PGA Championship 2015: Live Updates for Friday Leaderboard Scores

The wind was a huge story during the afternoon session of the opening round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

It may not be as big a factor in Friday's second round. According to the AccuWeather forecast, winds are not expected to exceed 7-8 miles per hour throughout most of the afternoon.

If that forecast is accurate and there are no sudden changes in the weather patterns, that will be good news for golfers like Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Matt Kuchar, who are all scheduled to play in the afternoon session.

It was no surprise to see Johnson atop the leaderboard with a 66 after the first round. Johnson has dominated the early rounds of the majors this year, and if that trend continues Friday, he will put himself in excellent position to make a run at the championship.

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This is @DJohnsonPGA's 3rd straight 1st round lead in a major. Will this be the 1 he closes? #PGAChamp @GolfChannel @PGA_com

— Angela Hamann (@AngelaHamannGC) August 14, 2015"

While Johnson's tough finish at the U.S. Open this year has been top-of-mind for many golf fans and analysts, he suffered a brutal defeat at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Johnson appeared to be on his way to joining Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson in a playoff, but he was nailed with a two-stroke penalty on the 72nd hole when he grounded his club in a bunker.

While that rule is well-known among golfers, the bunker that Johnson grounded his club in was tiny. Johnson didn't even think it was an official hazard, and that's why he grounded his club.

Jae Hong/Associated Press

Johnson is playing with Jason Day, who shot a 68 in the opening round despite having some difficulty with his wedge shots. Day has the kind of strong all-around game to remain in contention for four rounds. While he has not won a major to this point in his career, he is ready for a breakthrough. He has finished in the top 10 nine times in the majors, per ESPN's Bob Harig.

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Playing alongside Dustin Johnson, Jason Day stayed aggressive, shot 68, and now sits two back: http://t.co/NoPrlOEPdU pic.twitter.com/mLnzAaF9tg

— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) August 14, 2015"

Kaymer figures to be a factor at Whistling Straits once again. He was victorious in a 2010 playoff battle with Watson, and he got off to a decent start by firing a two-under 70 in the opening round, but he has an excellent chance of showing some improvement in the second round, especially if the winds don't pick up.

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What about me? With the focus on DJ's '10 defeat, don't forget about Martin Kaymer's victory: http://t.co/SV5lYVMDg7 pic.twitter.com/SXuABZYzJ3

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 12, 2015"

Kaymer, who is scheduled to tee off at 2:30 p.m. ET, is playing with Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley. Neither one of Kaymer's playing partners played well in the opening round. Tiger shot a three-over 75, and he said he hit the ball well but just couldn't do anything with his putter. Bradley has had a disappointing season, and that continued with his opening round of 76. Both Woods and Bradley will have to improve quite a bit on their opening round if they are going to make the cut.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Matt Kuchar fired a four-under 68 in the opening round, and he would like to build off that round when he tees off at 1:30 p.m. ET. Kuchar has won slightly less than $2 million this season, but his game appears to be a good match for Whistling Straits. He is the seventh-ranked player in sand saves, and this course has more than 1,000 bunkers, so he should be able to hold up well.