Kuchar sets the pace

Aug 13 2010

Matt Kuchar was top of the leaderboard with four holes of his second round to play as he took charge at the US PGA Championship on Friday.

Kuchar, seventh in the American Ryder Cup standings at the start of the final counting event for the Americans, followed an outward 36 with a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th.

That fired him to eight under and gave him a three-stroke lead, but it was cut to two by compatriot Bryce Molder and then by England's Simon Khan when he chipped in for eagle at the 355-yard sixth.

Also in the hunt was 21-year-old Rory McIlroy, who followed up a first-round 71 that included six birdies and also two double-bogeys with birdies at the 13th, 14th and first to stand four under.

That put him into a tie for ninth, the same mark as Italian Francesco Molinari, who led Europe's challenge on the first day with a 68 and was not due to tee off again until late in the day.

The same applied to Tiger Woods, one under overnight, but his position as world number one was not being put under threat by either Phil Mickelson or Steve Stricker.

Mickelson had a double-bogey six on the 18th to be one over midway through his second round and Stricker triple-bogeyed the short 17th to be on the same mark.

The 223-yard 17th had also claimed Darren Clarke as a victim, with a double-bogey five, as he tumbled from three under overnight to two over with a 74.

But the Ulsterman was back at the scene a few hours later - and birdied it to get back to level par, the same as Ross McGowan, Simon Dyson and Shane Lowry.

Irish Open champion Ross Fisher was 10 over with five to go, US Open champion Graeme McDowell five over after 10 and Oliver Wilson just one better than that.