ROCHESTER, NY—It was a day of survival.
It was a day of fighting.
It was a day of disappointments.
It was a day of desperate rallies.
At the end of the day, it’s the PGA Championship, which is halfway done and totally up for grabs with a three-way top tie between Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland, all level 5 below.
Close behind are Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Suh who’re two strokes back at 3-under. Brooks Koepka and Callum Tarren are 2 years under. Justin Rose and Taylor Pendrith are 1-under and are the only nine players out of 156 players to be below par.
Evidence of how difficult Oak Hill played over 36 holes is that this: in the last 10 PGA Championships, the average variety of underperformers in the second round was 36.
The person to have a look at is Scheffler, whose consistency is as amazing because it is extraordinary. Ranked No. 2 in the world, Scheffler finished in the top 12 of the last 13 tournaments he has played, winning two (the Phoenix Open and the Players Championship) and 7 top-five finishes. The 26-year-old Texan from North Jersey is all the time lurking in the rankings.
![Scottie Scheffler, who is the #2 golfer in the world, is tied in three-way for the lead at 5-under-par after round two of the PGA Championship.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Scottie-Scheffler-3.jpg?w=1024)
“I feel comfortable in these situations,” said Scheffler. “These are the positions I would like to be in. I would like to be near the top. I don’t need to be thirtieth or go home. I’m happy with how my first few days went and I’m excited to be in a superb position for the weekend.
“I did a superb job grinding today. I had some nice ups and downs and stayed the course in front of me most of the time. I didn’t hit as many fairways as I might have liked. Still, hitting a 2-under, especially on a day that was really wet and really hard to play, putting a number today was a superb, solid golf.
So did Hovland, who’s in search of his first major championship win after a couple of so-so performances.
“In these tournaments you dream of winning and also you train so hard to play in them,” said Hovland. “I didn’t do well in the mains. I had some nice top 15 finishes and things like that, but I wasn’t in contention. I feel it’s because I used to be slightly young and dumb, just chasing heels I shouldn’t have reached for. You simply cannot try this in major championship golf. You simply need to make use of up the middle of the green. If this pitcher gets hot, you may make birds.”
Koepka, who won two PGA championships, also played solid golf, posting the lowest round of the day with 4 under 66 after 2 over 72 in the first round.
![Viktor Hovland, hitting the 14th hole, is tied for the lead with Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners after the second round of the PGA Championship.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Viktor-Hovland-1.jpg?w=1024)
“A lot better” Koepka described his Friday in comparison with Thursday. “I felt more comfortable with the putter. My ball hit [Thursday] it was so bad i havent seen it in an extended time. I’m completely happy to shoot below par and get back into the mix. I just hate not being an argument. I hate losing greater than winning.”
Rory McIlroy, who had been immobile all week, in some way stayed close. He shot 1-under 69 after his opening round of 71 and is just five shots back.
Conners is basking in the love he has received from the many Canadian fans who’ve passed by.
“It has been a fairly special week up to now,” he said. “I feel being so near Canada, there are a whole lot of Canadian fans here. They cheer me on. It definitely feels good. It brings a smile to my face.”
Although Scheffler, Conners, Hovland and others were battling for a spot at the top of the leaderboard, some stars resembling defending champion Justin Thomas, world No. 1 Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth, who needs a PGA championship to finish his Grand Slam profession, fought to the end to remain for the weekend.
![Corey Conners, who is tied for the lead in the PGA Championship, pays homage to the crowd after taking a strike in the second round.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Corey-Conners-2.jpg?w=1024)
Each two-time PGA winner Thomas and Spieth needed to knee putt on their final hole to go 5-over. Rahm after his 76th opening inning with 68 on Friday and has a 4-over.
“It was a fight,” said Thomas, who looked completely reassured as he got here down from 18th. “Tiger [Woods] I’ve all the time said it, I’ve all the time said it, you could have to offer yourself a probability and anything can occur. And on this golf course I gave myself a shot, so see if we are able to do something crazy this weekend.”
David Duval, a former No. 1 player and major winner who’s now an ESPN analyst, said it best as Thomas and Spieth battled for a seat.
“For those who don’t play tomorrow,” said Duval, “you may’t win the tournament.”