Jimmy Walker opens with 65 at stifling PGA; Johnson stumbles

World number three Jordan Spieth was surprised to face questions about a possible rules violation after a second round of 67 in the US PGA Championship.

Walker, who has five career victories but none in one of the four majors, shot a 5-under par 65 Thursday and leads the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club.

He led after the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday. He knows he hasn’t demonstrated that kind of performance this season, so it’s a matter of grinding out shot after shot and not getting done in by one or two bad holes.

Reed fired a 65 to join Kaymer in second after the German shot 69.

New British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden shared fifth on 67 with Britain s Andy Sullivan and Americans Harris English and James Hahn.

Two-time major victor Martin Kaymer was one shot behind, and British Open champion Henrik Stenson was two shots back.

Up: Emiliano Grillo. The 23-year-old from Argentina opened with a 4-under 66, his low round at a major this season. The 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th are all exacting long par-4’s and they played as the 3rd, 5th, 4th and 1st most hard respectively.

Day played in the morning group with McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, and he was the only player without much stress.

Fourth-ranked McIlroy, a four-time major victor, fired a birdie-free 74, his worst-ever start in an event he has won two of the past four years. Walker’s only blemish on the card was a bogey on the long par-4 6th but he bounced back immediately with a birdie at the demanding par-4 7th.

The weather matched the mood of Dustin Johnson and others trying to make up ground Friday in the PGA Championship.

Kaymer is hopeful his odd trend of playing his best golf in even-numbered years continues. “I got off to a bit of a wobbly start and stood over a six-feet putt on the 14th to avoid going three over, so I’m quite happy that went in and I turned it on from 18”.

“I struck the ball beautifully today”, Spieth said. Kaymer, who started on No. 10, had a lone hiccup, a bogey at No. 2. He used the putter on his fourth hole of the day to pour one in from a moderate length and the Friday move was on.

Rory McIlroy had 35 putts and no birdies. Both played in the morning.

Walker, off to his best major start by two shots, had only led once before after 18 holes, that in 2011 at the US PGA Houston Open where he settled for a share of 30th.

“The challenge this week was to be back in there mentally and focused and on one or two occasions, I think I slipped and I probably paid the price”. Ross birdied the two closing par-fives for a rousing finish, while Grillo was boosted by back-to-back birdies from the 14th.

“I felt like I was gaining some momentum and starting to see some go in”, he said of his putting. It’s tough. You feel like killing yourself and you’re giving it all you’ve got and you’re not seeing it.

Thirty-five players bettered par in the opening round and the early starters kept up that pattern, crowding the leaderboard before the afternoon wave, whose tee times were pushed back 45 minutes due to the rain delay.