Scottie Scheffler Tied at the Top in Bid for Second Major at PGA Championship
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Scottie Scheffler’s major championship experience is rather light when you consider how formidable he’s already proven himself to be at the game’s biggest tournaments.
The 2022 Masters champion who has won six times over the past two seasons and spent a considerable amount of time ranked No. 1 in the world has played in just 12 majors as a pro, with seven top 10s including a victory.
Throw in his Players Championship victory in March, his World Golf Championship title last year at the Match Play, and it is a pretty impressive resume.
And here is Scheffler again.
Through 36 holes at Oak Hill Country Club, Scheffler has made just two bogeys, shooting 2-under-par 68 on Friday to take the lead at the PGA Championship.
Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland also got to 135, 5 under par, at the halfway point of the second major of the year.
"I find myself comfortable in these situations," Scheffler said. "These are the positions I want to be in. I want to be near the lead. I don't want to be in 30th place or going home. 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."
And that seems like a solid plan given the difficulty of Oak Hill, which was softened somewhat by mid-afternoon rains that are expected to be a big part of the Saturday forecast.
Only nine players are under par through two rounds and the course played to a 72.821 stroke average during the second round. How much the rain impacts the course and causes havoc will undoubtedly be part of the third-round story.
Not that it is expected to bother Scheffler.
"I would say the rain made the golf course easier when you are executing," Scheffler said. "When you get out of position, I think it's just as challenging, just because the rough is so wet. There are certain places where you would be able to advance the ball further if the rough wasn't wet.
"But when you are hitting good shots and hitting fairways, the golf course is definitely more accessible this afternoon just because the wind kind of died down, and the rain was on and off, but mostly it was just due to the wind dying, I would say, because the fairways didn't really seem like they softened up much to me at all."
The tough conditions have made for a packed leaderboard. With a 68, Justin Suh is tied with first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau for fourth, two shots back. DeChambeau bogeyed the last hole for 71.
Brooks Koepka, who was runner-up to Jon Rahm at the Masters last month, is in a tie for sixth with Callum Tarren.
Rory McIlroy birdied his final hole to shoot 69 and get in at 140, even par, and in a tie for 10th. There were 76 players who made the cut at 145, 5 over par.
Conners, who is from Canada and ranked 29th in the world (44th in the SI World Golf Rankings), matched Scheffler with scores of 67-68, making three birdies and a bogey during the second round. He has two PGA Tour victories, both at the Valero Texas Open, including last month. Conners has three top 10s in majors, all at the Masters.
"I think just getting experience in the situation is helpful," Conners said. “I think winning in Texas a little over a month ago, take a lot from that. Lots of confidence in my game, feel good, and having fun out there."
Norway’s Hovland is 11th in the world (20th SIWGR), with a tie for third at the Players and a tie for seventh at the Masters, where he was tied for the first-round lead.
"Obviously these tournaments are what you dream about winning and you practice so hard to play in," said Hovland, who had four birdies and a bogey for a 67. “It's nice to be back to have a chance, but at the same time, we've got a lot of golf left. We're only halfway, and a lot of things can happen. So I just have to keep being patient and hitting middle of the greens and just let the pieces fall wherever they fall."