PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Scottie Scheffler birdied the first two holes of his second round to move the leading score to 5 under early Friday afternoon as the PGA Championship continued at Oak Hill Country Club.
Canada’s Corey Conners joined Scheffler at 5 under not long after a drizzle turned into a steady rain at 2:30 p.m. local time. The rain picked up just as the final marquee group of the day — first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau, Keegan Bradley and Australia’s Jason Day — teed off at the first hole to begin their rounds.
The rain was only forecast to last for an hour and players continued their rounds, but it served as a sign of things to come. Saturday is expected to be about 15 degrees cooler with a high likelihood of rain in the early afternoon hours.
Both Scheffler and Conners were 2 under through their first six holes to move past DeChambeau, who was even through two to stay at 4 under.
Scheffler picked up where he left off after Thursday’s bogey-free, 3-under 67. On the par-4 first, his wedge into the green sat down less than 2 feet from the cup. He needed just a 9-foot putt to add birdie at the par-4 second.
The world No. 2 is looking for his second career major title and his third win of the season.
Along with Scheffler, many of the world’s best players had just begun their rounds Friday afternoon, including Jon Rahm of Spain, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, defending champion Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
The low round of the morning wave belonged to world No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, whose 67 was seven shots better than his opening-round 74. He recorded five birdies and two bogeys a day after making only one birdie.
“I think on a golf course like this, good rounds go a really long way,” Cantlay said. “If you hit great shots all day, you can play a good round, and if you just get a little off all day, you can play a round like I did yesterday where I shot 4-over par. It’s just the line is that small.”
That brought Cantlay from 4 over to 1 over for the tournament and ensured he would make the cut. The top 70 players and ties will reach the weekend.
Michael Block, one of 20 PGA club professionals in the field, will be among those making the cut after turning in his second straight round of 70 to remain at even par. The head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif., Block made the cut for the first time on his fifth attempt.
Block said he wanted golf fans at home to know he is “one of them.”
“I’m just your local club pro. That’s what I do,” Block said. “People think I’ve got the best job in the world. I do have a great job. I have a very supportive club that lets me go play, but the amount of times I hit a bucket of balls is not even once a week.”
Block’s accomplishment was especially impressive at a tournament shaping up to be the hardest of the season so far. Only 16 out of 156 players shot under par on Thursday, and seven had broken par in the morning wave Friday.
PGA Tour rookie Eric Cole, who held the lead overnight after starting his first round 5 under through 14 holes, made a double bogey Friday morning and carded a 67. He followed that up with a second-round 74 to drop to 1 over.
–By Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media