SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) – Hiroshi Iwata of Japan fired a 90-yard wedge from the rough on No. 18 that nearly rolled in before settling 3 feet from the cup. That tap-in par for a 63 was the best score at the PGA Championship so far and good enough to match the lowest single round ever in a major.
“I’m honored to be here to be interviewed. But when I came in,” Iwata smiled and said through an interpreter,” I thought it was going to be more people.”
Iwata’s round Friday was 14 strokes better than his opening-day score of 77, which came in drier, much windier conditions. He is at 4-under 140 for the tournament, three shots behind clubhouse leader David Lingmerth.
Just two months ago, Iwata shot a 10-under 62 in the second round of the Thailand Open. Asked the difference between those rounds, he laughed and said, “Just one shot different. Nothing else.”
The 34-year-old pro has won twice on Japan’s tour and is currently No. 2 on the money list. This was his first PGA Championship and only his second time playing in the United States, following an appearance at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he failed to make the cut. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for third at the World Golf Championship-HSBC event this year.