Newtown Square (United States) (AFP) – Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler began with a bogey on the 10th hole in Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship while Germany’s Martin Kaymer also stumbled early. Scheffler was among seven players who shared the 18-hole lead at a cold and gusty Aronimink, with seven others only a stroke adrift as day two began.
“At this moment, it’s anybody’s tournament,” Scheffler said. Four-time major winner Scheffler, who had never before led or shared a major lead after 18 holes, joined fellow American Alex Smalley and two-time major winner Kaymer as co-leaders with morning starts. Back-nine starter Scheffler found thick left rough off the 10th tee, plunked his approach short of the green, punched to 19 feet but missed his par putt. Kaymer fell back to one-under overall with bogeys at the second and fourth holes after missing the greens with his approaches.
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Australian Min Woo Lee, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, South African Aldrich Potgieter, and Germany’s Stephan Jaeger were co-leaders with afternoon start times. Not since nine players shared the 18-hole lead at the 1969 PGA Championship had there been such a logjam at the top in a major. There were 12 major champions within two strokes of the lead, 48 players within three shots of the lead, and 92 within five of the top — all 18-hole major records. Aronimink’s trademark sloped greens plus the weather conditions tested the world’s top golfers for a second consecutive day.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry opened Friday with a bogey at 10, slipping to one-under overall, while Canada’s Corey Conners slid to level par with two three-putt bogeys to start the back nine. Reigning US Open champion J.J. Spaun and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama each made early back-nine birdies to reach one-under. Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, spent hours on the practice range Thursday evening after spraying tee shots in an opening round 74, making bogeys on five of the last six holes. Not since Payne Stewart in 1979 has a PGA winner opened on 74.
Joining McIlroy with an afternoon start will be a one-under pack including five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, two-time major winner Jon Rahm, and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele on two-under. Spieth would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory while Rahm would become the first Spaniard to win the PGA title. Also starting late is two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau, who fired an opening 76.
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