PGA Championship Halfway Update
There were some good storylines ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship but the most ambitious scriptwriter on the planet couldn’t have penned what happened ahead of day two.
Driving to the course to start his second round, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with four offenses by the Louisville metropolitan police department.
In an almost surreal press conference later, Scheffler revealed that he’d done his warm-up in a prison cell and his arrest had been a “misunderstanding” and “chaotic”.
It emerged the stalled traffic that Scheffler had tried to negotiate had been due to tragic circumstances after a worker at the event, John Mills, had been struck by a shuttle bus.
Scheffler, almost incredibly, managed to make his tee time and was able to calm himself to shoot a 5-under 66 and end the day in tied fourth.
Almost serenely, by contrast, first-round leader Xander Schauffler carded a 68 to add to his opening 62 and ended the day one stroke ahead on 12-under.
He leads double major winner Collin Morikawa (65 on day two), with Sahith Theegala (67) a further shot back in third.
Sitting three back are Scheffler (66), Bryson DeChambeau (65), Mark Hubbard (68) and Belgian Thomas Detry (67).
Brooks Koepka, a champion at three of the last six PGAs, is five adrift following a 68 while Rory McIlroy’s hopes of repeating his 2014 win at Valhalla are sliding after a 71 left him seven behind Schauffele’s lead.
Last 5 Winners of the PGA Championship
| Year | Champion, nationality, and winning score |
|---|
| 2023 | Brooks Koepka (United States) -9 Oak Hill |
| 2022 | Justin Thomas (United States) -5 Southern Hills |
| 2021 | Phil Mickelson (United States) -6 Kiawah Island |
| 2020 | Collin Morikawa (United States) -13 TPC Harding Park |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka (United States) -8 Bethpage Black |
Halfway Notes
Play was suspended due to darkness at 8:41pm local time
There are 17 players still to complete their second rounds
The cut is set to fall at 1-under 141, with 79 players projected to make it
Tiger Woods made two triple bogeys in round two to finish at +7
Schauffele’s score matches the record 36-hole (to par) total in a PGA
Halfway trends at the PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele is trying to secure his first major win but how do 36-hole leaders fare in the PGA Championship?
The stats show a mixed bag but overall it’s a good position to be in.
Looking back, Keegan Bradley (2011), Jason Dufner (2013), Rory McIlroy (2014), Jimmy Walker (2016), Brooks Koepka (2019) and Phil Mickelson (2021) all had a piece of the halfway lead.
So six times in the last 13 years a player on top has gone on to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy.
Schauffele himself has had six previous halfway leads/co-leads on the PGA but has managed to convert just one, the 2022 Travelers Championship.
To give hope to the chasers, five of the last seven winners of the PGA were between two and six shots back.
Note though that 12 of the last 13 were no worse than seventh on the halfway leaderboard.
If we go by that, then history says the winner will currently come from the seven players tied fourth or better.
They are Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Thomas Detry, Scottie Scheffler, Mark Hubbard and Bryson DeChambeau.
Back Bryson for the Win
American players have dominated this event in recent times, winning each of the last eight editions.
And, once again, they’re in control with seven of the top eight showing the Stars and Stripes next to them.
At the start of this week I wrote: “On a course where big hitters should dominate, Bryson DeChambeau looks a standout candidate.”
It’s certainly playing out that way and I’m happy to go in again on the longest hitter in the game.
The caveat pre-event was that his putter needed to heat up but it certainly did in a second-round 65 when he ranked 14th for SG: Putting.
At halfway, DeChambeau is 4th for SG: Approach and 5th Tee To Green. Strong numbers.
“Felt like I putted really well today. I drove it pretty well. I kept it out of trouble,” he said later.
“It was a really solid round. If I do two more of those, I’ll have a really solid chance.”
It’s easy to agree and the +1000 win only with bet365 looks a good investment.
Matsuyama can make a Charge
Hideki Matsuyama has previous when it comes to making a weekend surge and he could pull off something similar here.
When play ended on Friday, the former Masters winner was in a tie for 11th after moving 36 spots up the board with six-under 65.
That puts him at 7-under 135 and five behind Schauffele’s lead.
Earlier this year, the Japanese golfer was eight off the halfway lead at the Genesis Invitational and stormed through to win by three.
His Sony Open win in 2022 came from six back at the midpoint while he won the Memorial, on another Jack Nicklaus course, after sitting five behind after 36.
Matsuyama is 40/1 at bet365, who offer each-way terms of 1/5 1-4
How to Watch the PGA Championship
Tournament: PGA Championship
Location: Valhalla, Louisville, KY
Weekend dates: Saturday May 18 - Sunday May 19
How to watch: Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m.-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m.-7 p.m. (CBS). And all four days on Sky Sports.
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