CHARLOTTE, N.C. — D.A. Points, with three holes to play in his second round, was 5-under and one shot off the lead held by Kevin Kisner. By the time he finished, Points was 1-under after double bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 and seven shots out of the lead.
His upbeat attitude after the round belied a player who had just given four shots back on his final three holes.
“I kept trying to remind myself this is kind of gravy,” said Points, who last played in a major at the 2015 U.S. Open. “I’m happy with where I am. Hopefully, I can make a couple birdies and get back on it [Saturday]. It was unfortunate to stumble coming in. Still, in the top 10 or 20 going into the weekend is in good shape.’’
Points, who won the Puerto Rico Open earlier this year, has a history at Quail Hollow, losing to Rickie Fowler in a 2012 playoff that also involved Rory McIlroy.
Asked what he remembers most about that playoff, Points said, “That most people probably don’t even remember I was in that playoff with Rickie and Rory.’’
None of the three Met-area club pros was able to turn the PGA Championship into a magical week. All three — Matt Dobyns from Fresh Meadow, Alex Beach from Baltusrol and Adam Rainaud from Winged Foot — missed the cut.
This was Dobyns’ fourth crack at a major and his third in a PGA, and he has yet to make a cut. This one hurt more than the others because he played in the Wells Fargo Championship last year at Quail Hollow, made the cut and finished tied for 53rd. So he had high expectations for this week.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Dobyns said. “I have no excuses other than I just wasn’t ready to play. I’m disappointed that I’m not playing the weekend because I know I have the ability to do that — especially at this golf course.
“I’m walking away from this one more disappointed than any of the other ones because this one, I knew what to expect, having played the [Wells Fargo] event here and having played PGAs before. I just didn’t handle it very well. I’d love to make a cut in one of these things.”
Omar Uresti, who won the PGA Professional Championship in June in Sunriver, Ore., was the only club pro to make the cut. He is 2-under after shooting a 1-under 70 Friday. Uresti is a former PGA Tour pro.