Scheffler tied for lead in PGA as Oak Hill delivers a new challenge
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Oak Hill is delivering a little bit of everything at this PGA Championship. One constant is Scottie Scheffler, who is getting used to chasing majors.
A frost delay at the start gave way to warmth and wind Friday morning before rain showers brought out the umbrellas in the afternoon. Scheffler was steady as ever, posting a 2-under 68 that gave him a share of the lead with Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland.
“These are the positions I want to be in,” Scheffler said. “I show up to the tournaments to perform at my best. I’m proud of how I did the first few days, and I’m excited to be in a good position going into the weekend. With that being said, I’m going to keep my head down and keep doing what I’m doing.”
Hovland, who shared the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews last summer, is getting used to this, too. He dropped only one shot early in his round of 67, and closed with a 7-iron out of wet, thick rough to 5 feet for birdie. It was his 10th consecutive round in the majors when he ended the day among the top 10 on the leaderboard.
Conners had a 68, at one point building a twoshot lead until he had to rely on his short game to account for some errant drives and tough holes on the front nine.
They were at 5-under 135, two shots clear of Bryson Dechambeau (71) and Justin Suh (68).
The leading seven players — that includes Brooks Koepka, who shot 31 on the back nine in his round of 66 — came from the same side of the draw. They were delayed by two hours from freezing temperatures and a coat of frost on the grass. They avoided the wind Friday morning, and then passing showers took some of fire out of Oak Hill.
“The rain … just thankfully we didn’t have any wind, so that kind of helped us out,” Hovland said. “With that rain, the ball went a little bit short. And if you’re in the rough, it tends to make that rough a little bit juicier. At the end of the day, it makes the greens softer, and you can maybe be a hair more aggressive.”
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS
A brief look at the second round of the PGA
Championship:
UP FRONT: Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland are tied for the lead at 5-under 135. Conners and Scheffler shot 2-under 68 on Friday while Hovland capped off a 3-under 67 with a tap-in birdie on the 18th.
IN THE MIX: First-round leader Bryson Dechambeau is two back after shooting a 1-over 71 on Friday. Justin Suh is also 3 under after a 69 that helped him easily make the cut for the first time in a major.
HANGING IN: Brooks Koepka bounced back from a 72 on Thursday to post the round of the day, a 66 that moved him to 2 under for the tournament. Koepka finished with a flourish, birdieing the difficult 17th and 18th holes to ensure himself a spot in one of the final pairings on Saturday.
HANGING ON: Defending champion Justin Thomas made it to the weekend by draining an 8-foot bogey putt on 18 to make the cut on the number at 5 over. Good friend Jordan Spieth did the same, rolling in an 8-footer for par.
RAHM AND RORY: World No. 1 Jon Rahm shot 68 a day after opening with a 76, his worst first round at a major in five years. Rahm is at 4 over. No. 3 Rory Mcilroy had a 69 to move to even par.
KEY STATISTIC: 1. The number of Canadian men who have won a major title. Conners and countrymen Taylor Pendrith (1 under) and Adam Svensson (even par) all head into the weekend with a chance to join 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir.
TELEVISION: 7-9 a.m. (ESPN+), 9 a.m.-noon (ESPN), noon-6 p.m. (CBS).