PGA Championship 2013: Webb Simpson and Golfers to Watch Entering Weekend

Oak Hill Country Club is one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour, but Webb Simpson made it look easy on Friday at the PGA Championship.

Simpson shot a six-under 64 in the second round of the major to tie the course record, according to Kelly Tilghman of The Golf Channel:

Simpson entered the second round of action from New York at two over after a poor start to the tournament. He rebounded nicely, though, as he only bogeyed one of the holes throughout the day—the par-four seventh. He was flawless on the back nine, making birdie on three of the first five holes.

The front nine would be just as good for Simpson, even though he did falter on the seventh. Throughout the round, he made seven birdies. He made six birdies on Thursday, but also bogeyed six and double bogeyed one. Because he was able to turn things around, he’s now among the leaders at Oak Hill.

Simpson is major champion—winning the 2012 U.S. Open—but has really played poorly at the major tournaments ever since.

This season, he got cut at the Masters and finished outside the top 30 at the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. This will be the first time he’s ever made the cut at the PGA Championship.

With Simpson a lock to be playing the weekend at Oak Hill, it will be interesting to see how he performs going forward. It will be tough to beat Friday’s round of golf, but if he can shoot under par the next two days, there’s a good chance he could end up winning the second major tournament of his young career.

Throughout the season, Simpson has averaged a lower score on the weekend than on Thursday and Friday. Before the cut, he averages a 70.63, which is the 46th on the PGA Tour. He has the 38th-best third-round scoring average (70.40) and the 27th-best final-round scoring average (70.29).

That being said, you can’t afford to miss what Simpson manages to do on Saturday and Sunday at the 2013 PGA Championship. But aside from the former U.S. Open champion, who should you be keeping an eye on? Well, here are two top golfers you must follow as the major continues the next two days.

Adam Scott, -7

It was a much bumpier road for Adam Scott on Thursday, but he still entered the clubhouse as the leader after completing his second round. Scott was nearly perfect in the opening round, shooting five under and making six birdies on the day. He faltered on one hole, bogeying the par-four 16th.

On Friday, Scott had a couple of poor shots, which didn’t allow him to extend his lead atop the leaderboard. He shot two under on the back nine—making three birdies and a bogey—but couldn’t do any better after making the turn. On the front nine, he made a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys.

If Scott can continue to play at a high level at the PGA Championship, there’s a good chance he makes some history come Sunday (h/t ESPN Stats & Info):

Scott has been very sharp at two of the three majors this season. As many should remember, he won the Masters with a fantastic performance at Augusta and also finished tied for third at the Open Championship just a few weeks ago. Finishing toward the top at Oak Hill would truly make a statement.

If Scott manages to win the PGA Championship, one could make the argument that he’s the best player in the world right now. No one has been able to win two majors in a season since Padraig Harrington did it in 2008. By the way things look at the moment, Scott could be joining Harrington in the coming days.

Martin Kaymer, -4

Martin Kaymer may not have made any ridiculous shots like he did on Thursday—see below for the animation of his eagle from 153 yards out—but he still put together a strong second round. He’s still very much in the hunt for his second career major victory—and second at the PGA Championship (2010).

Through 36 holes, Kaymer stands at four-under par. He had an up-and-down first round. Kaymer made back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, then back-to-back bogeys on the sixth and seventh. He played just as inconsistently once making the turn too, adding to his strange day at Oak Hill.

Kaymer made par on the 10th and 11th hole and then the fun started. He went birdie-eagle-birdie from the 12th through the 14th, then made two pars and then back-to-back bogeys to close out the round. He was much better on Friday, making par or better on every hole and shooting two under for the round.

Kaymer hasn’t been close to winning another major title since his victory a few years ago, as Justin Ray of ESPN points out:

While Kaymer has struggled to finish in the top 10 in the last few majors, that could change this week at Oak Hill. He hasn’t been too sharp all year long, as he has the 72nd-best scoring average on the PGA Tour. He tends to play better before the cut too. It should be fun to see if he stays in the top 10 or falls out of it over the weekend.

All statistics in this article were obtained via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted.