Fan favorite Max Homa took the stage at Quail Hollow early on Friday and delivered an impressive 7-under 64 to the delight of the crowds in Charlotte and his fans across social media. And halfway through Friday's play, Jhonattan Vegas holds the lead at 8-under after a 1-under 70.
The 34-year-old Homa, whose first PGA Tour win came at Quail Hollow in 2019, put on a tour de force of scrambling, driving, and putting during his to get himself firmly in the mix of the 107th PGA Championship. After his round, the six-time PGA Tour winner said the difference in his opening 2-over 73 and his stifling 64 on Friday were the calm and soft morning conditions.
“I played quite similarly to yesterday. It was a lot easier. There's like no wind. Just scored better, made a couple long putts,” Homa said in his post-round press conference.
If you were to take a look at the biggest highlights in Homa’s round, you would logically start and end with his brilliant drive on the short par 4 14th to one foot. Live on PGA Tour Radio, host Michael Breed and co-host Greg DuCharme were in awe that Homa had pulled off such a powerful shot with such finesse.
“I hit a drive randomly to a foot and chipped it. Yesterday I played awesome. I felt like I had really good control. I just couldn't really get the ball close to the hole, didn't pull the right club a lot, and had a poor finish,” Homa said. “It was kind of in a way nice to be able to play in the morning and just get to go immediately because I knew the game was good. Didn't know I was going to shoot 7-under, but I will take it.”
Jhonattan Vegas leads the championship at 8-under after a solid 1-under 70 second round performance.
“I was a little bit up and down, a little bit more than I would have liked. It was tough coming back early. I was feeling a bit shaky the first couple holes,” Vegas said.
He estimated that he finished with media after his round last night around 9:00 p.m. and didn’t get as much sleep as he would have liked for his quick turnaround for today’s earlier tee time.
“It felt like 3 hours, but it was probably more than that. Everything was all rushed, it was just hard. I feel like I got some sleep but it wasn’t the best,” Vegas said.
“Overall it was solid (Friday). Every chance you get to lead a major and play with the lead Is never easy.”
The 40-year-old is upbeat about his performance though entering the weekend at Quail Hollow.
WATCH: Best Shots of Jhonattan Vegas' Second Round
"There’s a lot of golf left, so I’ve got to keep playing well and hitting good shots.'
Making his 17th start in a major, Vegas is yet to record a top 20 thus far. And Thursday was his first time having the lead after round one in a major. What has it meant thus far?
“It means a lot. This is what we put all of those hours in for. For chances like that. You never know. You’ve got to put the pedal down and keep going,” Vegas said. “I know that I have the game to compete in these big events and I just need to do what I do and see what happens.”
Injuries have kept Vegas from making more starts in majors over the years and he’s had to watch many from home on his couch in recent years. Vegas has had to deal with frustration with that reality of his career, and this week presents a new and fresh opportunity ahead.
“It’s been annoying, especially knowing I have the game to compete in these big events,” Vegas said. “I think I’ve been patient enough to get too down on myself from not playing well in a major. I’m glad I’m in a good position right now.”
GUIDE: How to Watch Weekend Coverage of the 2025 PGA Championship
