Perhaps the biggest development on Friday at the PGA Championship is that we found out Scottie Scheffler is human. After exiting the first round with a share of the lead, Scheffler shot a 1-over 71 on Friday.
Just as we all expected through 36 holes, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley share the lead at 4-under. Let’s see how the weekend plays out, since those are a couple of guys unlikely to maintain first place.
PGA Championship second-round scores
PGA Championship third-round tee times
VSiN’s golf experts offered their second-round observations and third-round predictions . . .
Kelley Bydlon
The second round of the PGA championship is in the books and we have an exciting leaderboard heading into the weekend. Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley share the lead at -4, but there are some big names lurking like Chris Gotterup (-3), Hideki Matsuyama (-3), Scottie Scheflfler (-2), Ludvig Aberg (-2), and Cameron Young (-2).
The outright odds reflect a tight race to the finish with nine golfers 15-1 or shorter over at DraftKings, and honestly there’s not an outright bet that really jump out to me. I’m still high on Patrick Cantlay, but would probably be looking at the top 10 market for him.
As far as third round matchups, I’ll be posting any I play at vsin.com.
Wes Reynolds
Aronimink Golf Club continued to give players difficulty for the second straight day as only 21 players remain in red figures after 36 holes.
Alex Smalley (15/1) was one of seven players to share the first-round lead, and he remains with a share of the lead courtesy of his scorching putter and leads the field for Strokes Gained: Putting (+5.82 strokes gained over two rounds). Smalley sits atop the leaderboard with Maverick McNealy (12/1), who had it to 6-under and two clear of the field at one point.
At 3-under are Max Greyserman (40/1), Min Woo Lee (+1450), Hideki Matsuyama (13/1), Chris Gotterup (+1350), who shot the low round of the championship on Friday with a 65, Aldrich Potgieter (37/1), and Stephan Jaeger (45/1).
Some big names lurk just below as Scottie Scheffler (+350), Cameron Young (+950), Ludvig Åberg (12/1), Justin Thomas (21/1), and Si Woo Kim (23/1) are all at 2-under. There are 15 players in all at or within two shots of the lead after 36 holes, marking the most in PGA Championship history.
Jon Rahm (13/1) is at 1-under along with Patrick Cantlay (33/1), Kurt Kitayama (56/1), Jason Day (60/1), and others.
Rory McIlroy (28/1) fought his way break from the brink of potentially missing the cut and sits five back at +1.
In terms of our outright portfolio, Young, Åberg, Cantlay, and Kitayama are all under par and certainly in contention amongst a bunched-up leaderboard.
The old adage of “Patience is a virtue” certainly is the theme of the week at the PGA Championship. Perhaps we some more friendly pin placements on Saturday to get some separation, but Aronimink should remain a more arduous test than we all thought.
I will have a couple matchup bets overnight at VSiN.com/picks.
Matt Youmans
The goal is to cash tickets, so I’ll ultimately enjoy this tournament if that happens, but I’m not liking this experience so far. Aronimink is simply a boring golf course with few trees that come into play and fewer water hazards. The most challenging aspect for the players has been dealing with the big, contoured greens that run fast with tricky pin positions. This does not feel like a major. The PGA is always by far the least prestigious of the four majors, and this one is especially dull. It was a cold and windy Friday outside of Philadelphia, and Scottie Scheffler was awful early in the morning, beginning his round with three bogeys on the first four holes. I bet Scheffler +500 before the tournament and still like his chances as the +350 favorite due to Scottie’s tendency to charge hard and handle the pressure on the weekends.
I did not add any plays Thursday but will add two Friday night — Maverick McNealy (12-1) and Chris Gotterup (14-1). McNealy and Gotterup were Masters futures play for me, but I made the mistake of not betting those players this week. Gotterup is a bomber who fired a 65 in the second round, and McNealy is one of the best putters in the field. Fifteen players are tied for the lead or within two strokes of it after 36 holes, so while this still feels wide open, tickets on Scheffler, McNealy and Gotterup should hold up well and give me a good run for the money.
Matt Brown
Coming soon.
