Jhonattan Vegas Remains the Leader, but Scottie Scheffler and Other Elite Names Gain Ground in Round 2

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As Scottie Scheffler and a band of elite names – Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick – were just under way in their afternoon golf in Round 2 of the 107th PGA Championship, Jhonattan Vegas was unwittingly putting a different complexion on things at the 18th and final hole of his second round.

By lipping out a 3-foot putt and making double-bogey to close out a round of 1-under 70, Vegas had put a screeching halt to his momentum. True, he would maintain his lead, but at 8-under 134, not 10-under.

And, how, how that felt significant.

True, those two strokes didn’t immediately go into Scheffler’s account, nor could the other stalwarts use them, but it sure felt as if the afternoon heavyweights had a clearer picture of their assignments, given that no one had run away to a commanding lead.

Consider it mission accomplished, in varying degrees, for each of them.
For Scheffler, who was T-20 and five off the lead through 18 holes, he overcame a few loose shots with some nice recoveries and only made one bogey in a round of 3-under 68. It enabled him to leap 15 players, moving into a share of fifth at 5-under, just three behind Vegas.

For McIlroy and Schauffele, their concern wasn’t so much moving closer to the leader but pushing inside the cutline, as they had begun the day 3-over and 1-over, respectively. The cut would fall at 1-over 143, so these major winners made it on the number – McIlroy finishing bogey-bogey to shoot 69, Schauffele birdieing 15 then came home in three pars for 71.

Scheffler, McIlroy, and Schauffele weren’t the only major winners to do what they had to do in the afternoon; so, too, did Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open winner who has been sort of searching for his game of late. With a second consecutive 68, Fitzpatrick moved to 6-under 136, tied for second with Matthieu Pavon, who had six birdies in a bogey-free 65 in the morning, and Si Woo Kim, who had six birdies and a historic hole-in-one in his afternoon.

Kim’s flawless 5-wood from 252 yards at the par-3 sixth is the longest ace in major championship history, but there are those who won’t let it overshadow the birdie-eagle-birdie stretch Max Homa made at the Nos. 13-15 in his morning 64 that provided him with a share of fifth alongside Scheffler.

True, there are a host of unheralded names who’ve worked their way high onto the leaderboard. The group at 4-under 138 that is tied for seventh, for instance, is 10 names deep, including two who are making their PGA Championship debuts, Michael Thorbjornsen (70) and Ryan Gerard (72) and only one inside the Top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings, No. 22 Robert MacIntyre.

But keep moving down and Bryson DeChambeau (68 – 139) is among those at 3-under and Rahm 70 – 140 is at 2-under after having played a round with just one bogey.

“I like the position I’m in going into the weekend,” said Scheffler, who has finished top 10 in four of his five PGA Championship appearances. “Obviously, I wish I was a little further up the leaderboard (but) I think I’ve gotten a lot out of my game the last couple of days.”

When the morning wave was completed, those players who had played 36 holes in 2-over probably assumed they would be on the proverbial bubble for making the cut. Still, they waited and waited . . . without any success.
With the cut falling at 1-over 143, 74 players will move into the weekend.
The list will not include those who finished at 2-over, most notably Jordan Spieth. It’s the ninth time he has failed to win the PGA Championship in an effort to complete the career grand slam and while he acquitted himself nicely in Round 2, a 3-under 68, the opening 76 was too much to overcome. Shane Lowry was also among those at 2-over who failed to make the cut.

* Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow eight years ago. He got to 1-over for the championship through 13 holes, but bogeys at Nos. 5, 6, and 7 spoiled his charge. With 73-72 he finished at 3-over 145 to miss the cut for just the second time in 10 PGA Championships.

* Hideki Matsuyama, who had the longest stretch of consecutive cuts made in the majors, at 19. He shot 73-73.

* Ludvig Åberg never recovered from a bogey, double-bogey, double-bogey at 16, 17, and 18 for an outward 40. He went 70-75.

* Patrick Reed (72-74), who was T-2 at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. * Patrick Cantlay (74-74), who made just three birdies, none of them on the par 5s.

* Cam Smith (78-71), who in four PGA Championship rounds at Quail Hollow (2017, 2025) is 22-over par.

* And other major winners fell short – Jason Day (73-75), Brooks Koepka (75-76), Phil Mickelson (79-72), Justin Rose (76-75).

Of the 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals who were part of the Corebridge Financial Team, Tyler Collet (73-78) of the South Florida section and John Somers (75-76) of the North Florida section posted the low scores at 9-over 151.
Tom Johnson (74-78), who was among three others who finished at 10-over, perhaps spoke for his colleagues when he said the passion will carry-over to the next challenge.
Many of these PGA of America Golf Professionals will be involved in the upcoming U.S. Open final qualifying in a few weeks.
“I’m already thinking ahead,” said Johnson, who is from the Northern California section. “My confidence is riding high.”