The wind picked up at Aronimink on Friday and the scoring average rose with it, but none of that deterred Aldrich Potgieter.
The 21-year-old South African is in the process of writing one of the most compelling stories of the early major season, surging towards the top of the standings at five under par as the afternoon wave works through its second round.
He has yet to make a bogey through 14 holes of his second round, surviving a near-disaster at the 13th when an errant tee shot threatened to go out of bounds before he rolled in a testing par save under the weight of the occasion. Pressure, as he demonstrated, is not a concern.
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Matsuyama and Gotterup lead the clubhouse
Among those who have completed their second rounds, Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Gotterup share the lead in the clubhouse at three under par.
Matsuyama’s Friday 67 was the product of four birdies and a single bogey, his iron play as clean as it has been all season. The 2021 Masters champion has two top-five finishes in PGA Championship history but has not posted a major top ten since the 2024 US Open.
Gotterup shot a 65 in the morning wave, the low round of the day, moving him to three under alongside Matsuyama. The conditions he faced were considerably tougher – sustained winds of around 15 miles per hour with gusts approaching 25 – making his performance all the more impressive.
Scheffler grinds back to two under
Scottie Scheffler’s second round was a reminder that even the world number one is not immune to Aronimink when the driver betrays him.
He hit just seven fairways and went zero for six to start his round, making three bogeys in his opening stretch to fall back to the field.
He ground through the remainder of his round with more control, picking up birdies and limiting the damage, and came in at 71 to sit at two under overall.
McIlroy fighting to make the weekend
The most watched story of the day has been Rory McIlroy’s attempts to drag himself back from Thursday’s disastrous 74, which left him well outside the projected cut line. He described that round with a single word when asked for his assessment.
He birdied the second and fourth holes of his second round to reach two over for the tournament, sitting just inside the cut line as the projected number settled around four over.
His back nine remains to be played and he has maintained his bogey-free card through the first stretch of his afternoon.
The afternoon wave continues, with the leaderboard subject to further change as conditions ease compared to the brutal morning.
Maverick McNealy, who as it stands holds the lead, alongside Alex Smalley and Cameron Young – who signed for a 67 to sit at two under – are among those keeping the pressure on Potgieter as the second round reaches its conclusion.
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