Record-Breaking Koepka In Charge At Bethpage Black

Elliott Heath

The defending champion is in pole position to win his fourth Major in New York this weekend

Record-Breaking Koepka In Charge At Bethpage Black
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Record-Breaking Koepka In Charge At Bethpage Black

Brooks Koepka set the lowest 36 hole total in USPGA Championship history with a 12 under par score of 128 after two days at Bethpage Black.

The three-time Major winner is seven clear heading into the weekend after a five under 65 on Friday.

Koepka made seven birdies on an easier day on the Black Course with three on his opening nine before his first bogey of the championship on the 10th.

He would bounce back with birdies at 13, 15 and 16 before another dropped shot on 17.

However, he bounced back again with a birdie to finish on 18.

Watch – Koepka’s birdie putt on 18

He spoke before the tournament about Majors being the easiest tournaments to win, and he has made it look very easy over the first two days.

Seven ahead after 36 holes, it looks highly likely that he’ll be lifting the Wanamaker again on Sunday evening.

Related: Brooks Koepka’s 7 best quotes from 2019

Jordan Spieth will be one of the chasers on Saturday, as the Texan put himself in contention for the Wanamaker Trophy and the career grand slam after a four under 66 to sit in a tie for second.

The three-time Major winner mixed six birdies with two bogeys and looks to have re-found his putting boots this week on the super-slick Bethpage greens.

Spieth’s will need to do something special tomorrow to keep up with Koepka, though, although it will always be hard to back against a man who has won 14 times including three Majors.

The 25-year-old hasn’t won anywhere since the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale so a fourth Major victory, and career slam, this weekend would be a huge story.

His fellow multiple-Major champion Rory McIlroy is in for the weekend at three over after a one over 71.

McIlroy started badly with a double-single-double start to drop to seven over, but four birdies in his last six puts him within a shout over the next couple of days.

He won’t be winning his fifth Major this week, but a couple of good rounds will likely see him inside the top 10.

Adam Scott, on the other hand, is also in T2nd with Spieth after a brilliant day on the greens.

The 2013 Masters champion is back using the long putter and made 165ft of putts during the second round.

He shot a six under 64 despite a short missed putt on the 17th.

Tiger Woods was another battling with the cut line on Friday and eventually missed out by one.

Woods hit just three fairways in round 2. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Masters champion was wayward with his driver and shot 73 (+3) with six bogeys.

Rich Beem was one of the stories of the day, as the 2002 USPGA Champion and Sky Sports commentator birdied five of his last six holes to make the cut at four over.

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