Day two digest: 2021 US PGA Championship

Everything you need to know from day two at Kiawah Island.

Louis made his move, Lowry needed a bucket and spade, Grace felt at home and Poults was having a laugh on day two of the 2021 US PGA Championship.

Here is everything you need to know from Friday on The Ocean Course.

Louis ready for another Major

Louis Oosthuizen tasted victory at one Major Championship when he lifted the Claret Jug in 2010 but he has also experienced the pain of coming second in all four of golf's biggest events. On day two he looked like a man set for gold rather than silver as he made five birdies but dropped a shot on the last after flying the green to surrender the solo lead. The man he shared the summit with at five under was multiple Major Champion Phil Mickelson, and Oosthuizen was keen to join that club. "It'll be great to get a second Major," he said. "There's a lot of golf left and I just feel whenever I get to a Major, I sort of have my game where I want to have it and mentally I feel very strong at a Major week."

Life's a beach for Lowry

They say there are no pictures on the scorecard but they also say not all pars are equal and Shane Lowry's par on the 16th was simply remarkable. The Irishman sent his tee shot onto the beach at the 608 yard par five but was granted relief from a little fence and managed to pitch his ball 83 yards back in to the fairway. From there, he advanced his ball up the fairway before getting up and down from 80 yards, holing a putt from 20 feet. "It's funny, I seen a picture of Rory (McIlroy) out there in the practice rounds and I was trying to figure out where it was," he said. "Then I obviously found out where it was because I didn't know. I obviously knew the sea was out there that side but I didn't know what was out there. Look, I got very lucky there because where I hit my provisional wasn't very good, either. It could have been anything."

Amazing Grace contending again

Branden Grace recorded five top ten finishes in ten Major Championships between 2015 and 2017, the last of those coming as he carded the lowest round ever in one of golf's big four with a 62 at The Open Championship. Since then he has won twice on the European Tour - including a Rolex Series event - but had yet to contend again at a Major. After a 71 left him two off the lead, he was right in the mix and revealed it was good to be challenging again. "I believe that I should be out here," he said. "I believe that I should be a top 30 player in the world and I believe I should win. I've contended in these big events before. There's no reason why I can't contend in them now, especially around a golf course like this."

Poults has a laugh

Ian Poulter could not help but laugh when an optimistic scoreboard operator tipped him to break the course record with six holes to go. That positivity was somewhat merited as the Englishman made an eagle and four birdies in his first 11 holes but the daunting closing stretch back into the wind on the Pete Dye designed layout is one of the toughest tests in the game, and Poulter dropped four shots in the last six holes. The Ryder Cup talisman is not a man not known for a shortage of confidence but he admitted the thought of going lower than Alex Cejka's 63 from the 1997 World Cup of Golf was not on his mind. "I got on to the 13th tee and there was a scoreboard in the distance, and it was ironic," he said. "It says, ‘Ian Poulter, six under through 12 and chasing down a course record’, and I just started laughing to myself. Like, who in the world would write that and put that on a board with that last five holes to play?”

Dazzling debutants

Making your US PGA Championship is nerve wracking at the best of times, even more so when you're faced with the challenge of The Ocean Course. Well these guys clearly weren't phased as Daniel van Tonder, Will Zalatoris, Rasmus Højgaard, Dean Burmester, Jason Scrivener, Sam Horsfield and Garrick Higgo all made the cut. Well played, gents.

Warm yet?

There are warm ups and there are warm ups. Safe to say Brad Marek now has an army of fans.