SPRINGFIELD // Severe thunderstorms drenched Baltusrol with heavy rain on Monday, cutting short the first practice session for the 98th PGA Championship and soaking greens that had been fast in afternoon heat.
Sweltering heat greeted players in the early afternoon but the day ended with standing water puddled across many areas of the course after thunder, lightning and downpours.
PGA of America officials halted play at 4.38pm local time and had spectators seek shelter, several dozen huddling in the massive souvenir tent until a break between storms allowed them a chance to leave.
It was a signal that players could face a lot of extremes in this week’s quest for the Wanamaker Trophy, with forecasts for hot conditions until storms are set to return for the weekend.
World No 1 Jason Day of Australia will try to defend his first major title, which he won last year at Whistling Straits.
“I feel good about my game,” Day said. “I’m hitting a lot of good shots and that has given me confidence. I should be good to go.”
See also:
• PGA Championship: Jason Day defends crown as Phil Mickelson seeks more magic
• Tiger Woods to miss PGA Championship and rest of the season to focus on injury recovery
Day was won seven titles in the past year and flirted with major success, sharing 10th at the Masters and eighth at the US Open.
His mindset is less about repeating as champion, especially on a different course, than it is about achieving new feats.
“I never really look at it as defending,” he said. “I try to win it again. That’s the mentality.”
World No 2 Dustin Johnson made his major breakthrough last month by winning the US Open at Oakmont. The American also won a WGC event at Firestone and shared ninth at the British Open, enough good finishes to bolster his confidence entering the final major tournament of the year.
“I think the game is in really good shape,” Johnson said. “Do a little practice on the putting in the next few days, but other than that, I’m really confident in the game right now. I feel like everything is going really well.”
Day will play the first two rounds alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2014 PGA Championship winner, and Phil Mickelson, the 46-year-old American left-hander who won the last PGA Championship played at Baltusrol in 2005.
Mickelson battled British Open winner Henrik Stenson into the final holes before settling for second to the Swede at Royal Troon two weeks ago.
Johnson will play Thursday and Friday alongside Stenson and Masters champion Danny Willett of England in the annual threesome of the season’s major winners. Each won his first major this year, and none of them wants to see another first-timer take the trophy this week.
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Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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