NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Rory McIlroy turned things around on Friday at the U.S. Golf Championship with a solid 3-under 67 in his second round, bringing his total to 1-over for the tournament and leaving him five strokes behind the leader.
After a challenging opening round where he shot a 74, it seemed he might barely make the cut and be done for the weekend.
But Friday was different. His driving improved significantly, although the first round had posed its challenges.
On Thursday, he recorded six bogeys, with five coming during his last six holes.
But on Friday? No bogeys at all.
“It was a day to get back into the tournament—I felt like I did that,” McIlroy noted. “A lot of my bogeys were from errant drives. I felt I found a groove last night, and my driving was better today.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s struggles continued as he missed the cut for the PGA Championship after shooting a 76 followed by a 71, ending up at seven over and falling short by three strokes.
This marks the second major in a row that he hasn’t made it to the weekend, part of a wider trend where he’s missed four out of the last seven.
Interestingly, six club professionals scored better than DeChambeau in the second round.
Garrick Higo also faced a tough day, shooting a 6-over 76 after receiving a two-stroke penalty for being late to his 7:18 a.m. tee time, finishing the tournament at five over, missing the cut by two strokes.
Yet, he had managed a respectable 1-under 69 on Thursday, so it seems unfortunate that his penalty cost him a spot.
In contrast, LIV Golf’s David Puig, who got a special invitation, thrived. He shot a 3-under 67 on Friday, landing in a tie for 9th place with a total of 2 under for the tournament.
This is the best position Puig, 24, has ever held in a major.
“Every day has been a bit of a progression,” he said. “I’m a little better each year, and compared to other tournaments, I prepared for this major the best. I’m excited for my late tee time on Saturday.”
Puig was one of six LIV Golf players in the field, alongside big names like Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.
A particularly heartwarming moment came from Ben Khan, a 41-year-old club pro from Ohio. Only one of the 20 club pros to qualify, he shot a 3-under 67 on Friday, putting him at 1-over for the tournament.
He was visibly emotional after the round, nearly in tears, and he led the field in birdies over the first two rounds.
“Today was good for me because it really showed I can compete at this level,” Khan said. “I struggled on Thursday with a 74 but kept focused on my goal, and I exceeded it.”
This marks Khan’s first major tournament since joining the PGA Tour in 2018.
Michael Block, however, saw his impressive run end after being unable to qualify again. The California pro shot even par on Thursday but slipped to a 5-over 75 on Friday.
Chris Gabriele, the only club pro from the Met Area in his first major, shot a 77 and missed the cut at 14 under.
The argument for inviting 20 club pros each year to the PGA Championship took a hit this week, as 14 out of the 20 landed in the bottom 14 spots on the leaderboard.
On a separate note, Luke Donald triumphed over Keegan Bradley again. Donald, who captained the European Ryder Cup in 2023 and 2025, qualified at four over, while Bradley, who lost representing the U.S., missed out at six over.
