PGA Championship 2024: 3 Instant Reactions to Friday Leaderboard Scores

Xander Schauffele held on to his lead at the 2024 PGA Championship with a solid second round at Valhalla Golf Club.

Schauffele's second-round 68 was not as impressive as his opening-round 62, but he put himself in a fantastic position to chase his first major crown.

Schauffele has plenty of competition beneath him on the leaderboard, starting with Collin Morikawa, who produced a 65 to get within one shot of the lead.

Scottie Scheffler is only three shots adrift of first place despite having one of the most chaotic days in recent major tournament history.

Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland are just a few of the golfers within a few shots of the lead as well going into what should be an incredible Saturday of golf in Louisville.

Xander Schauffele Builds on Strong First Round

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 17: Xander Schauffele of the United States lines up a putt on the 13th green during the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 17, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Schauffele built on the foundation he laid in the first round with a three-under 68.

The first-and-second-round leader played a calmer round of golf compared to Thursday, but that kept him above all of the other challengers.

Schauffele rolled in three birdies, dropped shots on two bogeys and parred the other 13 holes to reach 12-under for the tournament.

By no means is Schauffele clear of the pack, but he is at least in a spot where he will be chased instead of hunting down first place on his own.

At minimum, Schauffele needs to match what Morikawa, his Saturday playing partner, does throughout the third round.

That should place Schauffele in a good position to play in Sunday's final pairing and compete for his first major title on Sunday.

Collin Morikawa in Contention for Second Straight Major

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 17: Collin Morikawa of the United States putts on the tenth green during the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 17, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Morikawa placed himself in a tremendous spot with a second-round 65.

The two-time major champion rolled in five consecutive birdies on the back nine to temporarily take the lead during the Friday morning wave of tee times.

Schauffele eventually regained the advantage at the top of the leaderboard, but he only has a one-stroke edge because or Morikawa.

Morikawa's 66-65 open at Valhalla is a continuation of his strong major form in 2024. He was in contention for the Masters victory until the final few holes.

Morikawa shot five rounds of 71 or better at the two majors so far in 2024. He is the only player in the PGA field with two rounds of 66 or better.

His only major blemish was a bogey on the 18th hole on Friday, but if rebounds from that error to start well on Saturday, he could put some distance between himself and field.

Scottie Scheffler Shoots 66 amid Chaotic Day

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LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 17: Scottie Scheffler (USA) looks on at the 5th hole during the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 17, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Scheffler tied for the second-best round at Valhalla on Friday despite a chaotic start to his morning.

Scheffler was arrested by Louisville police due to an incident on his way to the course on Friday morning and did not arrive until about an hour before his tee time. Friday's round was pushed back by 80 minutes.

The Masters champion admitted after his round that he began his stretching routine in the holding cell. He also said it took some time to settle into a rhythm on the course, per ESPN.com.

"Obviously I didn't have my normal warmup and I usually stick to my routine," Scheffler said. "I'm a big routine guy, especially when it comes to my preparation. But it took a few holes to settle in. It probably took a few holes to feel normal."

Scheffler found his rhythm right as he made the turn to the front nine. He birdied the 18th hole and then rolled in three birdies and six pars on the front nine.

His 67-66 start at Valhalla is actually better than his 66-72 beginning at Augusta last month, but the more favorable scoring conditions in Louisville placed him three shots back instead of in the lead going into the weekend.

Scheffler will be viewed as the favorite by many to win the Wanamaker Trophy despite being three shots back. His presence alone in one of the final groups on Saturday will put pressure on Schauffele, Morikawa and others to put together fast starts to avoid being swallowed up by Scheffler if he makes that run up the leaderboard.