Alex Smalley
Thirteen players are within two strokes of the lead, as they attempt to chase down leaders Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy at the PGA Championships. It is just the third major championship in history with 15 or more players within two shots of the lead after 36 holes.
Smalley, in only his fifth major championship, overcame three straight bogeys after making the turn and closed with a birdie for a 1-under 69. McNealy, who has never been among the top 25 in any major through 36 holes, fell back with a pair of late bogeys in his round of 67.
The duo with a four-under 136 total are one stroke ahead of the chasing that includes Hideki Matsuyama, Chris Gotterup, Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Lee Min-woo and Max Greyserman.
Seven major champions are within four shots of the lead, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Matsuyama. Masters champion Rory McIlroy is tied for 30th after a bogey-free 67 and only five behind.
Smalley entered the day as an 18-hole co-leader and opened with three consecutive bogeys on the first three holes but improved to play the final 15 holes bogey free in 4-under with birdies at 4, 9, 16, 18.
McNealy became the only player to reach 6 under at any point this week. He holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 16th and then he added three birdies over his next five holes until mistakes caught up with him.
It is just the third major championship in history with 15 or more players within two shots of the lead after 36 holes.
Debutant Potgieter (T3/-3), is the youngest player in the field at 21 years, 8 months, 2 days, was 2-under in the second round through 16 holes prior to finishing bogey-bogey on 17 and 18
Former champion Matsuyama (T3/-5) will relish his chances as he clinched his best 36-hole position in a major championship since the 2022 Masters Tournament.
Defending champion Scheffler (T9/-2) opened with bogeys on three of his first four holes and finished with a one-over 71. He seeks to become the third player in the last 25 years to successfully defend, joining Tiger Woods (2006, 2007) and Brooks Koepka (2018, 2019).
Three in Colonial lead
Blades Brown, Trent Phillips and Paul Peterson hold a one stroke lead at eight-under at the Colonial Life Charity Classic.
Teenager Brown, celebrates his 19th birthday on May 21 and is bidding to become the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history, a title currently held by Aldrich Potgeiter.
He has posted consecutive rounds of 66 to take the midway co-lead, the fourth time he has led/co-led after a round this season.
Phillips made eight birdies and 28 pars and is the only player bogey-free through 36 holes after carding rounds of 65-67. Meanwhile, Peterson followed up on his opening round of 64 with a 68.
The eight under totals are tied for the season’s highest 36-hole lead, relative to par (The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, The Panama Championship).
Chez Reavie (T6/-6) carded the day’s best round, a 7-under 63, to improve 95 spots on the leaderboard.
First-round leader Bryce Lewis is T32 at 3-under after carding a second-round 75.
Godsey claims outright lead
Conner Godsey followed an opening round of 9-under 63 with a 5-under 67 Friday to claim the outright lead halfway through the Peru Open, the third event of the PGA TOUR Americas season.
At 14-under 130 through 36 holes, the 34-year-old Godsey holds a one-shot lead over Joshua Lee, who fired the third 9-under 63 of the tournament to tie the course record at Los Inkas Golf Club. The 18-hole record is now shared by nine players, with the current tournament leader the only one to shoot it twice.
David Pastore is tied for the lead with Godsey after an opening 63, recorded a hole-in-one Friday on his way to a second-round 69 that left him tied for third at 12-under 132. For the tenth ace of his lifetime, he hit a 6-iron into a front-left pin from 183 yards at the par-3 No. 4.
Walker Lee, Joseph Winslow, Peyton Callens and Patrick Flavin are the players joining Pastore in the tie for third. Flavin is the current PGA TOUR Americas Points List No. 1, coming off a win two weeks ago at the 94 Abierto del Centro Zurich presentado por Personal in Cordoba, Argentina.
José de Jesús Rodríguez is the leading Latin American player at solo eighth (-11). The 45-year-old veteran fired an 8-under 64 on Friday and was the only player from the Monday qualifier to make the cut this week.
Defending champion Hunter Wolcott is at T39 at 6-under, while 2023 champion Marcos Montenegro is T13 at 9-under.
