At the 106th US PGA Championship held at Valhalla, Olympic winner Xander Schauffele has secured a one-stroke lead as he steps into the third round. With a second lap of 68 succeeding his 62 in the opening round, Schauffele has touched 12 under, matching the championship par score record previously made by Brooks Koepka in 2019.
Collin Morikawa, the ex-champion, trails by one stroke after an excellent 65, while Sahith Theegala is another stroke behind. Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau are part of a cluster of four, all on nine under.
Scheffler, arrested and later released after a scene outside the course, astonishingly shot a 66 hours after his arrest. He had previously tried to penetrate the course during severe traffic subsequent to an unrelated incident which saw a male pedestrian fatally hit by a shuttle bus.
These series of events led to an 80-minute lag in tee times, with 18 players unable to finish the second round due to nightfall.
Scottie Scheffler, who is currently facing charges related to driving offences and second-degree police officer assault, was seen on the course.
Recalling their final round at Augusta National in April, Morikawa and Scheffler last composed the final group, with Scheffler leisurely procuring his second green jacket while Morikawa plunged to a tie for third after hitting 74.
Morikawa, the champion of both the 2020 US PGA and 2021 Open Championship, expressed his optimism despite setbacks at Augusta, mentioning, “It was disappointing to conclude Augusta that way, and losing to Scottie wasn’t easy. But I still have three more majors ahead and the excitement is about preparing and coming out stronger, and this strong start feels good”.
Kicking off at the 10th, Morikawa achieved birdies at the 13th and 18th to finish the first nine holes with a score of 34. Subsequently, he scored five birdies in a row from the fourth hole. “The streak of five birdies was the result of my solid golf performance. Sometimes, the putts just fall in perfectly and that’s exactly what happened,” he stated.
He added, “…Mostly, that’s the type of golf I aim to maintain over the upcoming two days and 36 holes. My focus will be to stay present in the moment, ensure my shots are on point and if the putts fall in, well, they fall in.”
In the meanwhile, Belgium’s Thomas Detry trails by three strokes after an impeccable score of 67, consisting of two birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole, a par-five. “The wind was absolutely perfect on the 18th, blowing straight downwind,” Detry remarked.
There was no need to stress over the bunker or the water towards the right; all seemed fairly easy. Following a superb drive and perfect distancing, he said, “I hit a clean shot, though it deviated a bit more to the right than I planned on, it was a good shot overall. I read the putt well with my caddy.”
Detry also mentioned, “We flubbed a near one on the 17th and I feel like achieving those shots was our chance to compensate on that hole.” -(PA)