McNealy & Smalley share lead at PGA Championship as McIlroy begins to rebound

[p]Six others were only one adrift after 36 holes, with seven more, including top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler, just two strokes off the lead entering the weekend.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcnealy-maverick/0zWorABC/"]McNealy[/a], never in the top 25 after 36 holes in 14 prior major starts, fired a three-under par 67 to match [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smalley-alex/z1h2TxzH/"]Smalley[/a] on four-under 136 at the midway mark.[/p][p][b]"This is unfamiliar territory to me,"[/b] McNealy said. [b]"I was surprised to be that high on the leaderboard."[/b][/p][embed guid="5730b313-e00a-4dff-8f95-5f6f5519f470" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055397800678994355?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes.[/p][p]The world number 33 squandered the solo lead, however, with three-putt bogeys at the sixth and par-three eighth holes.[/p][p][b]"My putter is going to have to be my best club,"[/b] McNealy said. [b]"That's the reason I still have a job out here."[/b][/p][p]Smalley fell out of the solo lead with three bogeys in a row, but a closing birdie put him on 69.[/p][p][b]"It was difficult, it was chilly this morning, the wind was up," [/b]Smalley said. [b]"Some of the hole locations are very difficult. They're right on the top of a crown."[/b][/p][embed guid="4a309a18-61a7-4f3e-9415-14597cb12eb9" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055314169247715422?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]The Field[/h2][p]Sharing third on 137 were Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, plus Americans Chris Gotterup and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/greyserman-max/OCT1sJvF/"]Max Greyserman[/a], South African [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/potgieter-aldrich/YyLIWjwc/"]Aldrich Potgieter[/a], Australian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lee-min-woo/IwMMLluD/"]Min Woo Lee[/a], and German [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jaeger-stephan/hSDmUNMd/"]Stephan Jaeger[/a], who made 18 pars.[/p][p]A bogey-bogey finish doomed 21-year-old Potgieter's bid to become the youngest 36-hole major leader since Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters.[/p][p][b]"Looking at those last two holes as kind of unfortunate, but I felt like I was in control most of the round,"[/b] Potgieter said.[/p][embed guid="0edbdbe1-9c1d-41a9-9ef1-9a0956b3d144" url="https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2055451564068741384?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Gotterup closed with three birdies to shoot 65.[/p][p][b]"Just really battled all day,"[/b] Gotterup said. [b]"It was very hard out there. It was cold. There were some pins that didn't even look like they were on the green."[/b][/p][embed guid="9906047b-60b3-4d25-8bda-6fc147a25239" url="https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2053535206536032607?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Joining Scheffler in ninth on 138 were fellow Americans Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/english-harris/f3SutOnp/"]Harris English[/a], plus Spain's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puig-david/lSJ7OmRR/"]David Puig[/a], Sweden's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aberg-ludvig/67ZVNhdN/"]Ludvig Aberg[/a], and South Korean [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kim-si-woo/AVOmsy0G/"]Kim Si-woo[/a].[/p][p]Scheffler tumbled from a share of the lead with three bogeys in his first four holes but closed with a birdie at nine to shoot 71.[/p][p]The four-time major winner missed seven fairways after hitting 13 of 14 on Thursday, but complained most about hole positions.[/p][p][b]"Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd," [/b]Scheffler said.[b] "You've just got to try to continue to hit good shots."[/b][/p][embed guid="1505a24d-f119-4380-b8af-bf9cc45029c3" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055362049010471249" social-type="twitter" /][p]Japan's[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matsuyama-hideki/GOHJOEb5/"] Matsuyama [/a]fired 67 and finished on 137.[/p][p]The 2021 Masters champion birdied from 23 feet at 13 and 20 feet at seven.[/p][p][b]"I played well,"[/b] said Matsuyama.[b] "This morning was windy. Plus, it was freezing cold, and that made it very difficult."[/b][/p][embed guid="8ae2608a-a59c-4691-9ad9-055d070a8914" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055309048145219865" social-type="twitter" /][p]Others were less successful.[/p][p]Germany's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kaymer-martin/zD8IqMQr/"]Martin Kaymer[/a], a two-time major winner and 18-hole co-leader, made bogeys on five of the first seven holes and shot 75 to stand on 142 with England's fourth-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fitzpatrick-matthew/6whOHmtf/"]Matt Fitzpatrick[/a].[/p][p]Ireland's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lowry-shane/pAUj2FN5/"]Shane Lowry[/a] fired a 76 and only just made the cut on 144.[/p][p]American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/reed-patrick/OtRhqCKL/"]Patrick Reed[/a], the 2018 Masters winner, shot 72 to stand on 140.[/p][h2]Rose survives, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]McIlroy[/a] rebounds[/h2][embed guid="3a717c00-4217-4b4d-a2ce-388334602e17" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055352472743338148/history" social-type="twitter" /][p]England's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rose-justin/rR1fSdat/"]Justin Rose[/a] chipped in for eagle from 76 feet on his final hole, the par-five ninth, to shoot 73 and make the cut on 143 despite a day with two double bogeys and four bogeys.[/p][p]Six-time major winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a], the reigning Masters champion, fired a bogey-free three-under par 67 to stand on 141 with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spieth-jordan/p0739Ny4/"]Jordan Spieth[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koepka-brooks/t0xtKfZH/"]Brooks Koepka[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schauffele-xander/OnIoiVkm/"]Xander Schauffele[/a] among others.[/p][p][b]"Some of these hole locations have been brutal,"[/b] McIlroy said. [b]"It's a really bunched leaderboard because guys are finding it tough to make putts."[/b][/p][p]McIlroy spent hours on the driving range after a 74 on Thursday and seemed to solve his woes.[/p][p][b]"I just needed to try and find the feeling with the driver. I felt like I found a feel last night and I definitely drove it much better today," [/b]McIlroy said.[/p][p][b]"It was a day just to get back in the tournament and that's what I felt I was able to do."[/b][/p][embed guid="e8d62887-b247-4c46-8180-d5c827ae71b1" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2055366043443372195?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]