Scottie Scheffler in contention at PGA Championship despite average start

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s still hard to believe, but exactly one year ago, Scottie Scheffler was getting ready for his second round at the PGA Championship in a jail cell.

Fast forward 12 months, and Scheffler has emerged as this event’s get-out-of-jail-free card — at least with respect to the level of buzz, or lack thereof, near the top of the leaderboard.

Two-time RBC Canadian Open winner Jhonattan Vegas continues to lead the way in Charlotte after a 1-under 70. Vegas, ranked 70th in the world, was up four at one point before making a disastrous double bogey on the par-4 18th. He finished at 8 under through two rounds and is up two on Matthieu Pavon of France, who shot a 6-under 65 Friday – his lowest-career round at a major – along with Matt Fitzpatrick and Si Woo Kim, who made an ace on the par-3 6th. At 252 yards, it was the longest ace in major championship history.

Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Open in 2022, and Scheffler are the only two major champions in the top 10 on the leaderboard. The last time there were this few major winners on the PGA Championship leaderboard through 36 holes? Eight years ago.

Scheffler shot a 3-under 68 and is amongst those tied for fifth at 5 under heading into the weekend. The most impressive thing about Scheffler’s scoring effort is that he’s having a very average start with his driver and his ball striking.

An ‘average’ Scheffler who is within shouting distance of the lead at a major with no one of note ahead or near him? Watch out, world.

“I like the position I’m in going into the weekend,” Scheffler said. “Obviously, I wish I was a little bit further up the leaderboard. I think I got a lot out of my game the last couple days. I felt like, as the round went on, my swing continued to get better, and I was able to hit some key shots down the stretch to give myself some opportunities.”

Scheffler is coming into the PGA Championship after a record-setting scoring effort his last time out on the PGA Tour. He shot a 31-under to win The CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks ago, tying the lowest 72-hole score on the PGA Tour in 40 years. He also won the tournament by eight shots.

Scheffler had a slow start to the 2025 campaign after slicing his hand making Christmastime ravioli and needing surgery. He’s since rounded into form, however, and has now notched six top-10s – the most on the PGA Tour – including four in a row coming into this week.

By his own admission, Scheffler said that he is mostly just “glad to be close” to the lead after two days.

“If you’re going to play a 72-hole golf tournament, there’s going to be days and stretches of golf where you’re not swinging it your best,” Scheffler said. “Over the course of a tournament this long and on a major championship setup, there’s going to be… some bumps in the road. It’s all about how you respond to those.

“I did a good job of responding to those mistakes today and keeping myself in the tournament.”

Two Canadians remain in the tournament heading into the weekend, with both Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners in red figures.

Pendrith is at 3 under and just five back of the lead, while Conners had a tidy bounce-back day versus Thursday’s opener, shooting a 3-under 68 and is at 1 under.

The highlight for Conners came on the par-5 7th when he hit his approach from 234 yards to just two feet for an eagle. He was also vastly improved with his ball-striking, sitting third in strokes gained: approach the green. He was 73rd in that stat on Thursday.

Pendrith, meanwhile, went 1 under through the closing tricky trio of holes (nicknamed ‘The Green Mile’) which meant, he said, he was picking up strokes on the field.

The run of holes from Nos. 16-18 are playing as three of the four hardest holes on the course – with No. 18 the toughest. 

“I was around the green (on 15) and didn’t make birdie there which was a little frustrating knowing that the last three holes were very strong,” Pendrith told Sportsnet. “It was a really good finish.”

Coming into the week at Quail Hollow Club, Pendrith’s skillset likely fit the course the best out of the five-golfer Canadian contingent. Pendrith, who finished tied for 10th at the Truist Championship in 2024 (the PGA Tour stop annually played at Quail Hollow), said he’s been able to lean on his driving prowess through 36 holes, sitting fifth in strokes gained: off the tee.

“The driver has been great. (I hit) driver pretty much off every tee here, which I like. I’ve been putting it in the fairway and giving myself chances – driver has been really good so far,” Pendrith said. “Hit some really nice iron shots today and a couple poor ones. So, that’s been average but rolled in some putts.

“Hopefully more of that.”

Despite the fact that Pendrith admitted the rest of his game has been average to this point, he’s excited about the next two days as he gives chase.

“I feel like I haven’t really put myself in too many awkward positions. My speed on the greens has been good. Hit a couple really nice shots inside 15 feet and then a couple to 30 or 40 feet and the lag putting has been solid. Hopefully keep hitting it in the fairway, get a little closer tomorrow, and see some putts go in.”

Kim, on the back of his hole-in-one, and Max Homa had the round of the day Friday, a tidy 7-under 64. For Homa, it was his lowest career round at a major. Homa has gone almost as far down as a professional golfer can go of late, with his made-cut at the Masters his first since last summer (he would go on to finish tied for 12th).

“I’ve kind of realized that, as bad as it’s been, I’m quite good at golf to play decent from some of the positions I’ve been in in my golf swing,” Homa said Friday. “It was kind of in a way nice to be able to play in the morning and just get to go immediately because I knew the game was good. Didn’t know I was going to shoot 7-under, but I will take it.”

Homa started on the back nine Friday at Quail Hollow Club and went out in 6-under 30, which included an eagle on the par-4 14th. He hit his drive from 340 yards away to just one foot.

That ‘2’ on the scorecard came after he made a birdie ‘2’ on No. 13. The only golfer to go 2-2 at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club was Canada’s Graham DeLaet.

The rest of the Canadian crew at this PGA Championship will not play the weekend.

On Friday, Nick Taylor shot a 1-over 72 to finish at 6-over 148, Mackenzie Hughes shot a 2-over 73 to finish at 9-over 151, and Adam Hadwin struggled to a 9-over 80 to finish at 11-over 153.

More from Sportsnet

Major Max: Homa shoots 64 for contention at PGA Championship

Canada’s Taylor Pendrith waiting in the wings after steady second round