’t been a lot of practice.

And even a 65, which matched his low score of the year, wasn’t smooth sailing.

“It’s day to day,” he said. “I felt pretty good all week physically, and I wake up this morning and I’ve just got his overall flu feeling in my body. So I take some Advil, it goes away. And then during the last break, it came back, so I took some more. Now it’s gone. You just never know when it’s going to spike up.”

But he felt good enough to make birdie on both par 3s on the back nine, and drop only one shot on the round.

The scoring has been good with the rain and softer greens, and a South course that was in pristine condition to start the tournament. A strong wind arrived after the storm cleared, which kept everyone’s attention.

Only two dozen players from the 76-man field remained under par.

Among those who fell back was Dustin Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player still trying to find his form from a back injury that knocked him out of the Masters. He hit only one green in regulation on the front nine – 60 feet from the hole – and shot 40. Johnson didn’t make a single birdie in his round of 75 that knocked him 10 shots out of the lead heading into the final major of the year.

RENO, Nev. – John Huh made plenty of putts in the Barracuda Championship, which leads to good results no matter how the score is kept.

Huh took only 24 putts on Thursday at Montreaux Golf and Country Club, the last one from 6 feet for his eighth birdie on his final hole to give him 15 points and a one-point lead over Stuart Appleby and Miguel Angel Carballo.

“Twenty-four putts is always nice. That was the key to make a few birdies,” Huh said. “Hopefully, I can do it the next three days.”

Appleby also had eight birdies against two bogeys, while Carballo made up ground with a pair of eagles, one in which he holed out from 160 yards on No. 17.

This is the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford format that awards five points for an eagle and three points for a birdie, while deducting one point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

Huh, who hasn’t won since Mexico as a rookie in 2012, tied for third the only other time he played the Barracuda Championship in 2014. The timing couldn’t be better. He is not in the PGA Championship next week, meaning he has only the Barracuda Championship and the Wyndham Championship in two weeks to finish in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup and keep his full card for next season. Huh currently is at No. 112.

That’s a goal for eight of the top nine players on the leaderboard. Appleby and Carballo are outside the top 200.

Six players were at 13 points, a group that included Ryan Palmer. He needs to win to get into the PGA Championship next week at Quail Hollow. The PGA is holding a spot for a player who wins at Montreaux that is not already eligible.

Carballo only had three birdies against two bogeys, but those two eagles were worth the equivalent of five birdies (10 points). After holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie on the 16th, he holed out from 160 yards on the next hole. Then after he missed the green at No. 1 from the fairway and made bogey, the Argentine ripped a 3-wood that couldn’t see it was close until he got up near the green and saw it 8 feet from the hole.

“We were hoping for the best and it ended up being right next to the pin,” he said.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch is tied for 10th with 11 points while Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., has six points. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., has five points.

Davis Love III, who celebrates the 20-year anniversary of his PGA Championship victory next week, had 11 points. His son, Dru Love, was at minus 4 points and toward the bottom of the pack.