Erik van Rooyen and Louis Oosthuizen have their work cut out for them over the weekend if they want to catch a rampant Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, writes JOHN GOLIATH.
At 2-under, Van Rooyen and Oosthuizen comfortably survived the 4-over par cut by following up their level par efforts in the first round with 68s on Friday. However, the South Africans are a whopping 10 shots behind defending champion Koepka, who obliterated the field with a second-round 65 for a record total of 128 after two rounds.
Fellow South African Justin Harding made the cut on the number following an even-par round on Friday after starting off with a 4-over 74 in the first round of the second golf Major of the year.
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The 29-year-old Van Rooyen, who briefly led the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, managed to make a few eye-catching birdies, especially on the front side. However, he just couldn’t muster up the momentum needed to keep up with Koepka following a number of untimely mistakes.
Van Rooyen started off with two birdies in the first three holes, before giving back a shot at the par-4 5th hole. Back-to-back birdies at No 7 and 8, which included some fine iron shots, were also offset by a dropped shot at the ninth.
Van Rooyen, a European Tour campaigner, made a magnificent long birdie putt at the difficult par-4 12th, but a pulled approach shot at the 16th saw him drop another shot.
Joining him at T10 was top-ranked Oosthuizen, who started off his round with a bogey on the third hole.
That early mistake was wiped out, and then some, by birdies at the 8th and the 9th holes.
The 2010 Open champion hit a brilliant tee shot on the par-3 8th to set up a birdie chance, before hitting his second shot at the 9th to inside 10 feet.
The Mossel Bay star made another birdie at the par 4-11, but this was offset by an errant tee shot at the par-5 13th, which led to an unforgivable six.
Oosthuizen, though, birdied the 17th to finish the round with the faint hope of catching Koepka over the next two rounds.
