PGA Championship scorecards don't have pictures. Vegas and Poston make a 3 very different ways

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas and J.T. Poston each put a 3 on their scorecard at the par-3 17th. The way they played the hole was nothing alike.

Vegas watched his tee shot sail to the right and figured he would need to chip-and-putt his way for par. But it struck the rake outside the bunker when it landed and caromed onto the green. His first thought was that it might roll so hard to the left it would go into the water. Instead, he stopped 35 feet away from an easy two-putt par.

“Sometimes you get a sprinkler head that goes out-of-bounds or the cart path that goes out-of-bounds, or sometimes you hit a rake that goes on the green,” Vegas said. “It’s just part of the game, and you’ve just got to enjoy it all.”

Poston played in the afternoon and put his shot on the 185-yard hole — a front tee to go with the front pin — into the water.

“I would have taken bogey walking off that tee,” Poston said, who played bogey-free the rest of the way, shot 70 and was only four shots out of the lead.

He did even better. Going to the drop zone, from 110 yards and holed wedge for par.

“That felt like it was better than a 3,” Poston said. “I was staring double bogey right in the face. That was big for momentum.”

Already one of the more playfully animated characters in golf, Si Woo Kim had something to really celebrate Friday at Quail Hollow.

He now has the longest hole-in-one in major championship history.

Kim used a 5-wood on the 252-yard sixth hole for his ace. It carried him to a 7-under 64 that left him two shots out of the lead in his quest for his first major.

After his ball bounced on the green and curled around toward the hole and dropped in, Kim threw his club high in the air, then started running down the fairway until he reached the next tee box. Then he turned back to his playing group and triumphantly raised his arms in the air.

Kim was told it was the longest ace in major championship history. There was no need telling him who had the previous record — it was Kim last year at Royal Troon.

“Last record was me, too, because I’ve kind of made similar number at Royal Troon, so that was longest maybe major history hole-in-one,” he said.

His ace at the British Open last year was on the 238-yard 17th hole at Troon.

“Yeah, it's exciting,” he said. “I hit it like right exactly how I wanted. So it was cool and then it was pretty memorable hole-in-one in major.”

The PGA Championship provided a few explosive moments Friday at Quail Hollow.

One of them, without too much surprised, belonged to the animated Tyrrell Hatton. He was right in contention until hitting his tee shot into the creek left of the 18th fairway at the midpoint of his round.

He hissed at his driver dropped two strong expletives, leading the ESPN announcers to say, “So, he was not happy with that tee shot.”

Hatton made triple bogey and wound up seven shots out of the lead.

And then there was Shane Lowry, who hit a good drive on the short eighth hole only to discover it was in a pitch mark that was not his — if it had been, he would have been granted a free drop. But he had to play it.

Lowry was trying to put it in the bunker because he didn’t think he could reach the green 57 yards away from that lie. Still angry, he dropped an expletive and violently slammed his wedge into the divot he had made.

Lowry wound up with a bogey and extended his middle finger at the hole when he missed his par putt. He also was seen speaking to an official, but Lowry said that was directed toward an ESPN crew member who interjecting.

“The ESPN guy came straight over and said, ‘That’s not your pitch mark.’ I’m like, ‘That’s not for you to talk about. That’s for me to call a rules official and decide what happens,’” Lowry said.

“I wasn’t arguing that it was my pitch mark,” he said. “I was trying to be 100% sure.”

Either way, he was annoyed — especially after missing the cut by one shot.

Matthieu Pavon of France showed his chops in the majors last year when he contended in the U.S. Open, playing in the final group with Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst No. 2 before closing with a 71 to finish fifth.

He's back at it again in the PGA Championship. Pavon had a 6-under 65 for his lowest round in a major and putting him in the final group with Jhonattan Vegas.

He also matched the low score in a major by a Frenchman. Michael Lorenzo-Vera had a 65 in the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive.

“I was able to play Wells Fargo last year on that golf course, so I knew what test of golf that tournament could be,” Pavon said. “I think it’s even bigger now being a major. The atmosphere is great, and the golf course played tough. I’m very lucky to play there last year and get a little taste of it because now I understand better the way it is.”

Pavon played bogey-free with only one of his birdies on the par 5s.

The French player to win a major is Arnaud Massy in the 1907 British Open. More recently, Thomas Levet was part of a four-man playoff in the 2002 British Open at Muirfield, and Jean Van de Velde famously lost a three-shot lead on the final hole at Carnoustie in 1999 and then lost in a three-man playoff.

“The last two days were pretty solid, but today was even better,” Pavon said. “Got a nice momentum with the putter early on that kept me in the right way to manage the golf course. Overall it was a super satisfying day.”

Patton Kizzire withdrew after 10 holes of the second round with an injury. He was 6-over par for his round and 9 over for the championship. ... There won't be another Block party at this PGA Championship. Michael Block, who made an ace at Oak Hill in 2023 to finish in the top 2023 and earned more than 15 minutes of fame, shot 75-82 this year. What's similar to that magical week at Oak Hill is that Block has received an exemption to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial next week on the PGA Tour. ... Dustin Johnson's major woes continue. He missed the cut for the fifth time in his last seven majors with rounds of 78-76.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tyrrell Hatton, of England, reacts after missing a putt on the 14th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Si Woo Kim, of South Korea, walks on the seventh hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

J.T. Poston hits from the bunker on the eighth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jhonattan Vegas, of Venezuela, hits from the fairway on the 18th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)