|
HAVEN, Wis. -- Mother Nature does not play fair! From 20-mph gusts on Thursday to a washout on Friday, both morning and afternoon groups have had to deal with some serious weather adversity. At least some of the guys played well in the variable conditions. For others, I was surprised to see stressful faces on those who should be comfortable in these situations. Just because the round gets cut short at the final major of the year doesn't mean I'm going to change my grading system. On the contrary, I dug in even deeper. Each player's grade is solely based on how he performed on Friday, not against another player. Nor is their grade a comparison to the previous day's performance (even if reference is made to it). Here are the Day 2 grades. Rory McIlroy  Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 1
Score: 71-71 (-2) As the rust falls away, the ball striking should get better, shouldn't it? Missing seven greens is not acceptable for the No. 1 player in the world. At least not if he wants to stay there. While I accept that rust falls off in chunks, if you're here to win, it's time to flip the switch.
Jordan Spieth  Grade: A-
World ranking: No. 2
Score: 71-67 (-6) Spieth did on Friday exactly what major champions do -- find a way. And now he's in a position to get into a very special place in history. The minus is for the bogey. Other than that, Jordan did what we are coming to expect in crunch time -- make putts.
Bubba Watson  Grade: B
World ranking: No. 3
Score: 72-DNF (-1 through 16) I'm giving Bubba a lot of credit here. He is grinding harder than I can ever recall on a course he's not crazy about. Four birdies and three bogeys with two holes to complete (he was on the 17th green when play was called). His iron play is improved even if his putting has not been as strong. Watching him grind should change some perceptions, or at least start to.
Jim Furyk  Grade: B-
World ranking: No. 4
Score: 73-DNF (-1 through 16) He hadn't hit the tee shot at 17 yet, but through 16 holes this guy won't stop fighting. With a bad bogey on No. 2, the round could have gotten away early. But Furyk made three birdies in the middle of the round. A bogey on the 15th keeps him under par for the day and even for the tournament. The minus is for playing the par fives at 1-over today.
Jason Day  Grade: A-
World ranking: No. 5
Score: 68-DNF (-9 through 14) With a better drive at the reachable par-4 6th hole, Day could easily have been double digits under par right now. That was his only hiccup, so he gets the minus. He's looking like the guy who wants his first major to be this week. Day has six birdies already and still has a par 5 to play. Hopefully the weather break doesn't derail his momentum.
Justin Rose  Grade: B+
World ranking: No. 6
Score: 69-DNF (-8 through 17) One hole to play. How does a guy earn a B-grade with a double-bogey on the card? When he makes four birdies around the double! He's at 5-under on the day with eight birdies on the scorecard. His caddie told me on the practice green before they teed off that they were going low. Maybe his caddie felt how warm the putter was getting under the headcover?
Rickie Fowler  Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 7
Score: 73-DNF (E through 14) Fowler still has four holes to play, but he just can't seem to get anything going consistently. He does have three birdies on the board, but also has two bogeys. The cause of most of his woes have been from some bad driving, hitting only five of 12 fairways, which turns into bad iron play. It's almost a small miracle he's under par for the day.
Dustin Johnson  Grade: D-
World ranking: No. 8
Score: 66-DNF (-5 through 14) This weather stoppage may be the best thing that happens for DJ. Three bogeys in his last four holes, and he's the only guy in the top 12 on the leaderboard who's over par. That is not even a little bit acceptable. I won't fail him because he's got two birdies up, but consider this grade a 61 percent.
Henrik Stenson  Grade: B+
World ranking: No. 9
Score: 76-66 (-2) I love it when a student listens! Stenson leads the tour in total driving, but you know the saying, "drive for show." Well, today he hit 15 greens in regulation, while only having 28 putts in shooting a 66! Stenson went from out the door to a possible top-15 finish. Two bogeys prevented an A, but now he'll have something to work toward.
Sergio Garcia  Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 10
Score: 72-DNF (-1 through 17) This roller coaster ride started great with three birdies in the first five holes, a small dip with bogey on No. 8, but two more birdies on the 10th and 11th. Then he doubled 14 and bogeyed 15. He was on the green at the final hole when the horn sounded. Please let me off this ride.
Tiger Woods  Grade: D+
World ranking: 278
Score: 75-DNF (+4 through 13) Five holes remain. Good news? He's likely playing next week in Greensboro, North Carolina. Bad news? He has to finish this death march to his third missed major cut. Tiger gets the plus for the great start, but that's also why he gets the D-grade. He gave people hope, then crushed their collective dreams.
Hiroshi Iwata  Grade: A+
World ranking: 102
Score: 77-63 (-4) I don't even care that he made a bogey on the ninth hole! Start the day at 5-over and tell a pro he'll finish at 4-under in a major, most will laugh you out of the media center. Not Hiroshi. Five birdies and an eagle on the back nine, next thing you know, a relatively unknown player from Japan ties the best score ever at a major. That is in my top 5 turnarounds of all time. I hope Hiroshi finds a way to finish in the top 10. Oh the story he could tell his grandkids!
Brian Gaffney  *Brian Gaffney, the club pro, shot a second-round 73 and made the cut! He's the only one of the 20 qualifiers to do so, and first one to make the cut since 2011.
|
