Schauffele ties 36-hole record, leads Morikawa by 1 at Valhalla
Xander Schauffele tied the 36-hole PGA Championship scoring record Friday but saw his lead dip from three shots to one with Round 2 completed after lengthy weather delays.
Schauffele followed up a record-tying 62 on Thursday with a solid 3-under 68 to match Brooks Koepka's 12-under total in 2019 as the lowest in tournament history. That was enough to hold the narrow edge over a charging Collin Morikawa on a rain-soaked day in Kentucky.
Sahith Theegala sits two shots back after a 67, while Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau are in a group three off the pace. Scheffler had arguably the craziest day in major championship history, after being arrested and charged in a traffic-related incident in the morning before returning to shoot a 5-under 66.
Place | Player | Total to par | Round 2 score |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Xander Schauffele | -12 | 68 |
2 | Collin Morikawa | -11 | 65 |
3 | Sahith Theegala | -10 | 67 |
T-4 | Bryson DeChambeau | -9 | 65 |
T-4 | Scottie Scheffler | -9 | 66 |
T-4 | Thomas Detry | -9 | 67 |
T-4 | Mark Hubbard | -9 | 68 |
T-8 | Austin Eckroat | -8 | 67 |
T-8 | Viktor Hovland | -8 | 66 |
T-8 | Tony Finau | -8 | 69 |
T-8 | Dean Burmester | -8 | 65 |
T-12 | Brooks Koepka | -7 | 68 |
T-12 | Hideki Matsuyama | -7 | 65 |
T-12 | Matt Wallace | -7 | 65 |
T-12 | Harris English | -7 | 67 |
T-12 | Robert MacIntyre | -7 | 69 |
Scheffler's remarkable show of strength vaulted him into the mix at 9-under. Only six golfers fired a lower round Friday, and none began the day by doing their pre-round stretches in a jail cell.
While Scheffler grabbed the early headlines, more steady play from Schauffele allowed him to hold a 36-hole lead for the second straight week on the PGA TOUR. The 30-year-old played very intelligent golf around Valhalla, making just one bogey in his 18 holes.
Last week, Rory McIlroy chased down Schauffele to snatch the title at Wells Fargo. This week, there's a host of big names who could make a move for the leader, topped by Morikawa just one stroke behind. The 27-year-old has made just one bogey in his last 31 holes and is primed for a weekend charge.
Theegala is a rising star who deserves attention, but Scheffler and DeChambeau are likely the other players catching Schauffele's attention. DeChambeau tied the lowest round of the day with a 6-under 65 that featured five birdies over an eight-hole stretch.
HEADLINES
- Cortes upset Yankees moved him to bullpen: 'I've been the workhorse'
- Dodgers' Hernández avoids major foot injury, could return by Tuesday
- Report: Mavs bring back vet Markieff Morris
- Braves' Merrifield fractures foot same week he was hit in head by pitch
- Report: Packers' Love could miss 3-4 weeks with MCL sprain