Simpson's early 65 proved low score was possible at PGA

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — While some of the world's best players were flopping around in the soggy, blustery conditions at Southern Hills on Saturday, Webb Simpson showed low scores were still possible.

Few followed his lead.

Simpson's 65 off a morning start was one of the best rounds of the day Saturday, and kept him within sight of the leaders. He might have been near the top if not for a 75 on Friday. Simpson barely survived the cut, then attacked the weekend when the bad weather blew in.

“Typically I want it to be really hot. But you know, I feel like I’ve grown in the area of kind of coming out and not getting too ahead of myself and be patient out there, kind of grind it out,” said Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner. “I think today what I did well was I just kind of adapted to the conditions ... Tried not to complain about anything.”

Simpson had two birdies in the first four holes. His eagle on the par-5 13th when he holed a wedge from the fairway was the shot of the morning.

The round left him one stroke outside the top 10 when he was done.

“Today was a test of the mind as well as physically because we have a mist out there all day, clubface is getting a little wet, it’s blowing sideways,” Simpson said. “I surprised myself a bit today. But I’ll take it.”

PUTTER PAIN

Jordan Spieth can put plenty of the blame for missing out on the final major in his Grand Slam quest on his putter, which continuously let him down during the first three rounds of the PGA Championship.

He was already 77th of the 79 players in putting before another poor display Saturday. That included a three-putt bogey on the par-3 sixth that ended with Spieth chucking his ball in the water and grasping his putter as if to snap it in half.

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