PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The second hole was a sign something special was happening to Jason Dufner in the second round of the PGA Championship yesterday at Oak Hill.
Dufner holed out a 105-yard sand wedge for eagle on No. 2 to catapult himself not only into contention but to an historic, record-setting round of 7-under-par 63, giving him a two-shot lead at 9-under entering the weekend.
But it was the way the shot on No. 2 was executed — precisely and without fear of the course — that told you the kind of day it was going to be.
In the wet conditions caused by two days of rain, Dufner knew he could fly the shot over the flag and spin it back — usually unheard of in major championship setups, where hard and fast is the norm. So he did, and it spun right into the hole.
Reuters
LOW MOMENT: Jason Dufner lines up a putt on No. 10 en route to an historic round of 63 at Oak Hill that gave him a two-shot, 36-hole lead in the PGA Championship.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP : OAK HILL HOLE-BY-HOLE
The rain left the old course vulnerable to much of the field, and it was target practice as much as it was golf. Incredibly, the world's three best players, Tiger Woods (1-over), Phil Mickelson (2-over) and Rory McIlroy (even), failed to get the birdie memo and essentially slid out of contention.
Early in the day, 2012 U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson flirted with breaking the competitive course record (64) and posting the lowest score in major championship history (63) before he finished with a 64.
In the afternoon, it was Dufner's turn, and he closed the deal, breaking the course record set by one of his heroes, Ben Hogan, in 1942 and becoming the 24th player to shoot 63 in a major.
"I've been a great follower of Mr. Hogan and everything that he's done,'' Dufner said. "And to knock his course record off is kind of a tip of my cap to him. It will be definitely something that I can always look back when I'm finished playing that I accomplished.''
Dufner had a great chance to shoot 62, but he left his uphill birdie putt on 18 about two feet short, leaving the large gallery — and even some fellow competitors — groaning.
"It was tough to see him leave that last putt short," said Steve Stricker, one of Dufner's playing partners.
Stricker was the last player to shoot 63 in a major, in the opening round of the 2011 PGA in Atlanta, where Dufner lost his best chance to win his first major.
"It was a fun round of golf to watch Jason play,'' said Stricker, who is four shots behind Dufner at 5-under. "He played flawlessly all day.''
Matt Kuchar, who along with Adam Scott and Jim Furyk is two shots behind Dufner, said he was rooting for the 62 while he watched from the 18th fairway.
"It would have put him an extra shot ahead of me, but it would have been pretty cool to see a 62, the lowest round ever in a major championship," Kuchar said.
Dufner said, "It's tough when you're chasing history. You will be the first one to do something. I don't think I've been the first to do anything in my life. So it was a little nerve-wracking. But to join history, to shoot a 63 in a major, is pretty unbelievable and to be leading the tournament, even better, so hopefully it will propel me to a great weekend.''
The weekend is the next thing for Dufner to conquer. He held a share of the 36- and 54-hole leads at the 2011 PGA before losing in a playoff to Keegan Bradley.
"Atlanta is probably the best I've ever hit it in my career,'' Dufner said. "I played really flawless there for 68 holes or 69 holes. I scored better [yesterday], so that's the name of the game."
Had Dufner made the putt on 18, his name would be even more prominent in the game's history books. But he has bigger plans than setting a one-round record
"I'm still trying to chase it," he said, "still trying to learn from the mistakes that I made in prior majors."
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
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