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- Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70
CHARLOTTE: Jhonattan Vegas, chasing his first major title, clung to a two-stroke lead in Friday鈥檚 second round of the PGA Championship while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and South Korean Kim Si-woo made late charges at Quail Hollow.
Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70 and stand on eight-under 134 after 36 holes with France鈥檚 Matthieu Pavon shooting 65 to share second with England鈥檚 Matt Fitzpatrick and Kim on 136.
鈥淚t was a great day,鈥� Vegas said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 really get too down on myself for making double on 18. I feel like I managed my game really well. I was feeling it out there. It was nice to keep the momentum. The game was there and the feeling was good.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 happy to finish with that double on 18 but we have two more days to go.鈥�
Kim aced the par-three sixth hole from 252 yards with a five-wood, hitting the longest hole-in-one in major history, and added six birdies against a lone bogey to equal Max Homa for the day鈥檚 low round of 64.
鈥淚t was exciting,鈥� Kim said of the ace. 鈥淚 hit it like exactly how I wanted. So it was cool and it was pretty memorable hole-in-one in major.鈥�
Sharing fifth in the clubhouse were Americans Homa and Scheffler, who shot 68 to stand on 137 鈥� three off the lead.
鈥淎 little below average for me,鈥� Scheffler said. 鈥淚 felt like I did a good job scoring. I was able to hit the right shots when I need to.鈥�
Scheffler鈥檚 playing partners in the feature group 鈥� second-ranked Masters winner Rory McIlroy and third-ranked defending champion Xander Schauffele 鈥� grinded through the final hole just to make the cut on the number at one-over 143.
McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters win, closed bogey-bogey to flirt with missing the weekend, lipping out from three feet for par at 17 and hitting off a hospitality tent roof into rough at 18 and two-putting for bogey from 36 feet to shoot 69.
Closing par putts at 17 and 18 from inside four feet gave Schauffele a 71.
Vegas, who fired a 64 on Thursday, never lost the lead despite pressure while Pavon and Homa each delivered their career-low major rounds.
鈥淭hat was really very solid,鈥� Pavon said. 鈥淕ot a nice momentum with the putter early on. A few birdies on the front nine helped me to be more confident on the back nine. Overall it was a super satisfying day.鈥�
Homa shot 30 on the same back nine where he fired 39 on Thursday.
鈥淚 knew the game was good,鈥� Homa said. 鈥淒idn鈥檛 know I was going to shoot seven-under but I鈥檒l take it.鈥�
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, fired a 68 and will draw upon his major win to try and pad his trophy haul.
鈥淭he fact I鈥檝e done it before, that鈥檚 always a big confidence boost,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can lean on that. I鈥檓 just happy to be in this position.鈥�
World number 70 Vegas was set to become the lowest-ranked player to lead a major outright after each of the first two rounds since American Gil Morgan at the 1992 US Open.
Vegas was battling after a sleepless night sitting on the lead.
鈥淣ot getting a great sleep and having to come back early put me not in the best mood all day,鈥� Vegas said. 鈥淚t felt like three hours, but I probably got a little bit more than that. I got some sleep but it wasn鈥檛 the best.鈥�
American Jordan Spieth, needing a win the complete a career Grand Slam, missed the cut on 144.
Japan鈥檚 Hideki Matsuyama, whose 19 made major cuts were the longest active streak, and two-time major winner Justin Thomas were out on 145.