Robert TheodorsonFriday at The PGA Championship was a day filled with storylines.
Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas maintained his lead, though by a thin margin, shooting a 70 which included a double bogey on the 18th.
Max Homa’s shocking 7-under par day which included six birdies and an eagle, vaulted the out-of-form fan favourite into a surprise Top 5 finish.
LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau, star of one of the featured groups, represented the league well with a 3-under par day leaving him within reasonable range of leaping to the leaderboard Saturday morning.
Don’t look now, but Scottie Scheffler slowly crept up the leaderboard throughout the day. A Scottie Scheffler who enters the weekend in the Top 5 is the most dangerous golfer in the field.
Legion XIII’s Tom McKibbin and Fireballs’ David Puig both made the cut and proved to everyone that even though they don’t have the experience their peers possess, they absolutely belong in major championships.
The decision makers did not take pity on Jordan Spieth, who was one of the few members of the field who finished Friday 2-over par, just on the wrong side of the cut line. Spieth will have to wait another year to continue his quest for the career Grand Slam.
Last but certainly not least, all eyes were on Rory McIlroy’s bounce-back day. After an opening round 3-over par 74, McIlroy looked poised to make a triumphant comeback before running into disaster in the form of four bogies on the back nine.
Tracking the LIV Field’s Results
Official Cut Line: +1
Round Snapshot: Player Standings
| Player | Position | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bryson DeChambeau | T17 | -3 |
| Richard Bland | T17 | -3 |
| Jon Rahm | T27 | -2 |
| Joaquin Niemann | T36 | -1 |
| Tom McKibbin | T36 | -1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | T36 | -1 |
| Sergio Garcia | T62 | +1 |
| David Puig | T62 | +1 |
| John Catlin | T84 | +3 |
| Patrick Reed | T93 | +4 |
| Dean Burmester | T107 | +6 |
| Cam Smith | T115 | +7 |
| Martin Kaymer | T118 | +8 |
| Phil Mickelson | T124 | +9 |
| Brooks Koepka | T124 | +9 |
| Dustin Johnson | T143 | +12 |
Top 10 Leaderboard Going into Saturday
Current Standings Snapshot
| Player | Position | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jhonattan Vegas | 1st | -8 |
| Si Woo Kim | T2 | -6 |
| Mattieu Pavon | T2 | -6 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | T2 | -6 |
| Max Homa | T5 | -5 |
| Scottie Scheffler | T5 | -5 |
| Ryan Gerard | T7 | -4 |
| Christian Bezuidenhout | T7 | -4 |
| Sam Stevens | T7 | -4 |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | T7 | -4 |
| JT Poston | T7 | -4 |
| Robbie MacIntyre | T7 | -4 |
| Ryan Fox | T7 | -4 |
| Alex Smalley | T7 | -4 |
| Denny McCarthy | T7 | -4 |
| Garrick Higgo | T7 | -4 |
The LIV Report Card
Exceeded Expectations and then Some
Richard Bland – It’s official, we will be seeing Dickie B play the weekend in a major championship. Not only will he see action on Saturday and Sunday, but with his rounds of 70 and 69, Bland has put himself into serious contention to win.
Tom McKibbin – LIV’s newest addition, the twenty-two-year-old McKibbin finished even par on Friday but remained 1-under par to not only survive the cut but thrive as well. McKibbin’s first two days are a testament to the willingness of LIV to invest in and develop young talent.
About Where We Expected Them at the Cut
Bryson DeChambeau – DeChambeau’s 3-under par Friday puts the U.S. Open winner in great position to make a run for his third major championship. DeChambeau was perfect on the back nine including a birdie on the Par 4 16th, one of the infamous Green Mile holes.
Joaquin Niemann – Niemann’s 4-under par Friday, which included an eagle on the Par 5 7th, saved the Torque captain’s tournament. There’s plenty of time for Joaco to prove everyone wrong about him, but he’ll need two fantastic days in a row.
Jon Rahm – Rahm left plenty of scoring opportunities on the table Friday, but did enough not to hurt himself. If a few putts would have gone his way Rahm would quite easily be in the Top 5 or better.
Sergio Garcia – Like Niemann, Sergio’s Friday bailed him out of disaster. A double bogey on the Par 4 2nd mired what would have been a perfect day otherwise.
Tyrrell Hatton – Despite making the cut, Hatton blew a 3-under par advantage coming into Friday. Hatton was LIV’s top representative by Thursday night’s conclusion and looked like he was going to go into Friday strong. There’s still plenty of time for Hatton to turn it around, but one wonders what could have been with just a mediocre second round.
John Catlin – Catlin performed respectably considering he’s was LIV only representative who is not an everyday, or every tournament, player. His 3-over par finish proved he can hold his own against elite competition under pressure.
David Puig – Puig’s 1-over par score put him on the right side of the cutline. The experience he gains from this weekend’s play will be invaluable to his development and future.
Martin Kaymer – Other than John Catlin, Kaymer was probably the biggest longshot to make the cut at Quail Hollow. Kaymer’s outing was full of mistakes and another major to forget. The Cleeks captain’s last Top 25 finish in a major championship was the 2017 Masters.
Disappointing Outing
Patrick Reed – Success at Augusta and recent LIV tournaments did not translate to Quail Hollow. Reed finished both days over par, never really giving himself a chance to see the weekend.
Dean Burmester – For Burmester, Quail Hollow turned out to be a completely different beast than Valhalla, where he saw decent success. His Friday began and ended with double bogeys.
Cam Smith – Smith’s rollercoaster Friday ended with a final score of 7-over par. Every time Smith scored, he almost instantly made big mistakes on the very next hole. Quail Hollow marks yet another lacklustre finish at a major championship for Smith.
Disaster Any Way You Put It
Dustin Johnson – One of two of the LIV special invitees, DJ finished better than only twelve members of the field, finishing 12-over par with rounds of 78 and 76. If there’s any positive, it’s that Johnson’s next major appearance is The U.S. Open at Oakmont the site of his first major championship.
Brooks Koepka – One has to start wondering if Koepka is going through an unreported injury. Brooks has now missed the cut in two consecutive majors and has not finished better than T26 in a major championship since 2024.
Phil Mickelson – A 1-over par Friday was not enough to overcome his 79 on Thursday. Mickelson is starting to make a habit of killing his chances on a single hole as evidenced by his double-par score on the Par 4 8th.
