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Iwata joins 63 Club
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Iwata joins 63 Club

Hiroshi Iwata entered the history books at Whistling Straits on Friday as he shot a record-equalling 63 in the second round of the US PGA Championship.

Hiroshi Iwata - on the way to a fine 63 on day two at Whistling Straits

The Japanese became just the 25th player to achieve the feat at a Major Championship with Fiji's Vijay Singh and Australian Greg Norman the only men to have done it twice.

Iwata's achievement means that 13 of the 27 63s in Major history have been fired at the US PGA Championship, including the last three with Steve Stricker and Jason Dufner achieving the mark in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

The 34 year old opened with a birdie and picked up shots on the fourth and eighth but remarkably had a dropped a shot on his card on the ninth.

He followed that with a par but then recorded five birdies and an eagle in his next seven holes to give him a chance to become the first man to record a 62 going up the 18th.

His tee shot found the right of the fairway but when his second shot found thick rough he looked to be staring a bogey in the face.

A stunning pitch to four feet followed, however, and Iwata claimed his place in The 63 Club.

"On the back nine, after number 13, I was thinking that I'm going to shoot 27," he said. "The course conditions are very different from yesterday and today. Yesterday the wind was so strong and the greens were really hard so I couldn't stop the balls with the wedges.

"I could only make a birdie chance at one time yesterday."

He added: "I have seen these kind of media centres on TV, but I'm honoured to be here to be interviewed. But when I came in, I thought that there was going to be more people, more media."

George Coetzee could have joined the Club with a birdie on the last but recorded a bogey while Henrik Stenson was eight under for the day through 15 but dropped two shots in his final three holes.

The 63 Club

US PGA Championship

Bruce Crampton, 1975 (Firestone), second round (7 under)
Raymond Floyd, 1982 (Southern Hills), first round (7 under)
Gary Player, 1984 (Shoal Creek), second round (9 under)
Vijay Singh, 1993 (Inverness), second round (8 under)
Michael Bradley, 1995 (Riviera), first round (8 under)
Brad Faxon, 1995 (Riviera), final round (8 under)
Jose Maria Olazabal, 2000 (Valhalla), third round (9 under)
Mark O'Meara, 2001 (Atlanta AC), second round (7 under)
Thomas Bjorn, 2005 (Baltusrol), third round (7 under)
Tiger Woods, 2007 (Southern Hills), second round (7 under)
Steve Stricker, 2011 (Atlanta Athletic), first round (7 under)
Jason Dufner, 2013, (Oak Hill), second round (7 under)
Hiroshi Iwata, 2015, (Whistling Straits), second round (9 under)

Masters Tournament

Nick Price, 1986, third round (9 under)
Greg Norman, 1996, first round (9 under)

US Open

Johnny Miller, 1973 (Oakmont), final round (8 under)
Jack Nicklaus, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (7 under)
Tom Weiskopf, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (7 under)
Vijay Singh, 2003 (Olympia Fields), second round (7 under)

The Open Championship

Mark Hayes, 1977 (Turnberry), second round (7 under)
Isao Aoki, 1980 (Muirfield), third round (8 under)
Greg Norman, 1986 (Turnberry), second round (7 under)
Paul Broadhurst, 1990 (St Andrews), third round (9 under)
Jodie Mudd, 1991 (Royal Birkdale), final round (7 under)
Nick Faldo, 1993 (Royal St George's), final round (7 under)
Payne Stewart, 1993 (Royal St George's), final round (7 under)
Rory McIlroy, 2010 (St Andrews), first round (9 under)

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