PGA Championship: Scheffler upbeat in Vegas chase, McIlroy narrowly makes cut

Scottie Scheffler declared himself pleased with his position at the halfway point of the PGA Championship, as he enters the weekend three shots off the lead at Quail Hollow.

Scheffler mixed four birdies with a lone bogey to card a three-under 68 during Friday's second round, having been two under on an opening day affected by wet weather.

At five under for the tournament, Scheffler – whose best PGA Championship finish was T2 in 2023 – is tied for fifth with Max Homa.

The pair are three shots behind Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Kim Si Woo and Matthieu Pavon all two strokes behind the leader.

Scheffler's opening round was affected by mud balls after the PGA of America outlawed preferred lies, causing the world number one to cut a frustrated figure on Thursday.

But ahead of moving day, he is feeling much more positive.

"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 of days. 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."

“I was a good defensive basketball player in high school. I was the lockdown guy. I was the hustle guy." - Scottie Scheffler pic.twitter.com/nBHtRGCaxg
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 17, 2025

Other big names fared less well than Scheffler.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy both narrowly made the cut at one over, having carded respective rounds of 71 and 69 on Friday.

Masters champion McIlroy struggled to a three-over 74 on Thursday and was far from certain of making the weekend following back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes on Friday.

Successive birdies on the 14th and 15th gave the Northern Irishman breathing space, but he still had to survive a nervy moment on the final hole, two-putting from 40 feet after his wild tee shot narrowly avoided the water.

Jordan Spieth, who needs to win the PGA Championship to replicate McIlroy's career Grand Slam, was among the big names to drop out, with Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson also missing the cut.