2025 PGA Championship leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler, Si Woo Kim, Max Homa strap on rockets in Round 2

Scheffler is just three back of the lead entering the weekend as scores got bunched up Friday at Quail Hollow

While the 2025 PGA Championship leaderboard didn't completely flip in Friday's second round, bigger names started climbing up and reducing the advantage held by Jhonattan Vegas entering the day. While Vegas (-8) remains on top by two after a solid second-round 70 that could've been much better if not for a bit of a disaster on the 18th, he is no longer as clear of the field as he was 24 hours ago.

It appeared as if nerves finally got to Vegas as he tried to land the plane entering the weekend. A shaky swing, bad bunker shot and a nervy putting stroke led to a late double bogey, and he surely would have feel much better about a four-shot lead than a two-shot advantage with Moving Day ahead. 

The rounds of the day belonged to Si Woo Kim and Max Homa, who shot 7-under 64s to match Vegas' Thursday effort for the low rounds of the tournament. Kim authored the shot of the PGA Championship with his hole-in-one on the 252-yard 6th hole Friday, registering the longest ace in major history. 

Before Kim actually made his ace, Homa had the shot of the day with a near-ace on the 347-yard par-4 14th that set up a tap-in eagle of his own. That was part of a solid first nine bolstered by a 6-under 30 on the back nine at Quail Hollow, Homa's lowest score across a nine-hole stretch in his major career. 

While those two are now firmly in the hunt going entering Moving Day, but all eyes will be one of the men tied for 5th with Homa, Scottie Scheffler. The world's No. 1 golfer plotted his way around Quail Hollow to another solid score, this time a 3-under 68 that moved him from T20 to T5 on the leaderboard. That has him as the heavy favorite (2-1) at DraftKings going into the weekend, and that's with Scheffler not even utilizing his best stuff just yet. He's left birdies on the table, most notably a horrific lip-out from five feet after a perfect tee shot on No. 17. 

Scheffler looked like he worked his way into a more comfortable form with his golf swing as the second round wore on, and if that's the case, he could make a big move on Saturday.

Other than Scheffler, the biggest star that's a real threat on the leaderboard right now is Bryson DeChambeau, who is five back at 3 under beginning the round at even par. Like Scheffler, he hasn't had his absolute best stuff around the course, but his issue has seemingly been on the greens where he just cannot capitalize on scoring opportunities like we saw him do the first three days at the Masters. If the putter warms up on the weekend, he too could climb this leaderboard quickly. 

The other story of Friday's second round was the cut line, which held steady at 1 over all day. It moved to 2 over for a couple minutes in the late afternoon, but a flurry of birdies and eagles ended the hopes of those at 2 over. Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele were among those to make the cut on the number, while Jordan Spieth, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka all missed the cut by one shot. Even more notable below the line is Justin Thomas, the 2017 PGA champion at this course who has gotten off to his best start in a season across the last few years.

Moving Day should be fascinating as all eyes will be on whether Vegas can hold steady at the top. Should he falter, it could bring the group at 2 under, which includes some heavy hitters, into play with a great round. 

2025 PGA Championship leaderboard breakdown

1. Jhonattan Vegas (-8): No one expected Vegas to come back with another 64 on Friday, and given it was his first time holding an overnight lead at a major, he handled himself extremely well in the second round (aside from No. 18). He's playing great golf right now and clearly has the length to handle Quail Hollow off the tee. The question is how his nerves will hold up on the greens where he's been fantastic the first two days. Vegas showed some real mettle Friday and doesn't look like a guy who is going to completely bow out of the picture, but the shaky close to his round was notable going to the weekend. 

T2. Si Woo Kim, Matt Fitzpatrick, Matthieu Pavon (-6): Kim's ace on the 6th was part of a scalding hot day in which he had six birdies, one bogey and that eagle 1 to shoot 64 and move into contention. That round pushed him into the final pairing on Saturday with Vegas, and he will be looking to keep the vibes going after a spectacular round of golf on Friday. 

Fitzpatrick had opportunities to get into second alone, but he will still have to feel great about being in contention at a major for the first time in a couple of years after his game had been in the wilderness of late. Pavon shot a 65 of his own to move out of the cut sweat and into contention, and after finishing 5th at the U.S. Open a year ago, he's got at least a bit of experience handling the major nerves -- even if he, like Fitzpatrick, has not had a great year prior to this week. 

T5. Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa (-5): It's been quite funny listening to the commentators point out that Scheffler doesn't look to be playing his best, and then you look up and constantly see him inching up the leaderboard. What's scary is that the talk about Scottie being off his A-game is absolutely correct. If he can get it together at some point this weekend, it feels like this tournament is his for the taking. 

Homa was the first to post 64 on Friday as he moved from outside the cut line to the top 5 with a sensational round. He's got a great history at Quail Hollow, and what is most encouraging is what he's saying about his swing feeling great. Plus, Homa is clearly comfortable and confident on the course. That couldn't have been further from the case just two months ago, and hopefully, this is the start of Homa trending back towards being one of the world's best. 

T7. Sam Stevens, Robert MacIntyre, J.T. Poston, Alex Smalley, Ryan Fox, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Michael Thorbjornsen, Denny McCarthy, Ryan Gerard, Garrick Higgo (-4): Much like Thursday, there's a log-jam at back end of the top 10. Smalley and Thorbjornsen each were in second at different times on Friday but couldn't quite finish off their round to keep themselves at the top of the leaderboard and slid back to here. McCarthy and Bezuidenhout both shot 68s to move up into the top 10 heading into the weekend, and they are both guys who can get extremely hot with the putter. 

Poston had the best par of the day when he holed out from the drop zone on No. 17 after putting his tee shot in the water. Fox and MacIntyre all had ideas of going lower today but could never quite get it in gear to make a push up the leaderboard. Higgo and Gerard each had it to 5 under late but dropped shots on their way in to slip into the large group at T7. 

T17. Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and eight others (-3): DeChambeau put together a solid 68 to move into red figures and become a threat going into the weekend. His challenge is finding it on the greens as he has not paid off some incredible driving this week with the kind of scoring one would expect. Finau was flirting with a missed cut early in his second round before a big closing run with an eagle on No. 15 and a birdie on No. 17 to not only make the weekend but get himself just five back. 

T27. Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and five others (-2): Rahm had one of the best ball-striking days of anyone but could not make a putt on his way to another 70. If he can find anything on the greens and maintain the way he's hitting the ball, he could be a threat to make a move on Saturday. As always, you can copy and paste the same thing about Fleetwood, who made 15 pars on Friday to just putter along to another 70 himself. Hovland had a far more adventurous round with five birdies, three bogeys and a disastrous double on the 12th to shoot 71 and stay at 2 under going to the weekend. 

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[May 16, 2025 at 7:03 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Scottie Scheffler moves into the top 5 at 5 under, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele make the cut on the number

The marquee group of the top three in the world rankings had an adventurous second round. Scottie Scheffler didn't have his absolute best for much of it, as he continues to have some scratchy ball-striking moments, but he continued to play solid, steady golf and was able to score his way to another round in the 60s. This time it was a 3-under 68 that moved him into the top 5 on the leaderboard at -5, just three off the pace of Jhonattan Vegas. 

Scheffler made two birdies on the front and, after making his first bogey of the day on No. 13, followed that up with back-to-back birdies to get to 5 under before going to the Green Mile. 

While most would be thrilled by a par-par-par finish at Quail Hollow, Scheffler's came as a disappointment after he stuffed his tee shot on 17 inside 5 feet, but missed the putt as it got spit out by the cup on a vicious lip-out. Even so, Scheffler has positioned himself extremely well going into the weekend and is a heavy favorite to win his first PGA. 

The other two in the group had a much wilder ride on Friday. Rory McIlroy came out hot, looking like a man on a mission after his opening 74, but after getting into red figures early on the back, he bogeyed the final two holes (including an identical lip-out to Scheffler's on 17 from the same spot) to just make the cut on the number at 1 over. 

Xander Schauffele had the opposite day as McIlroy even though they ended up in the same place. He was +3 for the tournament when they made the turn after a birdie-less front nine, but battled his way inside the cut line on the back to shoot a 71 and get in on the number at +1 alongside Rory. At nine back, they'll need something special on Saturday to be in the mix and will likely go out early in the morning together again looking to build some momentum. 

Scheffler, meanwhile, will have a late afternoon tee time and will be in full-on hunt mode, with Vegas firmly in his sights. 

[May 16, 2025 at 6:21 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Si Woo Kim aces the 252-yard 6th hole 

The second hole-in-one of the week came on the unlikeliest hole for it, as Si Woo Kim recorded his 6th hole-in-one since joining the PGA Tour (the most since 2016) with a fairway metal that cut into the green perfectly and rolled straight into the cup. 

That ace wasn't just a highlight for Kim, it moved him firmly into contention going into the weekend at -5, three shots back of Jhonattan Vegas in the lead. He's now tied for 4th with Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler, and will have a late afternoon tee time tomorrow thanks in part to a that perfect tee shot on No. 6. 

[May 16, 2025 at 5:18 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Cut line update: 72 tied at +1, inching closer to +2

The biggest sweat of Friday afternoon at Quail Hollow is the cut line, which has held steady at 1 over all day, but is inching ever closer to +2, which would bring guys like Jordan Spieth and Jake Knapp into the weekend (and, still on the course, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler). 

There are 72 players at +1 or better, but 10 players are on the course at +1 including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka. If a few of those players back up, it's possible they'll bring a bunch of players with them to the weekend. With almost everyone on the course on their second nine, things will get increasingly tense for those on the cut line as the evening wears on. 

[May 16, 2025 at 4:18 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Scottie Scheffler makes the turn at -4, Rory McIlroy makes a move to E, Xander Schauffele outside the cut line at +3

The featured group of the afternoon wave has completed their front nine, and they are all at very different stages of the leaderboard. Scheffler leads the way at -2 for the day and -4 for the tournament, lurking menacingly four shots off Jhonattan Vegas' lead as he heads to the back, where the first six holes are very gettable today. After a bit of a rollercoaster on Thursday, Scheffler looks to be in more of that typical Scottie form, with a bogey-free front nine to steadily climb the leaderboard. 

McIlroy is also trending in the right direction, as he is 3 under on his round to get back to even par, which is solidly inside the cut line and if he can get hot on the back, he could make himself a factor for the weekend. He made back-to-back birdies on No. 7 and No. 8 to get himself off the cut line, got up-and-down beautifully on the 9th and can now set his sights on getting into red figures on the back before they hit the Green Mile. 

Schauffele began his day on the cut line at +1 but is going the wrong way on Friday, making two bogeys and failing to put a birdie on the card on his front nine. It's been a scratchy round for Xander, as he's been a bit wayward off the tee and hit just five of nine greens on the front. His task on the back will be getting quickly inside that cut number at 1 over, because he will not want to arrive at the Green Mile needing to put circles on the card to make the weekend. 

[May 16, 2025 at 3:47 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Shane Lowry has an understandable meltdown after his ball plugged in the fairway on No. 8

A big discussion point on Thursday was mud balls, as some players griped about not getting to play preferred lies and having to deal with the unpredictable punishment of mud on the golf ball from the wet fairways. 

However, that pales in comparison to what Shane Lowry dealt with on the 8th hole on Friday, as the Irishman ended up in a pitch mark in the fairway, effectively plugged but didn't get relief because it wasn't his ball mark. Despite driving it to under 60 yards from the green in the fairway, Lowry could only excavate it halfway there into the bunker and took his frustration out on the fairway. 

It's hard to blame Lowry for being furious here. As Geoff Ogilvy noted on the broadcast, if it was plugged in his own pitch mark, he should've gotten relief, which means he somehow rolled directly into the pitch mark of another player. That's a horrendous break and kind of wild not to be able to remove it from that, and for a guy battling on the cut line right now, Lowry doesn't need forced bogeys on what is one of the few birdie holes on the front nine. 

[May 16, 2025 at 3:25 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

J.T. Poston holes out from the drop zone to make an all-world par on No. 17 

The best par of the day belongs to J.T. Poston, who dumped his tee shot on the par-3 17th into the water, walked up to the drop zone on a forward tee and proceeded to sink a 105-yard wedge for par. 

The front hole location on No. 17 is certainly more friendly than the back one, and at 185 yards it is playing a good bit easier than Thursday's 227-yard behemoth. Still, the front left pin brings a lot of water into play which Poston found, but bounced back in incredible fashion from the drop zone to keep keep a big number off the board and remain at -2 for the tournament. 

[May 16, 2025 at 3:17 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Early Cut Watch: Projected cut at +1

Now that the afternoon wave is all on the course attention for the middle of the field can fully focus on the projected cut line. That currently sits at +1, with 76 players tied at that number or better. With the top 70 and ties making the weekend, we will be watching movement between +1 and +2 all afternoon. 

There are plenty of players hoping to see it move to 2 over, as right now that would include Jordan Spieth, Sepp Straka, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy. Spieth is the only one in the clubhouse at +2, as the other three still are on their first nine in the afternoon wave. The +1 group includes Jason Day, Corey Conners and Tony Finau all on the course grinding to stay at that number. 

As of this moment, it'd be fairly shocking to see it move from +1 to even par, but with the wind conditions still pretty benign it will take a few ejections from not just guys at 1 over but higher up the board to bring Spieth and others into the weekend at 2 over. 

[May 16, 2025 at 2:44 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Jhonattan Vegas leads at -8 after wild finish with a break off the bunker rake on No. 17 and a double bogey on No. 18

After Jhonattan Vegas took the 18-hole lead with an incredible 7-under 64 that saw him make five birdies in his final six holes, few expected him to back that up with anything significant. This is a player without a major top 20 in his career who has never put back-to-back rounds in the 60s together at a major, but you never tell Vegas the odds. 

The Venezuelan went out and shot a 1-under 70 to maintain his lead. At -8, he's two clear of Matthieu Pavon in second place, who is in the clubhouse at 6 under. 

Vegas stumbled early with a bogey on the 2nd hole, but was able to steady himself with four straight pars before getting that shot back at the 7th. As he made the turn to the back nine, he found a groove again, with three birdies in his first five holes on the back to extend his lead to four and reach 10 under as he made his way to the Green Mile. 

After a solid par on No. 16, he got some incredible luck on the par-3 17th when he hung his tee shot out right of the green and had it bounce off of the bunker rake and roll out to the center of the green. While he didn't make the ensuing 30-footer for birdie, it did allow him to make a stress-free two-putt par on the tough par 3 and kept the momentum rolling to the 18th. 

As they have for so many today, things unraveled on the difficult 18th. He hit a solid drive but bailed out into the right bunker on his approach, leaving a slippery but manageable bunker shot from there. However, he caught his bunker shot heavy and pulled it too far left, sending it off the false front and leaving a chip back up the hill for his fourth. 

He jammed that by a few feet above the hole, leaving a ticklish downhill bogey putt that he couldn't make and walked off the green with a double bogey to leave a sour taste in his mouth after an otherwise excellent round of golf. 

Even with the closing double, it was a solid round for Vegas given he was in unchartered territory, having never been in the top 10 after a round at a major -- much less holding the solo lead. While it looked like he was going to extend sit back and watch the afternoon wave give chase and see if anyone can pull even closer to him, or if he'll still have a two-shot cushion when he tees off late on Saturday. 

[May 16, 2025 at 2:05 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Matthieu Pavon jumps into solo second with Friday 65 (-6)

On a day where everyone was waiting for some major turnover on the leaderboard, we got some of that but not necessarily from the names we expected. Max Homa set the early pace with his 64 and he was joined in darting up the board by Matthieu Pavon, who started the day at even par and shot a 6-under 65 to take the clubhouse lead at -6. He is solo second, four back of Jhonattan Vegas who has two holes left in his day, and got there by way of a bogey-free round, which is spectacular work on a difficult course at Quail Hollow. 

One of his birdies came at the short par-4 14th, where he is one of the rare players to lay well back to leave more of a full wedge shot into the back pin and paid it off with a gorgeous approach. 

Pavon will now wait to see if anyone joins him or passes him at 6 under, but no matter what he will be heading into the weekend in great position to try and match or best his best career record at a major (5th at the 2024 U.S. Open). 

[May 16, 2025 at 1:54 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Bryson DeChambeau shoots 3-under 68 to stay in the mix going to the weekend

The biggest of the pre-tournament favorites to make a move on Friday morning was Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a 3-under 68 to move to -3 for the tournament, seven back of Jhonattan Vegas currently. 

DeChambeau had a very clean first nine (starting on No. 10) with two birdies on the 10th and 16th and seven pars the rest of the way. On the front nine (his second nine), he rode a bit of a rollercoaster with two bogeys and three birdies, getting to -4 briefly after a birdie on No. 8 before a closing bogey on the tough 9th. 

While it wasn't a spectacular round, it was what DeChambeau needed to do to position himself for a potential weekend move. It's possible Vegas just never cools off and runs away with this thing, but if he does come back to the field, DeChambeau is only three back of second place currently. That's a very solid position to be in, and if he can get the putter warmed up on the weekend he is hitting the ball well enough to make a charge. 

[May 16, 2025 at 1:17 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Jhonattan Vegas is still hot, moves the lead to -10

After an early bogey dropped him to -6, the expectation was that after his incredible 64 on Thursday, Jhonattan Vegas would start to work his way back to the field or, at the least, stall out as the field climbed closer. 

Instead, he's still setting the pace on Friday afternoon and has pushed his lead out to four strokes over Matthieu Pavon and Michael Thorbjornsen after a birdie on No. 14 moved him to -4 for the day and -10 for the championship. Vegas sprayed his drive on the short par 4 well right, near the 15th tee, but managed to get that up-and-down for birdie, pouring in another lengthy putt as he just seems in an incredible groove on the greens. 

That birdie moved him to 3 under on his round and he's looking to shoot back-to-back rounds in the 60s at a major for the first time in his career. Vegas does have four PGA Tour wins to his name, including last year's 3M Open, but he's never finished in the top 20 at a major, but seems poised to take the lead into the weekend. He will have to navigate the Green Mile before he can post that clubhouse lead, but he's giving himself a nice cushion before arriving at the difficult closing stretch. 

[May 16, 2025 at 1:07 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Max Homa surges into contention with a Friday 64 to tie for low round of the tournament

The biggest move of Friday so far came from Max Homa, who found a groove early in his round to go out in 30 (-6) on the back nine after starting on No. 10 and then was able to steadily land the plane on the front side to make a massive jump up the leaderboard with a 7-under 64. 

Homa started the day at +2, eight off the pace of Jhonattan Vegas, and finished it at -5, four back of Vegas who is still on the course. It's been a long last couple of years for Homa as he's fallen out of the top 50 in the world and has been fighting his swing, but he's shown signs of life the last month or so, playing well at the Masters and continuing that leading into the PGA. Still, a Thursday 73 didn't really point to a low round being in the cards, but he was striping it all day and finally got some puts (and chips) to drop. 

Birdies on Nos. 10, 13 and 15 were all impressive, but it was his eagle on the par-4 14th (driving it to two feet) and chip-in on the very difficult 18th that were the standouts from his first nine holes. 

He would have a relatively quite second nine, making two birdies and one bogey on the front at Quail Hollow to get in with his 64 and post the early Friday clubhouse lead. Being in contention in a major will be a very different kind of pressure to the cut line grind he's spent a lot of time dealing with over the last year-plus, but that'll be a welcome change for Max. 

[May 16, 2025 at 12:52 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Thomas shoots second round 72, will miss the cut at +3

Justin Thomas will not be around for the weekend to try and capture a third PGA Championship and second at Quail Hollow. After a Thursday 73, Thomas needed a Friday charge to reach the weekend but instead found himself stuck in first gear once again, shooting a 72 to fall to +3 for the week and well outside the projected cut of +1. 

Thomas got off to a good start with two birdies in his first five holes to get to even par, but dropped two shots on the Green Mile with bogeys on No. 16 and No. 18 to give back that early work. A stretch of three consecutive bogeys from Nos. 5-7 on his second side doomed his chances of the weekend, and while he got one back at No. 8, there just weren't enough holes left in his day to rally to make the weekend. 

It is a bitterly disappointing way for Thomas to go out, as he entered this week with so much confidence after winning the RBC Heritage and finishing second last week at the Truist Championship. Everything seemed to be working for him coming into Quail Hollow, but that form did not make the trip with him to Charlotte and now he'll have an early exit to try and figure things out. 

[May 16, 2025 at 11:35 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Big names still yet to make a big move beyond Max Homa

Everyone expected some pretty significant turnover on the leaderboard after Thursday brought a number of surprises and long shots to the top, but other than Max Homa storming into the top 5 (and he was a long shot himself entering the week given his form this year), we have yet to see the big names making a real leap. 

Bryson DeChambeau is -2 for the round and the championship, but is still five off the pace of Jhonattan Vegas and cannot seem to get himself going on the greens, missing another makable birdie putt on the first (his 10th). Collin Morikawa had it to 4 under, but has had the wheels come off since doubling the 18th and has dropped off the pace all the way back to even par where he's now just fighting to stay inside the cut line. Viktor Hovland had an adventurous first nine (starting on No. 10) but the ultimate result of his rollercoaster has been him staying at -2 for the tournament, even on his round today. 

Justin Thomas is +1 for the championship, -1 for his day, and likewise grinding to make the cut. Joaquin Niemann had it to -4 for his round early but has cooled off and is tied with Thomas at +1, right on the cut line currently. Ludvig Åberg had it to -2 at one point, but got victimized by the Green Mile to the tune of a bogey-double-double run that took him out of contention and he too is grinding to make the weekend, making two birdies on his second nine to get to +1. 

As we move an hour out from the afternoon wave starting, we'll have to wait and see if Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood or even Rory McIlroy can be the one to make a major move going into the weekend. In the meantime, the first page of the leaderboard is filled with surprises, and it's guys like J.J. Spaun and Matthieu Pavon, both -5 for the day and the tournament, who have made the biggest jumps so far alongside Homa. 

[May 16, 2025 at 10:45 am ET · Robby Kalland]

The 18th is creating carnage for the early wave

The Green Mile is always a talking point at Quail Hollow, but on Friday the 16th and 17th are playing a touch easier than they were on Thursday. The right pin position on No. 16 is far more accessible and takes the water largely out of play, while No. 17 is playing 40 yards shorter at 185 yards with the front pin. 

However, it looks like No. 18 will make up for those two being slightly less stressful as there have been a number of doubles or worse on the 18th already in the second round. The front left pin brings the creek into play on the approach and the false front is waiting to escort any approach shot that comes up short off the green to leave a tricky pitch. 

Tyrrell Hatton arrived at the 18th just one off the lead at 5 under, but after finding the creek off the tee, he got put in the blender by the 18th, chipping his fourth from short right off the green via the false front and ultimately making a triple bogey 7. Adam Scott in the same group made a double bogey to move from 4 under back to 2 under alongside Hatton. 

Collin Morikawa made double on No. 18 for the second straight day, this time finding the creek off the tee and then spinning his 4th from the fairway off the false front to force an up-and-down for his double. If this PGA was just the first 17 holes of Quail Hollow, Morikawa would be tied for the lead. 

There are birdies to be had with perfect execution, as both Max Homa (via chip-in) and Jordan Spieth put circles on the card on the 18th to pick up more than a shot on the field. Navigating the 18th will be vital all week, but especially today, as that hole will play a huge role in how the leaderboard shakes out heading into the weekend and who makes and misses the cut. 

[May 16, 2025 at 9:59 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Max Homa chips in on 18 to shoot a 6-under 30 on the back 9

After a first round 73, Max Homa's first goal on Friday morning was to get himself in position just to make it to the weekend. After nine holes of his second round he's done much more than just that, though, as Homa started on No. 10 got scalding hot on the back nine at Quail Hollow, firing a tidy 6-under 30 to make the turn at -4 for the championship, just two back of the lead. 

He has the shot of the day so far with his tee shot on the par-4 14th, stuffing it to 2 feet from 347 yards away with a perfect drive onto the green to set up a tap-in eagle. He birdied Nos. 10, 13 and 15 around that and then held on with quality pars on Nos. 16 and 17 to get to the 18th at 5 under for his day. After a great drive, he came up short with his approach but managed to chip in for birdie to shoot a 30 on the back that will likely stand as one of the best nine hole scores anyone shoots all week. 

After a 39 on the back side yesterday, Homa made a nine-shot improvement on Friday morning, and he now turns to the front side where he only needs to go one under to match the round of the tournament so far with a 64. With Jhonattan Vegas giving one back early, the lead is now just -6 and Homa is two back of that and firmly in position to contend heading into the weekend if he can keep it on the rails for his next nine holes. 

[May 16, 2025 at 8:52 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Max Homa nearly aces the 347-yard par-4 14th, moves to -4 on his round

The best round on the golf course currently belongs to Max Homa. A former winner at Quail Hollow, Homa fans were hopeful a return to a comfortable venue might bring the best out of him. However, a 73 on Thursday left him with work to do on Friday and he came out firing to start his second round. A pair of birdies on the 10th and 13th got him going and then he showed exactly how to play the drivable par-3 14th, carrying his drive onto the very front of the green and had it release all the way to the pin in the back, nearly going in the hole for an ace, to set up a tap-in eagle. 

That moved Homa to -4 for his round and -2 for the championship, suddenly not just in position to make the weekend but with a chance to get into contention if he can keep the good vibes rolling. His swing, which has frustrated him throughout the year, seems to be much more comfortable on Friday morning, and if he can keep up the ball-striking tempo from these first five holes, he knows how to go low at Quail Hollow. 

[May 16, 2025 at 8:45 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Jordan Spieth eagles the 10th to open his Friday

After a rough opening round 76, Jordan Spieth has a lot of work to do in his second round just to make the cut, but he put a decent dent in his deficit with two spectacular shots to open his round, blasting a driver down the 10th and then firing a fairway wood to just a few feet away from the hole to set up an opening eagle.  

That moved him to +3, currently T98, and it seems like even par is going to be where you want to be to feel pretty safe after the morning wave. The projected cut is currently +1, but that'd make for a stressful afternoon of scoreboard watching. That means Spieth will need to pick up two or three more by the end of his round, but he's off to a very strong start. 

[May 16, 2025 at 8:37 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Tyrrell Hatton looking to make an early move 

After Thursday's first round produced a rather shocking leaderboard, the story going into Friday's second round was which of the pre-tournament long shots would be able to hang around and which of the big names would make a move towards the top. 

Early on Friday morning, Tyrrell Hatton is a player asserting himself into the mix as he birdied his first two holes of the second round (the 10th and 11th) to get to -5, two back of the leader Jhonattan Vegas who tees off at 9:01 a.m. ET. While the par-5 10th offers a nice handshake opener for those starting on the back, a birdie on No. 11 is no small feat, and Hatton appears to be in a good rhythm as he begins his second round. 

Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau are the star players on the course currently looking to climb into contention, while Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are part of the group just trying to ensure a weekend tee time.