Kiawah Island diary

Compiled by PHILIP REID

In the swing: Golfing pop star lights up tournament

Darius Rucker added a bit of rock glam to the galleries at the PGA when turning up for the tournament. The frontman for Hootie and the Blowfish is an avid golfer and hails from Charleston, the nearest city to the isolated island that is playing host to South Carolina’s first Major.

“I remember the ’91 Ryder Cup and how great that was and being proud of Charleston back then. This is a whole different level,” said Rucker, who actually had a pre-championship outing on the Ocean Course when offered a round by Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey.

So, how did he fare? “The wind was absolutely howling that day. I struggled to an 89,” said Rucker.

Let me go on: Like I blister in the sun

In spite of all the advice given to spectators attending the tournament, there are those who simply won't listen and who insist on wearing flip-flops and sandals rather than the best runners that Nike or Reebok can offer, with the result that medical staff had to send out for extra supplies of bandages and plasters to treat those affected by blisters.

On a more serious level, no fewer than 180 spectators were treated for heat-related issues including dehydration during Thursday's first round.

Great Scott? How to blow a Major and win fans

Adam Scott, the Aussie with the film star looks, has found that his failure to win the British Open – where he leaked four bogeys coming home to hand the Claret Jug to Ernie Els – has conversely increased his popularity.

"I may have won more fans, unfortunately it was from not winning the tournament. Maybe I can change that here this weekend," said Scott, who added a second round 75 to his opening 68 for 143 in his quest for a maiden Major title.

PGA is all ker-ching for Singh: Two-time champion coins it

Vijay Singh has used the PGA championship as something of an ATM machine over the years, chucking out a career total of $2,366,427 in prizemoney since he first played in the championship in 1992.

A two-time winner of the championship, in 1998 and 2010, the Fijian – competing in his 21st PGA here – is placed third on the all-time money list for the season's final Major. Only Tiger Woods ($5.9 million) and Phil Mickelson ($2.9 million) have claimed bigger chunks of the US PGA's purses through the years.

Interestingly, the prize fund for the championship has jumped considerably down the years. When Dow Finsterwald won the first strokeplay championship in 1958, he collected a first prize of $5,500. Tomorrow's winner will take home a cheque for $1,445,000.

Na Na goodbye: Kevin reluctant to shoulder the burden

A shoulder injury forced Kevin Na to withdraw from the championship after 13 holes of his second round. He was unlikely to make the cut in any event. The naturalised American – born in South Korea – was nine-over-par when he decided enough was enough.