McNealy leads PGA Championship at Aronimink after second round

The second day of the PGA Championship showed that Aronimink rewards golfers who think their way around the course and adjust quickly.

Maverick McNealy, an American who once considered leaving golf for business, leads after two rounds. Most of the top players again struggled with the demanding setup.

Players who planned carefully and solved problems on the course gained ground. McNealy and Rory McIlroy, among the later starters, benefited from calmer conditions in the evening sun.

McIlroy had predicted he could overpower the Pennsylvania layout with his driver, but that approach failed in Thursday’s round. On Friday he recovered with one of only two bogey-free rounds, a three-under 67 that left him at one over par and five shots behind the leaders.

McIlroy said the round put him back in contention. “It was a day to get back into the tournament and that’s what I managed to do,” he said.

McNealy, son of a Silicon Valley billionaire, shares the lead with fellow American Alex Smalley. They are one shot ahead of Max Greyserman, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger, who made 18 pars, and South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter. Chris Gotterup, Hideki Matsuyama and Min Woo Lee are also close.

Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young and Ludvig Aberg are at two under par. Jon Rahm is one under. Jordan Spieth and McIlroy are tied at one over.

Fifteen players sit within two strokes of the lead, the third-highest total after two rounds in major history. Only six shots separate the 58 players who made the cut.

“Anybody who makes the cut will feel they’re right in this golf tournament,” McIlroy said.

South Africa’s Garrick Higgo missed the cut by one shot after a two-stroke penalty on Thursday for arriving late to the tee.

Before the event, many expected low scores at Aronimink. The last PGA Tour event here in 2018 ended at 20 under par. This week the PGA of America set up the course to be tougher, with thick rough and severe green slopes that produced more three-putts than the entire Masters.

McIlroy worked on his swing after Thursday’s round and hit more fairways on Friday, creating birdie chances and avoiding mistakes.

“I saw that no one was really getting away so I thought if I could get back to even par for the tournament I’d be right in there,” he told BBC Sport NI. “I didn’t quite get there but I still think at one over I’ve got a great chance over the last couple of days.”

McNealy, ranked 143rd in driving accuracy, used his short irons well despite missing fairways. “I think this is one of the few courses I can compete on without hitting enough fairways,” he said.

Some players showed clear frustration. Sahith Theegala took a triple bogey after losing his ball from a bunker. Tyrrell Hatton grew angry on the greens. Rounds lasted nearly six hours, and Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley argued with officials after being put on the clock.

McIlroy waited several minutes on the 10th tee and later on the fairway. “For someone like me that likes to play fast, it’s hard when you’re waiting and standing on a tee box for 10, 15 minutes,” he said. “It gets you out of your rhythm a little bit, but fortunately it’ll be quicker for the weekend.”