Maverick McNealy opened his second nine with two birdies Friday at Aronimink Golf Club to climb to 5-under-par, while Aldrich Potgieter closed with a bogey-bogey finish on 18 to slip back to 3-under-par. The live us pga leaderboard stayed packed as 25 players sat within four shots of the lead in the second round.
Alex Smalley finished at 4-under-par, with Potgieter also ending at 4-under-par after his late stumble. Hideki Matsuyama and Joe Gotterup were at 3-under-par, while Ben Griffin was 2-under-par through 13 holes, C. Young and Justin Thomas were 2-under-par, and Scottie Scheffler was also 2-under-par. Min Woo Lee was 2-under-par through 11 holes, Max Greyserman was 2-under-par through 10, and Jon Rahm was 2-under-par through nine.
The leaderboard moved in a narrow window because the weather had gone colder but stayed flat, the wind had dropped to a one-club breeze, and the back nine was playing easier. Wayne Riley said there was a chance for players to make inroads, while Paul McGinley called the pace snail-like as the field worked through a crowded afternoon. The marquee grouping of Rory McIlroy, Rahm and Jordan Spieth was delayed by slow play on the 10th tee, a reminder that the day’s biggest race was not only against par but against the clock.
McIlroy stood at 2-over-par after the par-five 9th, Spieth was even for the week at the same point, and Rahm had moved to 2-under-par there. Elsewhere, Adam Scott’s rounds of 72 and 76 left him 8-over-par and out of weekend contention, while Bryson DeChambeau was 9-over-par with eight holes to play. Potgieter, who credited rugby and wrestling as his favored childhood sports, had also spent the season in the gym, keeping his clubhead speed while becoming leaner and stronger.
That left the U.S. PGA Championship leaderboard compressed and volatile, with the better scoring likely to come only if the weather and the pace of play both eased at once. For the players still in range, the next move may come from patience as much as power.
