Jordan Spieth climbing leaderboard and Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata fires record-tying 63 at PGA Championship

Jordan Spieth was in the swing of things during the second round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, and Japan's Hiroshi Iwata had the record books on his mind. Iwata fired a 63 on Friday in Wisconsin to become one of only 25 players have ever shot 63 in a major, with Greg Norman and Vijay Singh doing it twice.

Hiroshi Iwata of Japan watches his tee shot on the first hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits on August 14, 2015, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Tom Pennington / Getty IShow more

Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata equalled the lowest round in major championship history as Jordan Spieth took another step towards an even more impressive feat in the PGA Championship.

Iwata fired an eagle, eight birdies and one bogey to card a 63, the 34-year-old from Miyagi covering the back nine at Whistling Straits on the shore of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin in just 29 to improve on his opening 77 by 14 shots.

That gave the world No 102 a halfway total of four-under par, three behind clubhouse leader David Lingmerth – who added a 70 to his opening 67 – and two behind, Spieth, who is attempting to become just the third player after Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods to win three majors in a season.

Spieth began the day five shots off the pace and was tipping playing partner Rory McIlroy to make a move up the leader board, but it was the Masters and US Open champion who took advantage of the ideal conditions to shoot 67.

Defending champion McIlroy double bogeyed the 18th hole, his ninth of the day, and chipped in for an eagle on the second in an eventful second consecutive 71 to finish two under par.

“I felt like tee to green I hit the ball pretty well, I’m probably just not as sharp with the short game as I would like to be,” the world No 1 said.

Needing a birdie at the tricky 18th to etch his name into golf’s history books, Iwata hit an ideal drive but then left his approach 30 yards short of the elevated green from where he got up and down for a par.

That gave Iwata a superb nine-under round and a four-under total of 140.

Iwata, who had eight birdies, an eagle at the par-five 11th, and a bogey, became the 25th player to shoot a 63 at a major.

There have been 27 major rounds of 63, with Greg Norman and Vijay Singh doing it twice each. Iwata’s 63 is the first since American Jason Dufner in the second round of the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.

Lingmerth rebounded from a bad stretch to head to the locker room with the lead.

A back-nine birdie burst saw him regain the outright lead at seven-under par. The Swede had topped the leaderboard at eight-under for the tournament after birdies at three of his first five holes.

But his fortunes changed abruptly with a double bogey at the par-three seventh followed by bogeys at eight and nine.

Lingmerth regained the lead with three birdies on the trot starting at the 12th.

What George Coetzee could use, meanwhile, is the prize money.

After shooting a 7-under 65 at the PGA Championship yesterday, Coetzee joked that he could use a little spare cash to pay off some debt he incurred in the money games against his South African buddies during the practice rounds this week.

The foursome usually includes Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace.

To hear Coetzee tell it, he is not doing so well in those games.

“I’ve actually got to make some money to pay some bets this weekend,” he said.

Joking aside, he said it is great to play golf with the likes of Schwartzel and Oosthuizen, who each have a major.

“Makes me feel like I also deserve to be among them,” Coetzee said.

Coetzee fired seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to card the lowest round of the week before Iwata’s heroics.

* Agencies

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