PGA NOTES

Baltusrol got a minuscule cooling off yesterday afternoon when a quick, intense downpour forced the golfers off the course and delayed the start of the lead groups.

But the delay lasted just 39 minutes, and the rain was insignificant compared to the brutal heat and humidity that have gripped the metropolitan area over the last week.

It turned out to be the calm before the storm.

With the lead pairing of Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III having completed 13 holes, the weather siren sounded and finally a deluge hit the course.

For the first time since 1986, the PGA Championship will be decided on a Monday.

In 1986, Bob Tway holed a shot from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to beat Greg Norman.

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Local pro Darrell Kestner of Deepdale Golf Club in Manhassett, L.I., knows now more than ever there’s no place like home.

After making his first cut in a major by shooting 142 over the first two rounds, Kestner took his lumps in the final two rounds of the 87th PGA Championship, shooting a 8-over 78 Saturday and a 79 yesterday.

“Just pleased to be here for four days,” said the classy Kestner. “I didn’t play on the weekend like I wanted to. I have a nice club and a nice job to go back to, thank goodness. I don’t know how these guys on tour do it.

“I’m totally exhausted,” said Kestner. “How in the world they play a couple of practice rounds, four rounds in a tournament, it’s harder than what people think.”

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Steve Schneiter didn’t get a lot of television air time but he’ll take one of the best highlights from this PGA Championship.

Schneiter, 39, shot the low score among club pros when he eagled the 72nd hole to finish at 6-over 286. That will give Utah-based pro the honor of standing alongside the PGA Championship winner today during the trophy presentation.

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Big Blue apparel left 2003 British Open champ Ben Curtis feeling blue yesterday. Curtis, who dons local team NFL apparel at tournaments, was wearing the green and white of the Jets when he climbed the leader board Saturday with a 3-under 67.

Yesterday he donned Giants apparel and Curtis can only hope that coach Tom Coughlin, already miffed at his team’s performance in its first preseason game, wasn’t watching.

Curtis blew up yesterday, shooting a 7-over 77 through 15 holes when play was called because of lightning.

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PGA Championship scores

Tiger Woods 75-69-66-68-278

Geoff Ogilvy 69-69-72-69-279

Michael Campbell 73-68-69-69-279

Ted Purdy 69-75-70-66-280

David Toms 71-72-69-68-280

Steve Flesch 70-71-69-70-280

Dudley Hart 70-73-66-71-280

Charles Howell III 70-71-68-72-281

Tim Clark 71-73-70-68-282

Zach Johnson 70-70-73-69-282

Trevor Immelman 67-72-72-71-282

Joe Ogilvie 74-68-69-71-282

Bo Van Pelt 70-70-68-74-282

Paul McGinley 72-70-72-69-283

Sergio Garcia 72-70-71-70-283

Shingo Katayama 71-66-74-72-283

Tom Pernice Jr. 69-73-69-72-283

Kenny Perry 69-70-70-74-283

Bob Estes 71-72-73-68-284

Vaughn Taylor 75-69-71-69-284

Chad Campbell 71-71-70-72-284

Arron Oberholser 74-68-69-73-284

Jesper Parnevik 68-69-72-75-284

Stewart Cink 71-72-66-75-284

Fredrik Jacobson 72-69-73-71-285

Scott Verplank 71-72-71-71-285

Jim Furyk 72-71-69-73-285

Jerry Kelly 70-65-74-76-285

Ben Crane 68-76-72-70-286

c-Steve Schneiter 72-72-72-70-286

Adam Scott 74-69-72-71-286

Patrick Sheehan 73-71-71-71-286

K.J. Choi 71-70-73-72-286

M.A. Jimenez 72-72-69-73-286

John Rollins 68-71-73-74-286

Henrik Stenson 74-67-75-71-287

Heath Slocum 68-75-73-71-287

Ryan Palmer 73-70-73-71-287

Jose Maria Olazabal 76-67-72-72-287

Mike Weir 72-72-71-72-287

Y.E. Yang 71-67-76-73-287

J.L. Lewis 72-72-70-73-287

Todd Hamilton 73-70-70-74-287

Bernhard Langer 68-72-72-75-287

Ian Poulter 69-74-69-75-287

Fred Funk 69-75-67-76-287

Scott McCarron 72-72-74-70-288

Sean O’Hair 71-71-76-70-288

Steve Webster 72-70-75-71-288

Carlos Franco 70-70-76-72-288

Paul Casey 70-74-72-72-288

Peter Hanson 73-71-72-72-288

Mark Hensby 69-70-75-74-288

c-Ron Philo Jr. 71-73-73-72-289

Luke Donald 69-73-73-74-289

Chris Riley 72-68-72-77-289

Woody Austin 72-71-68-78-289

Mark Calcavecchia 70-69-77-74-290

Fred Couples 72-72-70-76-290

Joe Durant 73-71-73-74-291

Stephen Ames 67-72-74-78-291

John Daly 71-69-78-74-292

Rory Sabbatini 67-69-76-80-292

c-Mike Small 74-68-80-73-295

Kevin Sutherland 74-70-75-77-296

c-Darrell Kestner 72-70-78-79-299

Hal Sutton 69-73-80-78-300