PGA Championship 2023 live updates: Final round at Rochester’s Oak Hill Country Club

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The 2023 PGA Championship is into the weekend at Oak Hill Country Club. It’s the fourth time the course has hosted the championship.

The field started with 156 players. The top 70 and ties made the weekend. Two LIV golfers are hanging around the top of the leaderboard.

Saturday’s been a sloppy one so far, but the weather outlook for Sunday is looking better, with the forecast calling for sunny skies and a high of 73 degrees.

Golfweek, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest news, updates, analysis and more throughout the day.

Who are the PGA Championship announcers?

Who are the PGA Championship announcers?

ESPN: Scott Van Pelt will anchor live coverage on ESPN and ESPN+ and will be joined for analysis by former world No. 1 golfer David Duval. Hole announcers are Curtis Strange, Bob Wischusen and David Fleming. On-course reporters will be Andy North, Billy Kratzert, Suzy Whaley, Ken Brown and John Maginnes.

CBS: Jim Nantz will host the network’s coverage from the 18th tower for the 33rd straight year and will be joined by analyst Trevor Immelman. Hole announcers are Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo. On-course reporters will be Dottie Pepper, Colt Knost and Mark Immelman. Amanda Renner will provide reports and conduct interviews.

— Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

A dozen major events. Which one was most memorable?

A flag flies during a practice round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

The first recognized major tournament at Oak Hill was the 1949 U.S. Amateur which, at that time, was considered every bit as important as the U.S. Open.

Charlie Coe of Oklahoma routed Texan Rufus King 11-and-10 in the 36-hole final as more than 15,000 spectators watched the action during the week.

Among the 210 contestants who started the tournament were Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Julius Boros, Art Wall Jr., Willie Turnesa and Rochester’s own Sam Urzetta, who the following year would win the Amateur title in Minneapolis.

All told, a dozen major events have been held at the Donald Ross design. Here’s a look at each of them.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

Stallings makes first eagle of the week

Warren Little, Getty Images

Scott Stallings began his round on the 10th hole which, most golf analysts believe, will play as one of the easiest of the week on the East Course. Stallings proved that as he striped a drive down the middle at the 423-yard par-4. With 128 yards left to the flag, Stallings likely hit some type of wedge and he two-hopped it into the hole for an eagle-2.

Live Leaderboard: PGA Championship Tournament Scores, Schedules, Pairings and More

The 38-year-old is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, the last in 2014. He has said that if he wasn’t a professional golfer, he’d be a pediatrician. Stallings has struggled this season as he has no top-10 finishes in 16 starts.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

Map of Oak Hill Country Club

The first hole green and second hole tee box at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Photo: Gabe Gudgel/Golfweek)

Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course is regarded as one of top golf courses in America. It’s also one of the most challenging. The East Course is built around part of Allen Creek, which weaves a hazard through half of the holes. The par-70 course plays 7.394 yards. Here’s a hole-by-hole bird’s-eye view.

Hole by hole distances and par 

• No. 1, 460 yards, par 4

• No. 2, 405 yards, par 4

• No. 3, 230 yards, par 3

• No. 4, 615 yards, par 5

• No. 5, 180 yards, par 3

• No. 6, 503 yards, par 4

• No. 7, 461 yards, par 4

• No. 8, 429 yards, par 4

• No. 9, 482 yards, par 4

• No. 10, 430 yards, par 4

• No. 11, 245 yards, par 3

• No. 12, 399 yards, par 4

• No. 13, 623 yards, par 5

• No. 14, 320 yards, par 4

• No. 15, 155 yards, par 3

• No. 16, 458 yards, par 4

• No. 17, 502 yards, par 4

• No. 18, 497 yards, par 4

— Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

A pre-PGA Championship photo of Phil Mickelson and Collin Morikawa became a hilarious meme

We have seen so many Phil Mickelson memes over the years.

Now? We’ve got one from before the 2023 PGA Championship, starring Lefty and Collin Morikawa.

The situation: The pair were among the former winners of the major coming out of Tuesday’s PGA Champions dinner, and although there were others in the snap — Rory McIlroy and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan — the jokes were pouring in about what Lefty was saying to Morikawa (lots and lots of finance jokes ahead), especially while they were all dressed up.

— Charles Curtis, For The Win

Hole of the day (No. 7): The ideal tee shot is a draw, but starting at the creek

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsYuNs1rFpK/?hl=en

The seventh hole at Oak Hill Country Club is tricky from tee to green and offers several examples of the challenges players will face at the 2023 PGA Championship.

A cluster of large trees guards the left corner of this slight dogleg left par 4, but players who hit their tee shot to the right side of the fairway to avoid those oaks bring a creek into play. The ideal tee shot is a draw, but that means starting your drive at the creek, which makes many golfers uncomfortable.

If a player finds the fairway, it will be critical for his approach shot to stay below the hole because the green tilts from back to front. Hitting an approach shot too far past the flag will mean a lightning-fast putt for birdie, but a large bunker will swallow up any iron shot that comes up short. So, while the green is expansive, with Thursday’s hole location being in the middle-right portion of the green, a player who wants to make a birdie has to hit a very small area over the bunker but short of the hole.

— David Dusek, Golfweek

Higa, Bradley, Theegala tied atop leaderboard early on at Oak Hill

The conditions right now at Oak Hill are spectacular. It’s comfortably cool because the sun is shining, and there’s very little wind for the players to contend with.

Kazuki Higa has leveled off since his quick start and has made six pars and a bogey, so as he plays his 13th hole, he’s at 3-under-par. He also has company on that number atop the leaderboard as Keegan Bradley has opened his round on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 10, 12 and 13.

Bradley, who is the nephew of former LPGA great Pat Bradley who Rochester golf fans are well aware of, won the PGA the first time he played it back in 2011. He beat Jason Dufner in a playoff, the same Dufner who win the tournament two years later at Oak Hill.

But Bradley has struggled in recent years, though he did break a four-year victory drought when he won the Zozo Championship last October.

Sahith Theegala also sits at 3 under through 11.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

Scheffler off to strong start in return to Rochester

Scottie Scheffler hits onto a green during a practice round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Scheffler made the turn at 1 under on Thursday, using a single birdie on No. 14 to put himself in solid early position. It’s not the first time he’s been to the region.

Back while playing at the University of Texas, Scheffler made a trip to Rochester to compete in the storied Monroe Invitational, an amateur event that takes place just a few miles to the southeast of Oak Hill at Monroe Golf Club.

The Monroe has crowned some big names as champions through the years, with Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley capturing the title in 1976 and subsequent winners including PGA Tour players Jeff Sluman (1981), Chris DiMarco (1988), D.J. Trahan (2002), Dustin Johnson (2007) and Taylor Pendrith (2014).

Scheffler’s roommate in Austin was Gavin Hall, who hailed from the Rochester area and invited him to make the trip to Western New York for the 2016 Monroe, where the weather can be wildly unpredictable.

“We came up, stayed at his house,” Scheffler said. “I woke up with a big crick in my neck and it was really cold here and I played the first round
and I’m never one to withdraw. I’ll limp in. I want to finish
and I want to compete.

“But my dad … he was here, and he ended up calling my coach, and Randy (Smith) called me on the phone and was like, yeah, you really just need to be mature here and come home. It was like 50 degrees, the wind was blowing 20, and I had the U.S. Open next week. I listened to Randy.”

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek 

How good is Oak Hill? It's high on our Golfweek's Best rankings

The Oak Hill clock at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Photo: Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

Oak Hill’s East Course in Rochester, New York – site of this week’s PGA Championship – originally was designed by architectural legend Donald Ross and opened in 1926. The layout was revised several times over the decades, most recently as Andrew Green put much of the Ross flavor back into the East.

Oak Hill’s East will play to 7,394 yards with a par of 70 for this week’s major championship.

The East ranks No. 12 in New York on Golfweek’s Best list of private courses in each state. It also comes in at No. 42 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of all classic courses in the United States.

— Jason Lusk, Golfweek 

Rory McIlroy plays a poor first nine

The two-time PGA champion has not started well as he just finished the back nine at 3-over. McIlroy struggled at the Masters and missed the cut and he’s still searching for his form. He began his round with five pars, but he bogeyed Nos. 15, 17 and 18.

Sahith Theegala has made a nice charge after bogeyed his first hole, No. 1. Since then he has birdies at 4, 8, 9, and 11 and is now tied for the lead at 3-under with Kazuki Higa and Keegan Bradley. His birdie at the ninth came on a chip in from behind the green.

Jon Rahm, the No. 1 player in the world, is heading to his eighth hole, the 17th, at even par after a birdie at No. 10 and a bogey at No. 16.

World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler also started on the back and he has played steady one birdie and nine pars.

And defending champion Justin Thomas is also cruising along as he just turned to the front nine at 1-under after making a birdie and then eight straight pars.

‒ Sal Maiorana

Joel Dahmen hit a patron during practice round, then bought his beers for the day

Forget the leaderboard, Joel Dahmen is already a winner in our book. Dahmen, who was featured on Netflix’s Full Swing, is one good dude.

A fan at Wednesday’s practice round at Oak Hill tweeted that Dahmen hit him in the calf.

“He proceeds to ask me how much a beer costs at the tourney and I tell him $17 a pop,” said Caleb McGuire (@YourPalCal_ on Twitter). “He then pulls out a crispy $100 bill and says ‘I got your beers today.’”

Dahmen struggled on Thursday, coming into the final hole of the day at 4 over.

‒ Charles Curtis, For the Win

Morikawa finishes with 71, here's what he's wearing

May 18, 2023; Rochester, New York, USA; Collin Morikawa tees off on the 15th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Morikawa shot a 71 on Thursday in the opening round and while the focus of the PGA Championship is on the players’ skills, their attire also plays a crucial role in the tournament, with many of them expected to wear clothing that combines performance, comfort and style.

Golf fashion is always changing as some players adopt a modern look and others stay traditional.

Golfweek rounded up what all your favorite players will be wearing this week from brands like FootJoy, TravisMathew, Ralph Lauren, Adidas and more.

Here’s a look at what we learned.

‒ Averee Dovsek, Golfweek

Jon Rahm's 76 puts him in a tough spot at Oak Hill

Crowds were thick around the green on the 13th hole with people wanting to see Jon Rahm.

Coming in as one of the two favorites, Jon Rahm said during his press conference leading up to the 105th PGA Championship that he was looking to “ride the wave” of recent success, hoping to follow a pair of recent wins at the Genesis and the Masters with similar success in Western New York.

But the wave fizzled out on Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club.

Through a chilly morning in Rochester, Rahm saw the wheels fall off on the Donald Ross-designed track.

He sat at a comfortable 1 under through the first six holes, starting on the back nine. But consecutive bogeys on 16, 17 and 18 and then more dropped shots on Nos. 2 and 3 put him in a difficult position. Another bogey on No. 5 and then a double on 6 will force the Spaniard to go low on Friday if he wants to make the cut.

He finished with a 6-over 76, a full 10 shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau when he finished. He was originally scheduled to tee off on Friday at 1:58 p.m.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek

The Garbage Plate is one of the early-round stars with an ESPN appearance

The Garbage Plate was featured on ESPN coverage of the PGA Championship. (Photo: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)

A little after 11 a.m. during a brief break in the action, Rochester’s culinary claim to fame made a brief appearance, when the broadcast aired footage of a Garbage Plate being assembled at Nick Tahou Hots.

ESPN host Scott Van Pelt didn’t miss a beat: “Garbage Plate, give me some,” he said. “I’ll destroy one immediately. Somebody bring me a Garbage Plate, I beg of you.”

“Make it two,” David Duval said.

Later, ESPN+ aired a full Garbage Plate segment in which they quizzed players about the messy entrée:

Had they ever heard of it?

“Nope,” said Brooks Koepka.

“Uh, you got some context?” asked Scottie Scheffler, at which point a narrator rattled off the list of components.

Said Brit Matt Fitzpatrick: “That’s America in one long sentence right there.”

After being handed a photo of the dish, Shane Lowry said, “I’m afraid to look.”

Examining the same image, Xander Schauffele said, “I mean, I’ll take a bite before I knock on it. Is that egg under there?”

Justin Thomas said he’d try it, too. But, “I’m taking the afternoon off if I’m having that.”

Said Jordan Spieth: “Yeah, I’ll eat that. Probably not before the night I play in the PGA this year. But maybe, like, Monday.”

At a press conference on Tuesday, McIlroy said, “I’ve only had one Garbage Plate in my life. I haven’t went overboard with that.”

— Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Justin Rose chips in, afternoon starters get rolling

Justin Rose has had an eventful opening, but he seems to be getting back on track.

After two birdies on the first three holes, Rose had a setback on the par-3 5th hole, struggling with the putter and resulting in a double bogey. But when things looked to turn worse, he recovered with a birdie on 6th. The back-and-forth beginning seemed to be headed toward another bogey, but Rose chipped in a bunker shot from over 57 feet to save birdie and find his way back into the top five.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Adam Scott has played a mostly clean first round at 3-under-par through the No. 10 hole, currently in second. He has four birdies and one bogey so far.

— USA Today

Newcomer Eric Cole becomes sol0 leader after three straight birdies

Eric Cole, Luke Donald and Jon Rahm chat on the tee box on hole 15 as they wait to tee off.

Play was suspended due to darkness at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, with a surprise name sitting atop the leaderboard.

Eric Cole, a newcomer to the PGA Tour in 2023, sits in first at 5-under.

Bryson DeChambeau, who sits right behind Cole at 4-under, will be attempting to be the first player from LIV Golf to win a major. He is among the 16 players from the Saudi-backed tour playing in the PGA Championship. There are 156 players in the field, and they will play the first two rounds Thursday and Friday in groups of three.

Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Dustin Johnson trail DeChambeau at 3-under.

The delayed start to play Thursday resulted in play being suspended due to darkness at 8:30 p.m. ET. There are 11 groups that still need to finish their first rounds. PGA Championship organizers said play would begin again at 7 a.m. ET and that the second round “will start on time as originally scheduled.”

Cole has made 66 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and doesn’t have any Tour wins and has appeared in just one previous major, the 2021 U.S. Open, in which he missed the cut. He has missed nine of 20 cuts this season but has a pair of top-5 finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Honda Classic, where he lost in a playoff.

His parents are professional golfers Bobby Cole and Laura Baugh. Bobby Cole won the 1977 Buick Open on the PGA Tour, and Baugh was the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year.

— USA Today

Off and running in the second round

Good news as Rochester weather for Friday looks fantastic; first round complete

After Thursday’s start of the first round was delayed by nearly two hours due to early morning frost, the forecast for Friday should be much improved.

The second round is scheduled to begin under cloudy skies with temperatures in the high-50s, according to weather.com. Temperatures will climb into the mid-70s around lunchtime, making for pleasant conditions in the afternoon.

PGA Tour newcomer Eric Cole held the overnight lead after making it through 14 holes at 5-under-par during a weather-delayed opening round at Oak Hill. However, when he returned to the course early Friday, Cole found the water on the sixth hole and wound up with a double-bogey, dropping him a shot behind clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau.

— USA Today

Remembering Jack Nicklaus' win at Oak Hill in 1980

Jack Nicklaus, who led the PGA at the end of the third round, blasts out of the sand on the seventh hole of the Oak Hill Country Club during fourth round of the PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y., Sunday, Aug. 10, 1980.

Through an impressive opening day, Bryson DeChambeau showed he might be ready to restart a career that had once looked so promising.

When Jack Nicklaus came to Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course in 1980 for the 62nd playing of the PGA Championship, he had already reclaimed his spot on a pedestal atop the golf world.

After failing to capture a single PGA Tour win during the 1979 season, marking the first time that had happened since he joined the Tour in 1962, there were whispers that the game had passed the Golden Bear by. Many were looking to a corps of younger players that included Fuzzy Zoeller and Seve Ballesteros, both of whom captured majors during the ‘79 campaign, to dominate the game’s mantle.

But Nicklaus ended any premature talk about his demise when he posted an impressive victory at Baltusrol in the U.S. Open during the spring of 1980. And after securing his first major of a new decade, Nicklaus came to Oak Hill, a course he had long appreciated, with a chance to secure a fifth PGA Championship and a 17th major.

But to understand the origins of his passion and desire to win the Wanamaker Trophy, one needs to step back 30 years earlier, when the 1950 PGA Championship was held at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, where the Nicklaus family had a membership.

Here’s the rest of the story.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek

How many players will make the cut at the PGA Championship?

Reminder: If we get all of Friday’s round in (and we should, according to all forecasts) a 36-hole cut will be made to the top 70 players plus ties, so there could be more than 70 players qualifying for the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday.

Thirty of 156 players were unable to complete Thursday’s round when it was suspended at 8:30 p.m.

— Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

DUCK! Here's how crews at Oak Hill helped save a family of ducks

With massive crowds arriving at Oak Hill Country Club — a typically serene setting — pardon a family of ducks for not understanding what all the buzz was about on Friday morning.

The ducks, which were settling in near the clubhouse at the storied course, needed to be whisked away during the second round of play at the PGA Championship.

A dozen ducklings were rounded up, but originally the family matriarch wasn’t willing to tag along. Eventually, they escorted their elder to the creek and the family swam away, giving a little space to the event’s patrons.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek

East Course flexed its muscle in first round

A detailed view of a golf ball is seen during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 15, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

During the first round, the average score was 73.67 and 16 of the 18 holes had an average score par. The only two under were the par-5 fourth and the par-4 14th holes.

And driving accuracy was a major problem for the players. With the course fairly dry, there was more runoff into the rough on drives that were close to the edges of the fairways. That led to just 41.8% of the fairways being hit, a far cry from the PGA Tour average which is about 59%.

PGA Championship scoreboard: Here’s our live USA Today scoring hub

Only 16 players shot under the East Course’s par of 70, while 10 players shot even par and 130 were over par. The hardest hole, which most expected it to be, was the 503-yard par-4 sixth hole. That played .404 strokes over par and yielded only 14 birdies as opposed to 80 pars, 49 bogeys, 11 double bogeys and 2 triple bogeys.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Can teaching pro Michael Block make a historic run?

It’s been a great two days for Michael Block, the reigning PGA of America Professional Player of the Year, who has put himself in a potential position to do something truly special — finish in the top 20 at the PGA Championship.

Block, the 46-year-old head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, birdied his first hole of the day to move into a tie for second place behind leader Bryson DeChambeau. He then birded his third and fifth hole, before faltering.

Block found himself in the company of such notables as Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose (3-under after his first six holes today) and Scottie Scheffler early in the second round of the PGA Championship.

Block ended up shooting a second consecutive round of even-par 70 to ensure that he’ll make the 36-hole cut. When his day was complete, he was tied for 13th place.

One of the endearing features of this major is that several spots in the field are reserved for club pros like Block — and occasionally they make some noise, especially in the early rounds. PGATour.com notes Block has been named the Southern California PGA Player of the Year in nine of the last 10 years (2013-2022, with the exception being 2017). He’s also a past California State Open champion.

The last PGA Professional to finish among the top 40 for the entire championship was Steve Schneiter, who tied for 40th in 2005 at Baltusrol.

— USA Today

Scottie Scheffler takes lead with two birdies to open second round

The train that is Scottie Scheffler just keeps on chugging: The Texan opened the second round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill with a pair of birdies to leapfrog into the lead.

Of course, on Thursday, Scheffler posted his first bogey-free round in a major in his 50th round

Scheffler has had eight bogey-free rounds on the PGA Tour this season, which is tied for second on the circuit behind Brian Harman, who has nine. This former University of Texas star turned the trick last week during the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic.

Also, Scheffler leads the way on the list of rounds at three under or better in a major since the start of 2022. He’s done that nine times, while Cameron Young is runner-up in that stat with seven.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek

Putter honoring Rochester native Sluman available

Ping PLD limited-edition Ping Slam Pal (Ping)

Golf enthusiasts and collectors can own a part of Ping’s storied putter history with the release of the PLD Limited Pal 2 putter. The precision-milled putter is the second of four Ping putters being released this year to celebrate the brand’s achievement of winning all four major championships in 1988. The company is referring to the achievement as the “Ping Slam.”

During Masters week, Ping released the Ping Slam Pal to commemorate Sandy Lyle winning the 1988 Masters using an original Pal.

To honor Jeff Sluman’s win at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma, this PLD Limited Pal 2 putter has been milled using 303 stainless steel with a natural finish, along with a white sightline along the trailing edge and a Zing-style hosel.

Here’s more on the series.

— David Dusek, Golfweek

Of course it has started to rain at Oak Hill

Now, let’s be honest here: What would a major tournament at Oak Hill be without a weather problem? The answer is it wouldn’t be a tournament at Oak Hill.

The rain started just as first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau stepped onto the first tee box to start his round. This on top of Thursday’s frost delay fits right in with the weather issues tournaments on the East Course have almost always had.

The good news is that it looks like a small cell and probably shouldn’t stick around too long. However, that’s not the outlook for Saturday when there’s a good chance it could be soggy most of the day.

PGA Championship scoreboard: Here’s our live USA Today scoring hub

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Lots of maple, eh? PGA Championship leaderboard has plenty of Canadian flavor near the border

Corey Conners of Canada stands on the sixth green during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 17, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

With thick rough leading numerous players to liken the conditions at Oak Hill Country Club to that of U.S. Open venue Winged Foot, perhaps they should have been considering a locale a bit further north — like a hockey rink. Many were taking such big swings from the deep grass that their instruments should be made by Bauer instead of TaylorMade or Callaway.

And maybe that’s why those who hail from the Great White North enjoyed a banner second round on Friday.

Corey Conners was atop the leaderboard for much of the day, firing a 33 on his first nine (the back) to battle with Scottie Scheffler for the top spot on the board.

His longtime buddy, former housemate and the best man in his wedding — Taylor Pendrith — used a 33 on the front to post a 69 that put him right in the thick of things at 1 under through two rounds.

And another Canadian, Adam Svensson, battled through an up-and-down day that saw him in the top 10 for much of the afternoon.

While Svensson hails from the western portion of Canada, Conners and Pendrith are from the province of Ontario, which is only about 60 miles as the crow flies.

Conners’ original love was hockey and his yardage book has a Toronto Maple Leafs logo on the cover. Golf became his passion at the age of 15 and two years later he was named to Golf Canada’s national junior team. He made the men’s team the next year.

Golf, though, was in the family bloodlines with his grandfather and father being members of his home club in Listowel, Ontario. At one time, his father was president of the club.

Pendrith, who lived in Conners’ Florida home for a spell, is in his second full season on the PGA Tour after earning a promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour. The Canadian held the lead twice in 2021-22, which led to nine top-25 finishes. Pendrith was sidelined for four months with a rib injury last year, but when healthy he played well.

He recognized the support on hand. His parents, wife and numerous other family members made the trek from the Greater Toronto area.

“It’s great. There’s a bunch of us here this week, which is awesome to see. I know we all played pretty nice yesterday, so I haven’t looked today at how anybody is doing,” he said. “Yeah, it’s great. There’s so much support. Tons of Canadians here, with the border being so close.

“I feel very comfortable here, but we’re always rooting for each other, trying to beat each other. It’s always nice to see a couple of flags on the leaderboard. It’s nice to see so far.”

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek

Eric Cole's mother was once the face of the LPGA

Laura Baugh at the Honda Classic. (Palm Beach Post photo.)

If there’s any player in the PGA Championship field who has the genes and the pedigree to be playing professional golf, it’s unheralded Eric Cole, who followed up an opening-round 67 with a 74 on Friday. He sits in at 1 over, in a tie for 19th to start the third round.

The 34-year-old, who just made it to the PGA Tour for the first time this season, is the son of former Tour player Bobby Cole and former LPGA Tour player Laura Baugh, so yeah, there was always a good chance golf was going to be his path.

Bobby Cole, a native of South Africa, first burst onto the scene when he won the British Amateur as an 18-year-old in 1966, though he was rather obscure during his professional career and he counted just one PGA Tour victory at the 1977 Buick Open.

“I always wanted to play golf,” Cole said earlier this year. “I was pretty focused as a young person. I always wanted to do it. There was some doubt whether I was going to have any success there for a little while, but I always wanted to be a professional golfer. It’s nice to be on the PGA Tour and on the biggest stage.”

His mother was anything but obscure. Baugh won the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur when she was 16 and skipped college to join the LPGA Tour in 1973, winning Rookie of the Year. Young, pretty and blonde, the LPGA Tour — largely ignored at the time and desperate to reach fans — made Baugh the face of its organization, featuring her in many of its advertising and marketing campaigns.

However, that created tremendous pressure for her and during an on-and-off 28-year career, not only did she never win a tournament, she became an alcoholic and it was so serious that she literally almost drank herself to death.

PGA Championship scoreboard: Here’s our live USA Today scoring hub

“She is an incredible woman,” Cole said. “I’m lucky that she’s my mom. Everyone has some kind of hardship or something that you have to deal with in your life. The way she dealt with it proves her character. I’m just proud of her.”

Baugh and Cole were married, divorced, and remarried and Eric was born during their second period together. He grew up playing on courses in Florida and he eventually became good friends with Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer. Through that alliance, Eric was able to play several rounds of golf with the King at his home course at Bay Hill.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Back nine causing nightmares for players at Oak Hill

It’s been decades since one side of a PGA Championship was playing this difficult in comparison to the other side.

Oak Hill’s East Course has seven of the toughest nine holes on the back nine through the first two days of the PGA Championship.

No. 13, a par 5, is playing to a full 5.0 stroke average and only one hole par-5 has played above par this year on the PGA Tour — the first hole at Spyglass Hill during the AT&T Pro-Am played to a 5.12 average. In the last decade, the only par-5 to play above par at the PGA Championship was No. 2 at Kiawah Island in 2021.

The last time one side played this much more difficult was in 1993 at Inverness Club, as seven of the toughest holes were on the front nine that year. Paul Azinger went on to win the event, his only major title, as he defeated Greg Norman on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek 

The wet stuff is coming down hard at Oak Hill

Rochester’s always finicky weather figures to be a key storyline Saturday throughout the third round of the PGA Championship.

Rain is expected to arrive in the late morning and indications that it will persist for much of the day at Oak Hill Country Club. But as long as it isn’t pouring, and there’s no thunder and lightning, play will go on.

There’s a three-way tie atop the leaderboard among Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland, but several players are within five strokes of the lead, setting up for a potentially volatile day.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Hole of the day (No. 11): Players can get after this par 3 on a wet day

The par-3 11th hole at Oak Hill Country Club can be stretched to as much as 245 yards, and earlier in the week, many golfers had to use hybrid clubs and fairway woods to reach the putting surface. On Saturday, however, the PGA of America has set the hole up to play shorter, just 175 yards, and the hole is cut in a spot that could make it more playable in wet, windy conditions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Csd-LB1AbdG/

Just 3 yards from the left edge of the green and 4 yards from the front, a large bunker protects the left-front portion of the green. The savvy play will be to use a ridge behind the hole to bring the ball back toward the flag. There is also a ridge to the right of the hole that could pull a ball down and to the left, toward the cup.

— David Dusek, Golfweek 

Buffalo Bills Josh Allen and Von Miller are enjoying this major (Allen is an Oak Hill member)

Although Rochester is about an hour from Buffalo, the two cities are forever linked. Buffalo’s National Hockey League team has its minor-league affiliate in Rochester. And of course, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills train at St. John Fisher, a small college just a few minutes from Oak Hill Country Club.

This week, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is a member at Oak Hill, and defensive end Von Miller made the trek to the PGA Championship and met up with Rory McIlroy and others.

— Tim Schmitt, Golfweek 

At what point will the PGA of America determine the course is too wet?

Oak Hill’s drainage is spectacular, and the mostly good weather we had in the two weeks leading up to the tournament has created a situation where the course can take some of this pounding. But it’s very possible that puddles could start to form on the greens and that would create a stoppage of play.

One byproduct of all this rain is that when the players hit their tee shots, they have a better chance of keeping the ball in the fairway because there’s not much roll. Yes, that costs them some distance, but if a shot is offline just a bit, Thursday and Friday it was headed for the rough. Not so much Saturday.

Along those same lines, the greens are holding most every approach that is hit with a lofted club so that has allowed the players to take aim at some of the pins. By the afternoon, this could become a distinct advantage for the leaders because if the weather forecasters are correct, the rain could be subsiding by then. And those players will have a soft course that will be easier to score on.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Check out the yardage book for Oak Hill

The StrackaLine yardage book for Oak Hill’s East Course in Rochester, N.Y., site of the 2023 PGA Championship (Courtesy of StrackaLine)

Oak Hill’s East Course in Rochester, New York – site of this week’s PGA Championship – originally was designed by architectural legend Donald Ross and opened in 1926. The layout was revised several times over the decades, most recently as Andrew Green put much of the Ross flavor back into the East.

Oak Hill’s East will play to 7,394 yards with a par of 70 for this week’s major championship.

Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week at Oak Hill.

Here’s the entire book.

— Jason Lusk, Golfweek 

Is Bryson DeChambeau using an umbrella to lobby for the Ryder Cup team?

For the second straight day, while some of his counterparts are sporting the team gear from their LIV Golf teams, Bryson DeChambeau had an interesting choice to keep himself dry — a Ryder Cup umbrella.

In September, DeChambeau said the PGA of America and others were making a big mistake by not allowing LIV Golf players to take part in the team events.

“I personally think that the team events are only hurting themselves by not allowing us to play, not allowing us to qualify through some capacity, in some facet,” DeChambeau said.

“But I would say from a team aspect, it is sad that those governing bodies have not allowed us to be able to qualify. That’s all I can say to that.”

Effective on Aug. 20, 2023, following the second FedEx Cup playoff event, the top six eligible players on the points list will secure spots on the U.S. Team. But captain Zach Johnson noted a wrinkle that could affect whether LIV players can be chosen for the team.

“Not to get overly in the weeds of all this, but in order to garner Ryder Cup points or be eligible for PGA of America Ryder Cup points and PGA Championship points, you have to be a member of PGA of America,” Johnson explained. “Those individuals that have left the PGA Tour to my knowledge, are still members of PGA of America. There’s a grace period involved there. I don’t know the specifics.”

Golfweek decided to get into the weeds and asked the PGA of America for the specifics.

“PGA of America membership is a requirement to be eligible to participate on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. Under the PGA of America membership rules there are classifications that currently allow LIV Tour members to retain their PGA of America membership status,” a PGA spokesperson said. “PGA Tour members are considered A3 classification. Because the LIV players paid their membership dues before June 30, 2022, they will retain their membership through the end of June 2023 and then through a grace period that runs through the end of June 2024. After that, under our current rules, they may apply for PGA’s Reserve Member classification. A3 members who resigned or are no longer PGA Tour Members (suspended) are still PGA of America members.”

Under this scenario, the grace period that Johnson referenced extends the membership for LIV players another year, which means they will remain eligible to earn points. The AP’s Doug Ferguson previously outlined why that will be a longshot, but it’s an interesting loophole that won’t be available to LIV players for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held Sept. 29–Oct. 1 in Rome, Italy.

— Tim Schmitt and Adam Schupak, Golfweek 

Many players using 7- and 9-woods in rough conditions

Several notable players now use a 7-wood regularly, including Max Homa, Dustin Johnson and Joaquín Niemann, but many players spoke with PGA Tour reps and requested them to make hybrids and high-lofted fairway woods, like 7-woods and even 9-woods, that could be used this week.

Ping’s Spencer Rothluebber worked with Callum Tarren on Monday after building the 32-year-old a G430 9-wood. “I had him hit the 9-wood and his 4-iron out of here,” Rothluebber said, pointing to a patch of rough behind the manicured turf of the driving range. “The 9-wood flew about 45 yards more and his 4-iron looked like it was really struggling.”

Tarren’s 9-wood has a 24-degree head, but using its adjustable hosel, the playing loft is closer to 22 degrees. Ping also builds its 9-woods for tour players an inch shorter than standard, typically at 40 inches in length, to make it even easier to control shots from rough and awkward lies.

Here’s more on what manufacturers are doing this week.

— David Dusek, Golfweek 

Weather rolls in

Fans walk down the 18th hole grandstands during the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s a cold and wet Saturday at Oak Hill Country Club but the action is heating up. Check out some of our best photos from the week.

— Golfweek 

Brooks, Bryson and boo-birds

The most intriguing, polarizing pairing for the third round of the PGA Championship — Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau — didn’t exactly receive a friendly greeting. In fact, both were booed when announced at the first tee, DeChambeau’s reception much louder than Koepka’s, which was more mixed.

— Golfweek 

Block party continues

Conners grabs the solo lead

Conners birdied the par-3 15th to gain the solo lead at 7 under.

— Golfweek 

Koepka to play in final group Sunday

Brooks Koepka on the ninth green during the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Brooks Koepka birdied three of his last seven holes to shoot a Saturday 66 and put himself in the final group for the final round. Koepka had five birdies in all and just one bogey. He’s in great position heading into Sunday at a second straight major.

— Todd Kelly, Golfweek 

PGA Championship playoff FAQ. What happens if we have extra golf?

Justin Thomas poses with the Wanamaker trophy after winning the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

Q: Could there be extra holes at the PGA Championship again in 2023?

A: It’s not likely someone runs away with the tournament so there could be a gridlock at the top. In six previous majors at Oak Hill, only 31 players have finished in the red, with the averaging winning score 4.3-under par.

Q: What is the PGA Championship playoff format?

A: If players are tied after four rounds, they must compete in a playoff to determine a winner. All golfers tied for first place will play in a three-hole aggregate playoff. Whoever has the lowest combined score over the three holes is the champion.

Q: Which holes are included in the playoff at Oak Hill?

A: The three-hole playoff would start at No. 14 and then include No. 15 and No. 18.

Q: Who tees off first in the aggregate playoff?

A: The players draw numbers to determine who tees off first on the first playoff hole.

What if the PGA Championship is still tied after the 3-hole playoff
There would be a sudden-death hole-by-hole playoff starting at No. 18, then No. 14, No. 15 and repeating if necessary. The holes are played one at a time until someone wins a hole outright.

— Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek