PGA Championship has THREE-WAY tie as Scheffler, Conner, and Hovland are all five-under

World number two Scottie Scheffler, Canadian Corey Conners, Norwegian Viktor Hovland took a share of the PGA Championship second-round lead on Friday, while a ruthless Oak Hill left some of golf’s biggest names to fight for make the cut.

Scheffler, who posted his first-ever bogey-free round in a major with a lovely 67 on Thursday, couldn’t match that brilliance in round two but as always delivered a clinical performance carding a two-under 68 to come back. at the top.

Conners had started the day level with Scheffler one behind leader Bryson DeChambeau and finished it in the same position also signing for a 68.

World No. 11 Hovland started his round with back-to-back birdies, then drained a five-foot birdie putt in the 18th to join Conners and Scheffler on five under 135.

“The tournament is halfway there,” said Scheffler, who can reclaim the number standings with a win on Sunday. “I’ve had two good days so far, and I just hope to keep it that way as the week goes on.

“You get rewarded for your good shots here, and if you run you can birdie just about any hole.”

“So when you can stay ahead and stay in position and hopefully wait until you get warm, that’s a good position.”

The three opened up a two-shot lead heading into the weekend over Justin Suh (68) and LIV Golf standard bearer DeChambeau, who bogged the 18th for a 71 of 71.

Another LIV Golf contingent member, Brooks Koepka (66), and Callum Tarren (67) are another penny drifter.

And Koepka’s LIV teammate Patrick Reed shot a 71 in the second round and is tied for 35th with a three-over.

In the first two rounds, the golfers have already faced whatever Mother Nature could throw at them with gusty winds, frost and rain adding to the already strong defenses of Oak Hill.

After freezing temperatures and frost delayed the start of Thursday’s game, wind and rain were the problem on Friday as only nine of 156 players reached the midpoint of the second major of the year under par.

Defending champion Justin Thomas, six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth, who only need a PGA Championship to complete the career grand slam, all narrowly finished the weekend at the cut line. at five. .

Spieth, making his seventh career slam attempt, threw a mandatory eight-footer for par on the 18th to secure his spot.

The day started with 30 golfers returning early to complete their first rounds after darkness halted play on Thursday, and the action continued uninterrupted with players rushing to the East course with officials determined to return on time.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry started the day three closer to the cut line then in contention, but the 2019 British Open champion found some magic on the back nine with five birdies on six holes between the 10th and the 15th.

Lowry would bug his final two holes coming home, but his 67 would leave him tied through two rounds in the field that includes good friend Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy, a four-time major winner, is yet to find form at Oak Hill, but the Northern Irishman’s grit kept him in the hunt at an under-69, netting a 17-foot birdie putt at the 18th.

“I made that putt last, I looked at the board and I thought, I can’t believe I have five back,” McIlroy said. “I guess that’s a good thing because I know if I can get him to play off the tee, that’s the key to my success this weekend.

“If I can get the ball in play off the tee, I’ll have a chance.”

World number one Jon Rahm bounced back from a first-round 76 with a two-under 68, which was enough to see the Spaniard through the weekend on a four-over total.

Cinderella’s story at this PGA Championship was 46-year-old Michael Block, one of 20 club professionals teaching on the course, who beat some of golf’s biggest names by carding two level par-70 rounds to make the cut.

Other notable performances included Justin Rose tied for eighth at one under, Collin Morikawa tied for 19th at one over and Max Homa tied for 35th at three over.

The tournament lasts two more days and will end on Sunday.