Olympic champion Xander Schauffele took a one-shot lead into the third round of an extraordinarily eventful US PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Schauffele added a second round of 68 to his record-equalling opening 62 to reach 12 under par, matching the championship scoring record in relation to par set by Brooks Koepka in 2019.
Former champion Collin Morikawa was a shot off the lead following a superb 65, with Sahith Theegala another stroke back and Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau part of a four-strong group on nine under.
Scheffler amazingly returned a 66 hours after being arrested – and subsequently released from police custody – following an incident outside the course.
Xander Schauffele leads the PGA Championship by one after a turbulent Friday at Valhalla. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/9c37VLm9M4
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 18, 2024
Scheffler had attempted to get into the course amid heavy traffic caused by an earlier unrelated accident in which a male pedestrian died after being struck by a shuttle bus.
The world number one faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
The fatal accident resulted in a delay of 80 minutes to all tee times and meant 18 players were unable to complete round two before darkness fell.
Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick were among the players to miss the cut, which was set to be confirmed at one under par when play was completed.
Quote of the day
Scottie Scheffler talked about his arrest at @PGAChampionshipafter his round of 66 on Friday: "I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup." pic.twitter.com/Sl48v21sqK
— Golfweek (@golfweek) May 17, 2024
Scottie Scheffler put his time in a cell to good use after being arrested for a traffic incident outside the course.
Shot of the day
Sebastian Soderberg with a hole in one!!! ? pic.twitter.com/2O4rChoVoP
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 17, 2024
Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg safely made the halfway cut after a second round of 67 which included a hole-in-one on the eighth.
Round of the day
A 66 for Scottie Scheffler in the second round. He's just two back of the lead. pic.twitter.com/2LwoieUo6v
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 17, 2024
Scheffler’s 66 was not the lowest round of the day, but it was certainly the only one compiled after being arrested and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer hours earlier.
Statistic of the day
31 of the last 34 winners of the @PGAChampionship have been in the top-10 through 36 holes.
Over the last 30 years, 91% of men's major winners have been in the top-ten entering the third round.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 17, 2024
Top statistician Justin Ray details the challenge facing the chasing pack over the weekend.
Easiest hole
The par-five 18th was the easiest hole for the second day in succession, yielding nine eagles, 79 birdies and just seven scores over par for an average of 4.38.
Hardest hole
The sixth hole took over from the second as the hardest in round two, with 11 birdies, 45 bogeys and seven double bogeys or worse leading to a scoring average of 4.32.
Weather forecast
Morning fog will be likely to start the day before burning off and allowing partly cloudy skies to return. Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible during the afternoon as some instability remains over the region. High pressure will build into the region on Sunday into Monday providing warm and humid conditions.
Key tee times (all Irish time)
Play in the second round will resume at 0715 local time (1215 Irish time). Round three starting times will be from 0900 local time (1400 in Ireland) to approximately 1500 local time (2000 Irish time) from the 1st tee.
By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent, Louisville
Keep up to date with all the latest sports news on our website beat102103.com.
