Kisner, Matsuyama tied for lead at PGA Championship

Kisner, Matsuyama tied for lead at PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hideki Matsuyama never looks satisfied with his shots or his scores, no matter how good they look.

Five days after the 25-year-old Japanese star closed with a 61 to win his second World Golf Championship event, Matsuyama motored through a dampened Quail Hollow with a 7-under-par 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Kevin Kisner (67) at the PGA Championship.

Heavy rain that suspended play Friday afternoon made Quail Hollow more vulnerable than it had been, but Spieth couldn’t take advantage.

“I kind of accept the fact that I’m essentially out of this tournament pending some form of crazy stuff the next couple of days,” Spieth said.

Kisner faced tougher, faster conditions in the morning and holed a 50-foot eagle putt from short of the green on the par-5 seventh hole.

When his round was over, Kisner had a five-shot lead over the players from his side of the draw.

“These guys going out this afternoon, they break 70, they’ve done a hell of a job,” Rory McIlroy said after a 73 that put him 10 shots back.

A light rain began falling not long after McIlroy’s prediction.

[...] the storms rolled in with heavy rain that drenched the course and forced a delay of 1 hour, 43 minutes.

Jason Day, who played a four-hole stretch in 5 under around the turn and before the storms, shot 66 and was two shots behind.

[...] the biggest difference was the rain took the fear out of putting on the fast greens and sent scores tumbling.

Matsuyama, finishing his swing with one hand as tee shots found the fairway, already was playing great and putting even better.

When the round resumed, Matsuyama got up-and-down for birdie on the 15th, saved par from a bunker on the 16th and then drilled a 7-iron over the bunker to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th.

Kisner doesn’t have the length for this 7,600-yard course, but he has golf smarts, a reliable swing and a good putting stroke for the greens.

The plan was to make birdie on the par 5s and the two short par 4s, and play for par everywhere else.

Rory McIlroy +2, Dustin Johnson +2, Jordan Spieth +3, Sergio Garcia +8 (missed cut), Phil Mickelson +11 (missed cut).