Love Courts a Return to Form at Baltusrol

Davis Love III got his first major victory at the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot -- yet some would say the bigger story is that he hasn’t won one since.

When Love broke through eight years ago, at age 33, it was thought it might propel him to superstar status.

Instead, Love has struggled to make a major dent, especially at the PGA, where his best finish since that ’97 victory was a tie for seventh in 1999. He missed the cut the last two years and tied for 48th in 2002.

So it was somewhat surprising to see Love string together two rounds of two-under 68 and stand four shots off the lead, at 136, tied for third halfway through this year’s event at Baltusrol Golf Club.

Love, who has won 18 times on the PGA Tour, showed signs of coming around at the U.S. Open in June, overcoming an opening-round 77 to finish tied for sixth.

“The last few majors I’ve really gotten frustrated on the first day right out of the box when things didn’t go my way,” Love said. “So I’m a lot more patient here, and hopefully I can play this weekend like I played the weekend at the U.S. Open.”

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An audio technician for Turner Sports suffered a broken leg after being hit by a large limb that snapped off an oak near the fourth green Friday afternoon. Two other people -- a spectator and a cameraman for CBS Sports -- were slightly injured, and were treated at the medical facility at Baltusrol and released.

Frank Choy, a freelance employee of Turner Sports, was taken to Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., for treatment. He was listed in stable condition.

According to a statement from tournament director Andy Bush, the red oak tree had been inspected and trimmed before the tournament, before the construction of the television tower at the left of the green.

Tiger Woods’ group was playing the 194-yard par-three hole when the branch snapped from a height of about 40 feet; none of the players in the group had yet reached the green.

Bush said the tree would be removed before the start of play today.

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Stuart Appleby hasn’t done much in his eight other PGA Championship appearances, outside of a tie for fourth in 2000 at Valhalla, but he’s playing smoothly so far at Baltusrol.

Appleby, 34, an Australian who lives in Orlando, Fla., is tied for sixth at three-under 137 and in the hunt for his second PGA Tour victory this year. He also won the season-opening Mercedes Championships.

“The key is to not make silly mistakes,” he said. “You can make some mistakes, but you’ve got to make them small.”

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He’s only 5 feet 8, but Yang Yong-Eun is probably the biggest surprise so far. The 33-year-old South Korean, who lives in Japan and plays the Japanese Tour, is playing only his second major. He missed the cut at the British Open but shot a second-round 67 Friday and moved from a tie for 40th into a tie for 11th at two-under 138.

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Steve Webster of England, explaining that he was exhausted after finishing a round of 70, said: “I really don’t have another sausage in me.”

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Lee Janzen, who won the 1993 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, headlined a list of notables who missed the cut -- a group that also included Justin Leonard, Chris DiMarco, Brad Faxon, Colin Montgomerie, Tom Lehman, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and David Duval.