Schauffele leads US PGA but rivals gather in round two

Leaderboard:

-12 Schauffele (US), -11 Morikawa (US), -10 Theegala (US), -9 Scheffler (US), DeChambeau (US), Hubbard (US), Detry (Bel), -8 Finau (US), Hovland (Nor), Eckroat (US), -7 MacIntyre (Sco), Wallace (Eng), Koepka (US), English (US), Matsuyama (Jpn)

Selected others:

-6 Rai (Eng), Thomas (US), -5 Rose (Eng) McIlroy (NI), -3 Donald (Eng), -2 Hatton (Eng), -1 Fleetwood (Eng), Level Fitzpatrick (Eng), Rahm (Spa), Aberg (Swe), +4 Clark (US), Mickelson (US), +7 Woods (US)

Xander Schauffele stayed top of the leaderboard but saw his advantage cut on day two of the US PGA Championship.

After shooting a tournament record nine-under 62 on Friday, the Californian carded a more modest 68 to improve to 12 under.

Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa led the pursuit with a fine round of 65 in rainy conditions early on while world number one Scottie Scheffler put aside being arrested on Friday to shoot a five-under-par 66 and close the gap to three shots.

It was a disappointing day for Rory McIlroy who had a double bogey in a 71 that saw him slip seven shots back.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre reached nine under but finished with successive bogeys as he signed for a 69 and seven under total.

As the weather cleared up in the afternoon, scoring improved for most but not for Tiger Woods who hit two triple bogeys in three holes and he will miss the cut on seven over par.

The top 70 players plus ties will make the halfway cut, which, with several players needing to finish their second rounds on Saturday, looks set to eliminate all those who are not under par.

Former world number one Jon Rahm and his Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg are among those at level par who will miss out.

Play was delayed by 80 minutes on Friday because of an accident near the course with Louisville Metro Police Department reporting a shuttle bus had struck and killed a pedestrian outside the golf club.

Pre-tournament favourite Scheffler was not involved in the accident but found himself in trouble with the police on his way into Valhalla Golf Club after trying to avoid the traffic jam and was arrested.

He was booked in at Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections at 07:28 local time and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.

He has to attend a hearing at the Kentucky Court of Justice on Tuesday, 21 May.

After being released at 08:40, Scheffler arrived at the course less than an hour before his tee-time and described the police incident as a “big misunderstanding”. He started his second round at 10:08 to resounding cheers from a supportive crowd.

Despite his disrupted morning, he birdied his first hole. He picked up two more shots on his front nine and dropped just one, at the 11th (his second).

On Thursday, he opened his round by holing out spectacularly from 167 yards and almost repeated the trick on his 11th hole, narrowly missing the cup but still pocketing a birdie.

Further shots picked up at holes four and seven ensured he moved level with Schauffele at nine under par.

Damp greens on Thursday had made for fine scoring conditions but with persistent rain falling on Friday, it was difficult for the early starters to make inroads into Schauffele’s advantage.

However, after contending at the Masters in April, 2020 US PGA champion Morikawa again demonstrated his ability to produce his best form at the majors.

His impressive round was dotted with immaculate approach shots, and he completed an outstanding back nine, featuring five successive birdies in a row to set the clubhouse target.

Starting his afternoon round two shots behind Morikawa, Schauffele played a composed front nine in three under par but stalled around the turn, making his first bogey of the tournament at the 12th.

He then missed good birdie chances at 13, 14 and 15, also lipping out at 17 as he matched the 2019 36-hole record score of Brooks Koepka at 12 under par.

Schauffele has more top-20 finishes at majors without winning of all current players and has not won on the PGA Tour for almost two years.

So far in 2024, he held the 54-hole lead at The Players Championship in March and at the Wells Fargo Championship last Sunday before faltering over the final round.

At five under par overnight, British pair McIlroy and MacIntyre had the opportunity to push on as the rain eased.

Only the Scot looked likely to take it.

Playing the opposite side of the course to the more celebrated names, he quietly picked up four shots in 10 holes to get to nine under par but after hitting a shot from a hospitality verandah as he scrambled a par on the long seventh, he bogeyed the final two holes as he raced to beat the fading light.

Meanwhile, McIlroy birded the opening hole but was unable to find his form on the greens before the double bogey at 12 wrecked his card. It seems unlikely his long wait for a major victory will end here at the place where he won his last one in 2014.

Playing partner Justin Rose managed an eagle at the last to join him on five under par while fellow Englishmen Matt Wallace (67) and Aaron Rai (68) improved to seven and six under respectively.

Thirty one of the past 34 winners of this tournament have been in the top 10 at the halfway stage and the closest challenger to the top two is 26-year-old American Sahith Theegala whose excellent 68 means he enters the weekend in third on 10 under par.

It was also a good day for 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau who shot seven birdies on his way to a 65 as he finished in near darkness to join Scheffler on nine under.

He was joined in the top 10 by 2023 runner-up Viktor Hovland who moved smoothly to eight under with a 66.

Lurking one place outside the top 10, 2023 winner Brooks Koepka matched magical iron play with inconsistent putting in his three-under 68. Five off the lead, the three-time champion remains a threat in this tournament.

The cut will not be made until Saturday after the delayed start meant 18 players did not finish their round before darkness fell. They will return at 12:15 BST to finish off.

As ever at major championships, a host of big names will be heading home before the weekend.

Fifteen-time major winner Woods has not played since shooting his worst Masters score in April and was plagued by unforced errors again on Friday.

Birdies at seven and eight were cancelled out by bogeys at three, 11 and 12 as well as those grisly triple bogeys at holes two and four.

He did at least give the massed galleries something to cheer by signing off with a birdie at the 18th hole where he clinched the title in 2000 in a play-off against Bob May.

It has been an equally galling year for Rahm who has failed to contend at both majors since switching to LIV Golf. His level-par total looks set to be one shot more than where the cut line will fall.

Joining him on the journey home will be Sweden's Aberg who could not match his form from the Masters, England's Matt Fitzpatrick, last year's US Open winner Wyndham Clark and the 2021 PGA champion Phil Mickelson.