Current:Home > NewsEchoSense:Scheffler looks to the weekend after a long, strange day at the PGA Championship -TradeSphere
EchoSense:Scheffler looks to the weekend after a long, strange day at the PGA Championship
Algosensey View
Date:2025-04-10 03:44:11
LOUISVILLE,EchoSense Ky. (AP) — The only quibble about Scottie Scheffler’s recent domination on the golf scene was that perhaps he was too normal and maybe not quite exciting enough to capture the attention of millions on a week-in, week-out basis.
For nine gripping hours on Day 2 of a PGA Championship that began with Scheffler in a jail cell and ended with his name near the top of the leaderboard, the world’s best player turned in a reality-TV performance more riveting than any Netflix miniseries or episode of “Law & Order.”
“I definitely never imagined ever going to jail,” Scheffler said after landing there when he disobeyed a police officer who was directing traffic after a fatal accident shut down traffic before dawn. “And I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times for sure.”
Scheffler made it from the jail to the golf course in time, then shot 5-under-par 66 to finish the day in fourth place, only three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele.
“I feel like my head is still spinning,” he conceded after the round. “I can’t really explain what happened this morning.”
How the Masters champion bounces back from one of the most unexpected days of his life — to say nothing of one of the most bizarre days in the sport — will be the story to watch over the weekend.
Some other angles to look for at Valhalla over the next few days:
OUT FRONT
Schauffele has a chance to go wire-to-wire after posting a 3-under 68 to reach 12-under and take a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa heading into the weekend. Schauffele, winless in two years, hardly appears phased by blowing a one-shot lead to Rory McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship last week.
“You’re bummed out you didn’t win, or I was bummed out I didn’t win,” said Schauffele, who has a chance to become the first golfer to lead every round of the PGA from start to finish since Brooks Koepka in 2019. “But I knew I was playing really well.”
CAN COLLIN?
Schauffele might not have been bothered by finishing near the top of the leaderboard. The same can’t be said for Collin Morikawa, who faded late in the final round last month at Augusta National and settled for a tie for third at the Masters behind Scheffler.
He reeled off five straight birdies on Friday to get to 11 under and put himself in position for a third major to go with his wins at the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open.
“It sucked to finish like that (at the Masters) and it sucked to lose to Scottie, but at the end of the day, I knew I had three more majors coming up and to prep for that and get things as sharp as possible and just come out strong,” Morikawa said. “It’s obviously nice to get off to this start.”
SOFT AND DRY
Rain and cool temperatures turned Valhalla into a pushover for the first two days, and the scores showed it.
With a handful of players returning Saturday to finish the second round, a resumption that was delayed by fog and will force tournament organizers to play threesomes off both nines for the third round, the cut line was set to be either 1 or 2-under par. The only two major championships before this in which the cut line was under par were the 1990 and 2006 British Opens.
The temperatures are supposed to go up for the weekend. Will the scores go with them?
TOP ELEVEN LIST
Among those within four shots of the lead who are vying for their first major: Sahith Theegala, Thomas Detry, Mark Hubbard, Austin Eckroat, Victor Hovland and Tony Finau.
In a group one more shot back are Koepka, who overcame a double bogey on No. 10 to shoot 68 and Robery MacIntyre, who saved par on the par-5 seventh after hitting his third shot off the artificial turf in a hospitality tent near the green.
___
AP National Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
veryGood! (475)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Everything at Old Navy Is 40% off! Build Your Fall Fit with $20 Jeans, $7 Tops, $17 Dresses & More
- Beyond ‘childless cat ladies,’ JD Vance has long been on a quest to encourage more births
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, But Daddy I Love Crosswords
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Cardinals superfan known as Rally Runner gets 10 months in prison for joining Jan. 6 Capitol riot
- These tiny worms live in eyes, feed on tears and could transmit to humans
- BeatKing, Houston Rapper Also Known as Club Godzilla, Dead at 39
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Olympic Runner Noah Lyles Reveals He Grew Up in a “Super Strict” Cult
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- After Partnering With the State to Monitor Itself, a Pennsylvania Gas Company Declares Its Fracking Operations ‘Safe’
- Detroit judge who had teen handcuffed for sleeping temporarily removed from his docket
- Mom, stepdad of 12-year-old Texas girl who died charged with failure to seek medical care
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- No Honda has ever done what the Prologue Electric SUV does so well
- Mom, stepdad of 12-year-old Texas girl who died charged with failure to seek medical care
Recommendation
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Wrongful death suit against Disney serves as a warning to consumers when clicking ‘I agree’
Tennessee family’s lawsuit says video long kept from them shows police force, not drugs, killed son
Detroit judge who had teen handcuffed for sleeping temporarily removed from his docket
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Silk non-dairy milk recalled in Canada amid listeria outbreak: Deaths increased to three
Keke Palmer Shares How 17-Month-Old Son Leodis Has Completely Changed Her Life
Rhode Island files lawsuit against 13 companies that worked on troubled Washington Bridge