The 108th PGA Championship is underway, and the second round is shaping up to be a thrilling affair. With 33 players within two shots of the lead, the leaderboard is incredibly bunched, and the winds are only adding to the challenge. The marquee groups teed off the back nine, and the difficulty was immediately apparent. Justin Rose made a double bogey at the 10th, and Scottie Scheffler, one of the overnight leaders, made a bogey. Justin Thomas, who began the day under par, quickly dropped a shot at the devilish 11th hole. Conditions are dicey, with a 54-degree temperature and sustained winds of 15 mph with gusts pushing 25 mph. The difficulty was on display immediately as the marquee groups teed off the back nine. The projected cut is 3-over, and only Michael Block is on the right side of the cut line after nine holes. The others closest to the cut line include Ben Kern, Ryan Lenahan, Tyler Collet, Paul McClure, Ben Polland, and Timothy Wiseman. The marquee tee times today include Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jon Rahm. The PGA professionals in the field are hoping to make the cut, and the conditions favor some of them. Patrick Reed, for example, has been playing well and is in a great spot. He made a birdie at the fourth, flighting his approach low to keep it out of the wind, spinning it within a few feet. The difficulty of hitting fairways is also a challenge, and Scottie Scheffler is struggling with that on Friday. He hit 13 of 14 fairways on Thursday, but now he can’t hit a fairway, and he’s 3-over to start his round. The volatility of the leaderboard and the challenging conditions make for a thrilling second round of the PGA Championship.
