Baltusrol Diary

Darren Clarke is not the only golfer with his mind on matters away from the course. Stephen Ames, a 41-year-old native of Trinidad but now a Canadian citizen, is trying to remain focused on the championship while his wife, Jodi, recovers from lung cancer.

"She's moving forward, she's recuperating," said Ames. "For the time being, there is no chemo, she's just restructuring her body and her muscles, getting herself back in motion."

His wife has been dividing her time between the couple's home in Calgary and a holiday cabin in British Columbia and is being cared for by her parents. Ames has added company while on the road. He has brought his two young sons, Justin (8) and Ryan (6), with him to the tournament so that his wife can rest as much as possible. Jodi had suffered from intestinal problems but was diagnosed with lung cancer during a check-up three months ago and underwent surgery to remove two spots on her lungs.

"With the seriousness of it, I didn't sit down and reflect on it. I haven't, or maybe I didn't want to . . . I didn't let it come through to the conscious mind," said Ames, who followed up his opening round 67 with a 72 to be on 139 at the midway mark.

Fresh air not good

When David Howell missed a birdie putt on the 15th hole of his second round, he nonchalantly went up to tap in the ball which had come to rest on the lip. Except he failed to make contact with the ball . . . and had a fresh air. Howell explained afterwards that he had put a new, shorter putter into his bag for the championship and thought that he was playing with his old, longer putter when going to tap in. At least the "fresh air" didn't prove too costly. The Ryder Cup player was already missing the cut by a number of shots.

McDowell struggles

Whiplash victim Graeme McDowell, who was involved in a car crash just over a fortnight ago, managed to tee up in the US PGA with the help of sports therapist Dale Richardson, but the Northerner - who had finished tied-11th at St Andrews in his last major - missed the cut after rounds of 72-76 left him on eight-over-par 148 which included four double-bogeys over the two rounds. McDowell now heads onto the NEC Invitational in Akron next week, a World Golf Championship event for which he qualifies due to his top-50 world ranking.

A Par 3 Par 5

When Davis Love III was asked for his thoughts on the 17th hole, at 650 yards the longest hole in major championship history, he described it as a "par 3" because a player's only real option is to play into position for a wedge approach with their third shot. "It's more a position hole than a Par 5," he said.