What to watch heading into PGA Championship weekend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The 2nd circular of the PGA Championship is successful the books, and though determination seemed to beryllium little speech astir the mud balls that dominated the first-round discourse, plentifulness of players made moves and the leaderboard remained 1 of the astir eclectic successful caller memory.

Some of the astonishment names that dotted the apical of the committee aft Thursday's opening circular couldn't supply due encores, but 40-year-old Jhonattan Vegas didn't slice and present owns the 54-hole lead. Perhaps the biggest story, however, was satellite no. 1 Scottie Scheffler shooting 3 nether and putting himself successful premier presumption to unafraid his 3rd major.

"I deliberation astir of maine is conscionable gladsome to beryllium adjacent to the lead. If you're going to play a 72-hole play tournament, there's going to beryllium days and stretches of play wherever you're not swinging it your best," Scheffler said. "Over the people of a tourney this agelong and connected a large title setup, there's going to beryllium immoderate bumps successful the road. It's each astir however you respond to those. I did a bully occupation of responding to those mistakes contiguous and keeping myself successful the tournament."

More than that, Scheffler remains wherever helium started: arsenic the favourite to instrumentality location the Wanamaker Trophy.

Here's what to ticker for this weekend.

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Jhonattan Vegas is starring astatine the halfway point; what bash you deliberation his chances to triumph are?

Schlabach: "Johnny Vegas" astir apt wouldn't beryllium a fashionable victor among play fans, but helium has 1 heck of a story, fixed wherever helium started successful his career. He was a apical inferior subordinate successful Venezuela, past moved to Houston successful 2004 erstwhile Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened to crook municipality play courses into nationalist housing.

When Vegas arrived successful the U.S., helium reportedly spoke lone 10 words of English and had a container of well-worn clubs. He became bully capable to gain a assistance to the University of Texas. After turning pro, helium spent 2 years connected the Korn Ferry Tour earlier picking up his archetypal PGA Tour triumph astatine the Bob Hope Classic successful 2011. Vegas has won 3 times since then, astir precocious astatine the 3M Open successful July.

Vegas said helium didn't slumber good earlier Friday's circular aft finishing precocious the time before. Sleeping connected his archetypal pb astatine a large astir apt didn't help, either. He'll person to slumber connected different 2-shot pb earlier the 3rd round. His past made chopped successful a large was a necktie for 57th astatine the 2021 U.S. Open. This is lone his 3rd commencement successful the large 4 since then.

A double-bogey 6 connected the 18th spread sullied what had been a coagulated 2nd circular for Vegas. He finished 1-under 70 and walked disconnected the people with a two-stroke lead. After gaining astir 4 strokes connected the tract putting successful the archetypal round, helium cooled down considerably successful the second, losing astir 1 stroke. His play from tee to greenish remained exceptional.

I'd beryllium stunned if Vegas is simply a wire-to-wire victor of the PGA Championship.

Uggetti: Data Golf gives Vegas a 9.4% accidental to win. That means that adjacent with a two-stroke pb heading into the weekend, Vegas is lone the 2nd favorite. Scottie Scheffler (23.4% chance, 3 shots back) and Bryson DeChambeau (9% chance, 5 shots back) circular retired the apical three.

The information that Vegas not lone hung astir successful the 2nd circular but changeable nether par and is inactive holding onto the pb is impressive. However, if I were handicapping his existent chances, I'd thin toward 5%, if not less.

"I consciousness similar my crippled is precise complete, but I conscionable haven't been capable to enactment it each unneurotic successful a major," Vegas said Friday. "I deliberation I've been diligent capable to not truly get excessively down connected myself for not playing good astatine majors. It's conscionable benignant of 1 of those things that you've conscionable got to support learning astir yourself and what it takes to play bully here. Unfortunately, it's taking maine a small spot longer than usual, but I'm gladsome that I'm successful this presumption close now."

It would beryllium an awesome story, arsenic Mark explained, but if Vegas ends up raising the Wanamaker Trophy travel Sunday, it volition beryllium 1 of the astir improbable large wins we've seen since Jimmy Walker did it astatine the PGA successful 2017. Perhaps adjacent much unlikely.

Which player(s) extracurricular the apical 10 bash you deliberation could inactive win?

Schlabach: I picked DeChambeau to triumph earlier the tourney started, and he's inactive wrong striking region astatine 3 under. The LIV Golf League skipper bounced backmost from an even-par 71 successful the archetypal circular to station a 3-under 68 connected Friday. He is tied for 17th, 5 strokes down Vegas.

DeChambeau is hitting the shot a agelong mode astatine Quail Hollow; helium leads the tract successful driving region (331.6 yards) and strokes gained disconnected the tee. His putting, not surprisingly, has been solid. But DeChambeau's robust play is inactive a small off, similar it was astatine the Masters, and helium isn't blessed with his chipping (he mislaid astir 2 strokes Thursday and was a small amended Friday).

"You person to person your irons ace precise this week, which we each cognize however bully my wedges are, truthful that makes it a small spot much hard for me," DeChambeau said. "That's OK, though.

"It's a large test. I've conscionable got to person my putting a small much connected and support playing the mode I am. It easy could beryllium 7, 8 nether close now, oregon I could beryllium adjacent par. So conscionable support moving along, and I deliberation a 65, 64 is retired there. I astir changeable it retired determination contiguous and I decidedly saw it retired there, I conscionable didn't execute it."

Uggetti: There are plentifulness of large names lurking extracurricular the apical 10, and erstwhile a tourney inactive seems comparatively wide open, arsenic this 1 does, it could beryllium anyone's game.

Still, adjacent with a people similar Quail Hollow, I fishy the pick volition proceed to emergence to the top. And contempt his caller struggles astatine immoderate large championships, possibly nary 1 is arsenic bully astatine doing that than Jon Rahm. The Spaniard has enactment unneurotic 2 quiet, but highly coagulated rounds of play and is sitting astatine 2 under, six shots down Vegas, heading into the weekend.

"I deliberation I'm successful bully position," Rahm said. "Adding to the information that I consciousness similar I'm getting better, much assured with the swing. I made a batch of bully swings retired determination contiguous and gave myself plentifulness of chances."

The sermon astir Rahm astatine the majors has revolved astir his inability to get into contention since winning the 2023 Masters, but it's casual to hide that backmost then, helium looked to beryllium 1 of the astir accordant and ascendant players successful the game. He continues to rack up top-10 finishes connected LIV, nevertheless you privation to measurement those, and it would not astonishment maine to spot him making a tally astatine the apical this weekend. He could usage it.

How acold backmost is excessively acold to inactive beryllium successful contention?

Uggetti: Is it excessively overmuch to accidental that anyone who made the chopped could marque a run? Probably, but this setup, similar galore PGAs successful the past, has kept the leaderboard beauteous adjacent together. Even with Vegas astatine 8 under, players specified arsenic Collin Morikawa (even par) and Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele (1 over) could spell debased and marque a run. As acold arsenic I'm concerned, the existent person successful the tourney close present is Scheffler astatine 5 under, but that besides means that Scheffler would request to stall retired and that doesn't look apt either. Players specified arsenic Morikawa, Schauffele and McIlroy are going to request to sprout successful the mid-to-low 60s to person immoderate shot, but it's not retired of the realm of possibility.

A much levelheaded sentiment is that 1 nether is astir apt excessively acold back. Being 4 shots down Scheffler and 7 shots down the person offers up a gangly task.

Who is your prime close present heading into the weekend?

Schlabach: I picked Scottie aft the archetypal round, and helium was 1 changeable amended Friday with a 3-under 68, which was bully capable to permission him successful a necktie for fifth. He improved successful conscionable astir each metric successful the 2nd round, but for driving (six of 14 fairways hit).

"I similar the presumption I'm successful going into the weekend," Scheffler said. "Obviously, I privation I was a small spot further up the leaderboard. I deliberation I got a batch retired of my crippled the past mates days. I felt like, arsenic the circular went on, my plaything continued to get better, and I was capable to deed immoderate cardinal shots down the agelong to springiness myself immoderate opportunities. Looking guardant to the weekend."

Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open winner, is the lone different golfer successful the apical 10 who has won a major. Vegas, Matthieu Pavon, Michael Thorbjornsen, Alex Smalley and Sam Stevens aren't holding disconnected Scheffler erstwhile helium makes a charge.

Uggetti: Scheffler feels inevitable, particularly fixed that helium inactive hasn't had a circular wherever he's played similar the unquestioned No. 1 subordinate successful the world. Part of me, however, keeps coming backmost to Bryson. He has been acold from cleanable this week and he's intelligibly inactive warring his attack crippled (77th successful the field), but it besides seems similar he's owed for a circular wherever everything clicks. The thrust remains an unbelievable weapon, helium conscionable needs to support it successful the fairway much often to person a chance.

What subordinate missing the chopped was the biggest disappointment?

Schlabach: There are plentifulness of coagulated choices due to the fact that galore of the world's champion golfers, Justin Thomas (3 over), Hideki Matsuyama (3 over), Ludvig Åberg (3 over), Justin Rose (9 over) and Russell Henley (10 over) won't beryllium astatine Quail Hollow for the weekend.

I'd astir apt spell with JT due to the fact that I thought helium had a existent accidental to marque immoderate sound this week. He won 3 weeks agone astatine the RBC Heritage and captured his archetypal large astatine the 2017 PGA Championship astatine Quail Hollow.

Thomas deed lone 13 of 28 fairways (4 of 14 successful the archetypal round) and 16 of 36 greens. He made 9 birdies but had acold excessively galore mistakes, too.

Uggetti: I'll spell with Aberg. He had been up and down coming into this week, but it inactive seemed similar Quail Hollow would acceptable up good for his game. Instead, helium finished 145th successful strokes gained: driving and 86th successful approach. The illustration size is small, and possibly the barroom has been acceptable excessively precocious excessively quickly, but that's present 2 missed cuts successful 2 PGA Championship appearances for Aberg.