Smalley, McNealy share 4-under PGA lead

Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy reached the halfway point of the PGA Championship tied at 4-under 136 after Friday’s second round at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Their shared lead came on a day when cold wind and severe pin positions kept the field compressed and made low scoring difficult. Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion and world No. 1, remained in range at 2 under despite a 71. The result left a crowded weekend board, with the official tournament leaderboard and published round reports showing multiple major champions and contenders still within a few shots. ### How unusual is this halfway leaderboard? The 4-under mark posted by Smalley and McNealy was the highest 36-hole leading score at the PGA Championship since 2012 at Kiawah Island, according to the Associated Press match report carried by PGA Tour. The same report said seven major champions were within four shots of the lead, including Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama, while Rory McIlroy sat five back after a bogey-free 67. (pgatour.com) USA Today’s sports hub showed 15 players within two shots of the lead entering Saturday, with Chris Gotterup, Max Greyserman, Stephan Jaeger, Min Woo Lee, Hideki Matsuyama and Aldrich Potgieter among those at 3 under. Scheffler, Thomas and Cameron Young were listed at 2 under. Golf Digest reported that 58 players were within six shots of the lead after 36 holes, calling it the most in tournament history. (pgatour.com) Another published roundup said the gap between the leaders at 4 under and the cut line at 4 over was eight strokes, tying the smallest such gap in PGA Championship history. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) ### Why were players talking so much about the setup? Scottie Scheffler said Friday’s hole locations were the toughest he had seen on tour. “This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on tour,” Scheffler said after his round, adding that it included U.S. Opens and Oakmont, according to the AP report published by PGA Tour. (golfdigest.com) Golfweek reported that professional golfers criticized the Aronimink setup during the second round, with Scheffler describing the pins as “kind of absurd.” The same report said cold and windy conditions added to the challenge and pushed scoring higher. (pgatour.com) Rory McIlroy also objected to the setup after rebounding from an opening 74 with a 67 on Friday, according to multiple published reports. His recovery still left him only five shots off the lead because the course prevented anyone from separating from the field. (golfweek.usatoday.com) ### Who are the two co-leaders? Alex Smalley is playing only his fifth major championship, and Friday’s 69 included a recovery from three straight bogeys after the turn before he finished with a birdie, the AP report said. Maverick McNealy shot 67, briefly reached 6 under for the week and became the only player to get that low at any point through two rounds. (pgatour.com) McNealy has never been inside the top 25 of a major through 36 holes before this week, according to the same report. He said the position was unfamiliar as he prepared for his first time in the final group of a major championship. (pgatour.com) ### Where does Scheffler stand? Scottie Scheffler was tied for ninth at 2 under after a second-round 71, according to the USA Today leaderboard. That left him two shots behind the co-leaders and firmly in contention heading into the third round. Scheffler’s position mattered because the compressed leaderboard gave little margin between first place and the rest of the contenders. (pgatour.com) McIlroy said after the round that anyone who made the cut would feel they still had a chance, according to the AP report. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) ### What comes next on Saturday? Round 3 begins Saturday, May 16, at Aronimink, with the first group scheduled for 7:45 a.m. EDT and the final pairing set for 2:40 p.m. EDT. PGA Tour’s published tee sheet listed Smalley and McNealy together in the last group, while Scheffler was paired with David Puig at 1:40 p.m. and McIlroy with Brooks Koepka at 11:00 a.m. (pgatour.com) The PGA Championship runs through Sunday, May 17, at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, according to the official event page and leaderboard. Live leaderboard updates and pairings are posted on the championship’s official site and USA Today’s tournament hub. (pgachampionship.com) (pgatour.com)