Kelly Kraft wasn’t supposed to be playing Bethpage Black this week. Now, after the alternate snuck into the PGA Championship as the last player in the field, Kraft is somewhere else he isn’t supposed to be.
Earning entry to his fifth career major via Justin Thomas’ withdrawal with a wrist injury, Kraft has taken advantage of the gift and claimed a spot near the top of the leaderboard after shooting 65 Friday, and moving to 4-under. That placed the 30-year-old in a tie for fourth place entering the third round.
Prior to landing on Long Island, Kraft had missed his past four cuts in stroke-play tournaments. He also missed the cut in half of the four majors he ever previously played in.
Kraft’s best-ever finish in a major was 58th, at the 2017 PGA Championship.
“I need to send Justin Thomas a bottle of wine or something,” Kraft said.
Kraft will have to find something for Adam Scott, too, after watching the Australian sink four birdies in the first five holes.
“We’re both making putts and feeding off of each other. It was fun,” Kraft said. “He made a bunch of long putts, and you start seeing balls go in early like that, makes the rest of the day a little more fun. Every time you get a look, you’re thinking about rolling it in.”
Even when he shouldn’t have been thinking about it.
After shooting 1-over in the first round, Kraft opened with a birdie, then holed out from 93 yards for another birdie on the fifth.
The 192nd-ranked player in the world was nearly flawless on the back-nine, recording four birdies and no bogeys. Kraft closed with birdies on the final two holes, leaving his second shot on the 18th within 3 feet of the pin from 119 yards out.
“I’m an average-length player, and when I play well, I putt really well and I get balls up-and-down and that’s what I’ve been doing the last couple days,” Kraft said. “It’s not a course I’m going to overpower, so it’s something we’re just kind of staying in our lane and plodding away and hitting my driver really straight, pretty much where I’m looking, and if I can continue doing that, I’m going to have a lot more looks at birdie on the weekend.”
It is still a long look up to Brooks Koepka, who is seven shots clear of second place. But Kraft, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champion, isn’t paying attention to anyone else yet.
“Don’t look at leaderboards,” Kraft said. “It’s just me and my caddie out there and he’s telling me where to hit it and I’m trying to hit it there, and for the first few days it’s been pretty easy honestly.”
Somehow, getting here was harder than playing here.
