PGA Championship 2024: Schauffele leads Morikawa by one as play suspended due to darkness

Scottie Scheffler was arrested near Valhalla before the second round of the PGA Championship

The 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla is underway and we’re here to ensure you don’t miss a thing from the second round action.

Things you missed at the PGA Championship: Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

After an action-packed opening round on the course at Valhalla, which saw Xander Schauffele take the overnight lead with a scintillating 62, Friday’s early hours were dominated by off-course incidents before the delayed action resumed at 08.35 local time.

Play suspended at 20:41 due to darkness

27 players will return on Saturday morning to finish their second rounds before the cut is made and third-round tee times are drawn.

Cut line projected at 1-under

World No.4 Wyndham Clark will miss the weekend’s action at Valhalla after a second-round four-over-par 75 that included a horror stretch of bogey-double bogey-bogey on holes 6-8. Sam Burns (3-over) and Phil Mickelson (4-over) are other notable names to miss the weekend as will major champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm who could only get to even par.

Bryson leading LIV charge

The top page of the leaderboard isn’t exactly littered with LIV stars but the one shining brighter than the rest after day two is Bryson DeChambeau. The big-hitting Crushers GC captain fired a six-under 65 to put himself in one of the final pairings for the weekend. Elsewhere in the field, defending champion Brooks Koepka battled well to a three-under 68, well placed on -7 going into Saturday.

Hovland rediscovers game

It has been a while since we’ve seen Viktor Hovland perform anywhere close to the level that saw him clean up at the business end of 2023 on the PGA Tour and Ryder Cup. A five-under 66 on Friday dragged the Norwegian up into the top 10 for the weekend and right in the mix to challenge for the Wanamaker Trophy. Hovland has recently started working again with his long-time swing coach Joe Mayo who he’d fired at the turn of the year after failing to make a top-10 finish this year and missing the cut at the Masters.

“It was a nice score. Very happy with where I’m at, said Hovland. “The game hasn’t been all too easy the last few months, so happy to build some momentum and shoot two nice rounds in a row. Made some birdies out there. Chipped the ball really well. Made a couple of putts. We’re definitely trending.”

Rory fails to kick on

After a solid opening day 66, many expected Rory McIlroy to kick on and put himself in one of the final pairs for the weekend. It wasn’t to be though with the back-to-back PGA Tour winner only managing a level par 71. A double bogey on the par 4 12th hole took any remaining wind out of the World No.2’s sails, leaving Rory with a huge task to pull himself into contention on Saturday.

Schauffele setting records

Xander Schauffele added his name to the PGA Championship’s record books once again on Friday as he fired a three-under-par 68 to follow his nine-under 62 opening round. It leaves the American leading by one shot at 12-under at the halfway stage and matches the lowest 36-hole score in the tournament’s history.

“I think as soon as 62 was posted there’s just blood in the water, said Schauffele. “I feel like everyone — if it was roles were reversed, it’s sort of like everyone sort of feels they can shoot low now. That’s just kind of how it goes out here. So, yeah, I think it definitely helps to keep the head down, at least for now. It’s only two rounds.”

Tiger crashes out

No one, least of all Tiger, will have taken any pleasure from the Friday 77 (+6) that means he’ll miss just the fifth cut in his long PGA Championship career. The 15-time Major champion was one-over at the start of play and needed a good Friday to ensure he’d make the weekend, but endured a nightmare start as he tripled the 3rd, bogeyed the 4th, and tripled the 5th. It’s the first round that Tiger has registered two triple bogeys in his Tour career.

“He will make the decision when he has to,” Sky Sports’ Ewen Murray commented as a dejected Woods headed down the stretch. “But you get the feeling it’s getting ever closer.” Woods will inevitably say he believes he can win when he rolls up at Pinehurst for next month’s US Open, but it’s clear he needs more competitive action if he’s ever to get close again and, with age and injuries against him, it may be time for us all to accept we’ve seen the final Tiger roar.

Ludvig leaving early

Ludvig Aberg finished as runner-up on his Major debut at last month’s Masters, but, despite being many people’s pick to lift the Wanamaker Trophy, the young Swede will have the weekend off. He needed an eagle at the par-5 18th to make the cut but could only manage a birdie and joins a long list of big names who won’t be returning on Saturday, including Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzptarick, Tiger Woods, Wyndham Clark, and Phil Mickelson.

The Block party comes to an end

Rounds of 76 and 73 bring to an end the fairytale PGA Championship run for the People’s Champion from 2023. Club pro Michael Block couldn’t find the form that took him to a top-15 finish at Oak Hill last year with a quadruple-bogey 8 on Thursday’s second hole making it an uphill task from the get-go for Block who battled to a 7-over finish for his 36 holes at Valhalla.

Picture of the day

As Scottie Scheffler spent the morning in a cell, quick-thinking fans were getting t-shirts printed ready for their day at Valhalla, leading to this brilliant image. Having watched himself on TV for much of the morning, it’s not that surprising that the World No.1 wasn’t desperate to lock eyes on his mug shot on this fan’s chest. But he did take advantage of his hands being out of cuffs to give a high five.

Update from Scottie’s Lawyer, Steve Romines

Zalatoris speaks out on morning drama

Will Zalatoris said he believes PGA Championship tournament organizers should have held off play for four or five hours Friday morning, thoroughly investigated the fatality that caused the traffic backup, then brought the players in to play. “Instead, you have Scottie (Scheffler) weaving in and out of traffic cones trying to get to the golf course, and now the World No. 1 is arrested,” Zalatoris told Marty Smith of ESPN.

Mr Mills’ family release photo

Scottie opens up on morning madness

Speaking immediately after his remarkable five-under 66 in round two considering the unprecedented circumstances, Scottie Scheffler spoke candidly about his experience being arrested. The World No.1 opened the interview by sending his condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Mills who lost his life in the early hours of Friday morning.

Whilst refraining from commenting on specifics relating to the incident itself, Scheffler shared some comical memories about his bizarre morning.

“I can’t really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me. That was part of my warmup, said Scottie.

“This one older officer looked at me as I was doing my fingerprints and he goes, ‘So do you want the full experience today?’ I kind of looked at him, and I was like, I don’t know how to answer that. He’s like, ‘Come on, man, you want a sandwich?’ I was like, Sure, I’ll take a sandwich. I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. I mean, they were really kind. I’m grateful that we have such strong police, and they’re our protectors out there.”

Read Scheffler’s post-round two interview in full.

Morikawa makes longest birdie streak so far

The 2020 champion stormed into the lead in Valhalla with a 6-under 65. The American two-time major winner fired five of his seven birdies in a consecutive run between holes 4-8 of his back nine to register the longest birdie streak of the championships so far. Unfortunately, his sole bogey came on his 36th hole to drop back to 11-under for the tournament.

“Look, the little five-run birdie was me just playing solid golf, and sometimes when the putts drop, that’s what happened, said Morikawa.

“But for the most part, that’s the kind of golf I’m going to ask for myself over the next two days, and 36 holes is just stay present, hit your shots, execute them, and if the putts drop, the putts drop. But really not force anything. I wasn’t forcing anything out there, especially throughout all of today.”

Statement from Scottie’s attorney

Steve Romines: “In the early hours of the morning in advance of his tee time Scottie was going to the course to begin his pre-round preparation. Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area, it was a very chaotic situation. He was preceding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible. In the confusion, Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s signals resulting in these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply preceding as directed. He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed and he will be completely exonerated.”

Scheffler without Teddy for ‘moving day’

Just when he thought his week couldn’t get any more bizarre, Scottie Scheffler will have his trusted caddie replaced by the PGA Tour chaplain on Saturday. Louisianan looper Ted Scott will make a 24-hour sabbatical to attend his daughter’s graduation, a commitment that had been agreed in advance by the pair prior to the tournament.

“Teddy is going home Friday night, coming back Saturday evening after the graduation, said Scheffler. “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first, and it’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision.”

The chaplain in question is actually Scheffler’s good buddy Brad Payne who will hopefully continue to be a calming influence on the World No.1 as he looks to stay focussed on winning a third major championship and forget about any impending off-course issues.

The PGA of America release statement on Friday’s incidents

“Our primary concern today remains with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work. As it relates to the incident involving Scottie Scheffler, we are fully cooperating as local authorities review what took place. While the legal process plays out, questions should be directed to Scheffler’s attorney or local authorities.”

Min Woo Lee chips in time times!

The Australian put on a short game show on Friday, holing out three times from off the green on route to a five-under 66, vaulting up the leaderboard from T85 to T16. Lee is making his third appearance at the PGA Championship with a T18 finish his best to date.

“The last couple of weeks I haven’t chipped as good as I normally do, said Lee. “Normally I would have a chip-in a tournament, and I would chip it on a decent lie, I would probably nearly close to hole it or be around the hole, but the last couple weeks it’s been pretty average, so it’s nice for the confidence to hole three of them. They weren’t easy ones.”

Soderberg makes 49th Championship ace

Swedish golfer Sebastian Soderberg edged the PGA Championship one step closer to seeing a landmark 50th hole-in-one. His crisp strike on the 8th hole from 169 yards pitched within a few feet before spinning straight in after a small hop. Soderberg is making just his second-ever Major start this week and will leave Valhalla, regardless of whether he makes the weekend with his name in the history books, alongside a host of the game’s greats who have achieved an ace at the PGA.

John Daly withdraws with thumb injury

The American cult-hero who famously won the 1991 PGA Championship as an alternate, withdrew ahead of his second round at Valhalla, citing a thumb injury. Now 58, Daly shot an opening 11-over 82 in his 30th appearance at the PGA. Due to his arthritis, Daly was permitted to use a golf cart this week under the Americans with Disabilities Act, although his clubs were required to be transported separately on foot. It’s the third time Daly has withdrawn from the PGA Championship causing many fans to hop on social media to joke that opening beer cans and cigarette packets were the likely culprits.

PGA Championship round two delayed due to fatal accident near the course

The start of the second round of the PGA Championship was delayed by one hour 20 minutes due to a fatal accident near the course and subsequent traffic delays.

A statement from Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed that a vehicle collision had taken place near Valhalla Golf Club.

Their official statement said: “About 5:00 ET this morning, the LMPD responded to a call of a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian and a bus. Our preliminary investigation found that an adult male pedestrian was crossing Shelbyville Road south to north when he was struck by a shuttle bus that was traveling eastbound in the compulsory center lane dedicated for buses.

“As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating.”

The incident caused major traffic problems around the course, with many players having to leave their vehicles and walk to get to the venue.

A PGA of America statement read: “This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.”

The PGA Championship updated second round tee times are here.

Scottie Scheffler detained by local police

Scottie Scheffler has been detained by local police after a misunderstanding with traffic flow.

He was taken to a local police station and faces several charges:

– 2nd Degree assault of Police officer 

– Criminal Mischief 3rd degree 

– Reckless driving 

– Disregarding signals from officer directing traffic

The World No.1 was four-under par after round one as he chases his third Major Championship just days after becoming a first-time dad.

Scheffler was released and headed straight to Valhalla, arriving under an hour before his scheduled tee time.

Read all the latest on Scheffler’s arrest here.

Stormy weather forecast

Thunderstorms and rain delays could impact play on Friday at Valhalla. Combined with the delayed start, this could mean that the later starters may not be able to finish their rounds on Friday, which would require a Saturday tee times rejig.

Check the latest weather forecasts from Valhalla here.

Friday sees the morning wave trying to close the gap on record-breaker Xander Schauffele before the American returns for his second round after lunch.

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Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

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