Hideki Matsuyama cards 64 to tie Kevin Kisner for second-round PGA lead

ByEurosport

Updated 12/08/2017 at 06:00 GMT

Hideki Matsuyama charged into position to become the first Japanese man to win a major after joining Kevin Kisner in the second-round lead on eight-under-par at the PGA Championship on Friday.

Hideki Matsuyama plays from a bunker on the 16th hole during the second round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Image credit: Eurosport

Matsuyama took advantage of greens softened by an afternoon storm, reeling off five birdies in a six-hole stretch with a series of pinpoint approach shots to card a seven-under-par 64, a course record in light of the redesign of Quail Hollow before the championship.

He and American Kisner, who earlier fired a near-flawless 67, are two strokes ahead of Australian Jason Day (66), back in form after a recent flat patch.

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"I was grateful for the rain delay because I was getting tired. I was able to lay down in the locker room and get some rest," world number three Matsuyama said.

I think what was making me tired was I wasn't hitting my driver like I wanted to. I was hitting fairways but I wasn't getting the crisp contact that I was hoping for with my driver.

Matsuyama, the pressure of an entire country on his shoulders, said he did not know whether he would be nervous over the weekend.

This is my first experience leading a major, or tied for the lead after 36 holes. And so being a new experience, maybe I'll be a little nervous, but on the other hand, I'm looking forward to the weekend and seeing how I do.

Kisner, meanwhile, used his 'Texas wedge' from off the green to sink a 47-foot putt at the par-five seventh -- his 16th hole -- and vault clear of the field, at least for a while.

Kevin Kisner reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the second round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Image credit: Eurosport

The 33-year-old from South Carolina has won twice on the PGA Tour, and has also lost four times in playoffs.

Recent hard work tweaking his swing is paying off.

"I’ve always fought a push to the right and got sick and tired of it,” he said. “Hitting fairways are key.

“I’m hitting the ball really nice and things are going my way. The bad shots are working out and the good shots are working out and I’m making a lot of putts.”

Day, the 2015 champion, ran down the final fairway to finish before darkness completely enveloped the course, the result of the earlier near two-hour stoppage that prevented 26 players from completing their round.

It was nice to be able to drive the way I did today and set myself up with the opportunities and being able to capitalise on those opportunities felt even better. Because they were the two things that were missing pretty much the whole year is my driving and my putting, and being able to combine that today, just felt like the old days, which is only last year.

Further back, the hopes of championship favourite Rory McIlroy and grand slam seeker Jordan Spieth are hanging by a thread, 10 and 11 strokes behind respectively.

The second round will resume on Saturday at 7.30 a.m. local time (1130 GMT). American Chris Stroud is best placed among those yet to complete the round, five-under with five holes left.

Latest leaderboard in the second round from the PGA Championship (par 71)

-8 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 18 70 64
Kevin Kisner (U.S.) 18 67 67
-6 Jason Day (Australia) 18 70 66
-5 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 18 70 67
Francesco Molinari (Italy) 18 73 64
Chris Stroud (U.S.) 13 68
-3 Rickie Fowler (U.S.) 18 69 70
Justin Thomas (U.S.) 18 73 66
Paul Casey (Britain) 18 69 70
-2 An Byeong Hun (Korea) 18 71 69
-1 D.A. Points (U.S.) 18 68 73
James Hahn (U.S.) 14 73
Brooks Koepka (U.S.) 18 68 73
Scott Brown (U.S.) 15 73
Kang Sung-Hoon (Korea) 18 70 71
Grayson Murray (U.S.) 18 68 73
Ryan Fox (New Zealand) 18 75 66
0 Chez Reavie (U.S.) 18 72 70
Ryan Moore (U.S.) 18 71 71
Patrick Reed (U.S.) 18 69 73
Gary Woodland (U.S.) 18 68 74
Zach Johnson (U.S.) 15 71
1 Lee Westwood (Britain) 15 73
Daniel Summerhays (U.S.) 18 76 67
Shane Lowry (Ireland) 18 74 69
Tony Finau (U.S.) 18 69 74
Alexander Noren (Sweden) 18 74 69
Bud Cauley (U.S.) 18 69 74
Graham DeLaet (Canada) 18 70 73
Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) 18 72 71
2 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 13 73
Brian Harman (U.S.) 18 69 75
Bill Haas (U.S.) 18 75 69
Rory McIlroy (Britain) 18 72 72
Omar Uresti (U.S.) 18 74 70
Robert Streb (U.S.) 18 74 70
Chris Wood (Britain) 18 72 72
Jim Herman (U.S.) 18 69 75
Dylan Frittelli (South Africa) 18 73 71
Keegan Bradley (U.S.) 16 74
Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 15 67
Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 18 74 70
Dustin Johnson (U.S.) 18 70 74
Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 18 74 70
Bryson DeChambeau (U.S.) 18 73 71
3 Jordan Smith (Britain) 18 70 75
Steve Stricker (U.S.) 18 75 70
Jamie Lovemark (U.S.) 18 74 71
Jordan Spieth (U.S.) 18 72 73
Vijay Singh (Fiji) 18 75 70
David Lingmerth (Sweden) 15 72
Charley Hoffman (U.S.) 16 75
Tommy Fleetwood (Britain) 18 70 75
Ian Poulter (Britain) 18 74 71
Jon Rahm (Spain) 18 70 75
Anirban Lahiri (India) 18 72 73
Matt Kuchar (U.S.) 18 71 74
Kim Kyung-Tae (Korea) 14 73
Lucas Glover (U.S.) 18 75 70
Jason Kokrak (U.S.) 18 75 70
4 Hideto Tanihara (Japan) 18 71 75
Russell Henley (U.S.) 18 75 71
Pat Perez (U.S.) 18 70 76
Kelly Kraft (U.S.) 14 73
Marc Leishman (Australia) 18 75 71
Jason Dufner (U.S.) 18 74 72
Webb Simpson (U.S.) 18 76 70
Billy Horschel (U.S.) 18 76 70
Sean O'Hair (U.S.) 18 71 75
5 Cody Gribble (U.S.) 18 72 75
Kevin Chappell (U.S.) 18 72 75
Adam Scott (Australia) 18 71 76
Satoshi Kodaira (Japan) 18 71 76
Charles Howell III (U.S.) 18 78 69
J.B. Holmes (U.S.) 18 74 73
Hudson Swafford (U.S.) 15 77
Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 15 73
6 Brendan Steele (U.S.) 15 74
Peter Uihlein (U.S.) 18 74 74
Scott Hend (Australia) 14 72
Justin Rose (Britain) 18 76 72
Ross Fisher (Britain) 18 75 73
Kevin Na (U.S.) 18 79 69
Li Haotong (China) 18 73 75
Wang Jeunghun (Korea) 18 73 75
7 Alexander Levy (France) 18 75 74
Luke List (U.S.) 18 75 74
Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 18 74 75
Graeme McDowell (Britain) 18 73 76
Martin Laird (Britain) 18 77 72
Daniel Berger (U.S.) 18 73 76
Tyrrell Hatton (Britain) 18 77 72
Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 18 76 73
Luke Donald (Britain) 18 76 73
Bubba Watson (U.S.) 18 77 72
Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 15 75
8 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 18 75 75
William McGirt (U.S.) 18 77 73
Ernie Els (South Africa) 18 80 70
Russell Knox (Britain) 18 77 73
Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) 18 78 72
Jimmy Walker (U.S.) 18 81 69
Matthew Fitzpatrick (Britain) 18 76 74
Shaun Micheel (U.S.) 18 73 77
Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 18 78 72
9 Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 18 73 78
Jonas Blixt (Sweden) 18 74 77
Branden Grace (South Africa) 18 77 74
Yuta Ikeda (Japan) 18 72 79
Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 18 77 74
10 Wesley Bryan (U.S.) 18 74 78
Andy Sullivan (Britain) 18 78 74
Kyle Stanley (U.S.) 18 76 76
Danny Willett (Britain) 18 73 79
Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 16 79
Davis Love III (U.S.) 16 78
Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 18 78 74
Greg Gregory (U.S.) 14 77
Jim Furyk (U.S.) 18 76 76
11 Phil Mickelson (U.S.) 18 79 74
Kenny Pigman (U.S.) 14 76
Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 18 80 73
John Daly (U.S.) 18 74 79
Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 18 80 73
Rich Berberian Jr. (U.S.) 18 79 74
12 Rich Beem (U.S.) 18 82 72
Brandon Stone (South Africa) 15 79
Matt Dobyns (U.S.) 18 76 78
Danny Lee (New Zealand) 18 76 78
Jaysen Hansen (U.S.) 18 84 70
13 Yang Yong-Eun (Korea) 18 76 79
Adam Hadwin (Canada) 18 79 76
Patrick Rodgers (U.S.) 14 79
Cameron Smith (Australia) 15 75
Xander Schauffele (U.S.) 18 74 81
14 Rod Pampling (Australia) 18 77 79
Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 18 79 77
David McNabb (U.S.) 18 78 78
Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 18 79 77
Chris Kirk (U.S.) 18 80 76
JJ Wood (U.S.) 18 78 78
15 Jamie Broce (U.S.) 18 79 78
Song Young-Han (Korea) 18 80 77
Scott Hebert (U.S.) 18 83 74
17 Adam Rainaud (U.S.) 18 81 78
Mike Small (U.S.) 18 80 79
Ryan Vermeer (U.S.) 13 82
Alex Beach (U.S.) 18 79 80
Chris Moody (U.S.) 18 81 78
21 Rod Perry (U.S.) 18 82 81
23 Paul Claxton (U.S.) 18 82 83
Stuart Deane (Australia) 18 84 81
25 David Muttitt (U.S.) 18 84 83
6 WDW Brian Smock (U.S.) 77
WDW Andrew Johnston (Britain)
Kim Si Woo (Korea)

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