Double Masters champion Rory McIlroy made his expected move on a brutally tough second day at the 108th hosting of ther PGA Championship at the host Aronimink course in Pennsylvania.
McIlroy jumped 75 spots on the back of round of 67 to be tied in 30th place at one-over heading to the weekend rounds of the year’s second major championship.
His effort has McIlroy just five shots off the lead held by the Ameican pair of Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy.
RORS MAKES HIS MOVE @PGAChampionship …
As @McIlroyRory tackles brutal conditions in posting superb 6⃣7⃣ to be trailing just five shots off the lead and among 8⃣2⃣ players to make the Aronimink cut
PLUS – Full stats from 2nd round
Read: https://t.co/Tk0K24RQh8
PGAT
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) May 16, 2026
“I think this afternoon I had a better understanding of how the course was playing, and just watching a little bit of the coverage early on today, I probably went out there yesterday being a little too aggressive thinking that guys were going to go lower than they were,“ said McIlroy.
“Because I certainly didn’t, in the practice rounds, I certainly didn’t see it playing as difficult as it has played.
“So I think knowing that the field isn’t going to get away from you, you can be a little bit more patient, especially this afternoon.“
Saying that McIlroy also has defending PGA champion Scottie Scheffler as well as Justin Thomas just three shots ahead of him and sharing ninth place.
Some notable names who didn’t make the weekend:
Tommy Fleetwood +5, Akshay Bhatia +5, Robert MacIntyre +5 , Russell Henley +5 , J.J. Spaun +6, Viktor Hovland +6, Keegan Bradley +6, Adam Scott +8 and Max Homa +12.
108th PGA Championship – Second-Round Notes – Friday, May 15, 2026
Weather: Mostly cloudy. High of 66. Wind NW 6-14 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph
36-hole cut: 82 players at 4-over 144 from a field of 156 professionals
Second-Round Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | Total |
| T1 | Alex Smalley | 67 | 69 | 136 (-4) |
| T1 | Maverick McNealy | 69 | 67 | 136 (-4) |
| T3 | Hideki Matsuyama | 70 | 67 | 137 (-3) |
| T3 | Chris Gotterup | 72 | 65 | 137 (-3) |
| T3 | Aldrich Potgieter | 67 | 70 | 137 (-3) |
| T3 | Stephan Jaeger | 67 | 70 | 137 (-3) |
| T3 | Min Woo Lee | 67 | 70 | 137 (-3) |
| T3 | Max Greyserman | 68 | 69 | 137 (-3) |
| T9 | Seven players tied | 138 (-2) |
Alex Smalley (T1/-4)
- First 36-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke play in his 141st career start on TOUR; led the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans after 36 holes with teammate Hayden Springer (finished T2)
- Entered the day as an 18-hole co-leader and opened with three consecutive bogeys on Nos. 1-3; played the final 15 holes bogey free in 4-under with birdies at Nos. 4, 9, 16, 18
- 10 total birdies through 36 holes, tied with Aaron Rai (T16/-1) for the most in the field
- Marks his third made cut in five major championship starts, with his best finish being T23 at the 2023 PGA Championship
- Leads the field this week in Strokes Gained: Putting (5.785) after entering the week ranked 53rd on TOUR in the category
- PGA Championship record entering the week: three starts, two made cuts (T23/2023, T28/2025)
- One additional major championship start: 2017 U.S. Open (MC)
- In 13 starts on TOUR this season, owns 12 made cuts and two top-10s (T2/Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T7/Cadillac Championship); finished inside the top 25 in his last five starts entering the week
- Seeking his first victory on TOUR, owns 15 top-10s and three runner-up finishes in 140 starts
Maverick McNealy (T1/-4)
- Second 36-hole lead/co-lead in his 181st career TOUR start (2021 Procore Championship, finished 2nd)
- Prior to this week, never sat inside the top 25 after two rounds in 13 major championship starts
- Second-round 67 is one stroke shy of tying his best score in 42 career rounds in major championships (66, 2024 PGA Championship/R1 and 2025 Open Championship/R4)
- Led the field in the second round in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (5.266)
- PGA Championship record entering the week: five starts, three made cuts (T75/2022, T23/2024, T33/2025)
- Major championship record entering the week: 13 starts, seven made cuts, three top-25 finishes (T23/2024 PGA Championship, T23/2025 Open Championship, T18/2026 Masters Tournament)
- In 12 TOUR starts this season, owns 11 made cuts, seven top-25 finishes and one top-10 (10th/Farmers Insurance Open)
- Seeking his second win on TOUR and first since the 2024 RSM Classic
Additional notes
- Marks just the third major championship in history with 15 or more players within two shots of the lead after 36 holes: 1991 Open Championship (16), 2002 Open Championship (16), 2026 PGA Championship (15); previous PGA Championship record was 11 (2006)
- The last time the 36-hole leader/co-leaders of the PGA Championship were no more than 4-under par was 2012
- Aldrich Potgieter (T3/-3), the youngest player in the field (21 years, 8 months, 2 days), was 2-under in the second round through 16 holes prior to finishing bogey-bogey on Nos. 17 and 18; in his PGA Championship debut, entered the week with just one made cut in five prior major championship starts (2023 U.S. Open/finished 64th)
- Hideki Matsuyama (T3/-5) clinches his best 36-hole position in a major championship since the 2022 Masters Tournament (T2 after 36 holes, finished T14); owns just one top-10 finish in his last 14 major championship starts (6th/2024 U.S. Open)
- Min Woo Lee (T3/-5) leads the field this week in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (7.642) and ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (3.034)
- Stephan Jaeger (T3/-5) records 18 pars for a second-round 70; becomes the second player in the last 10 years to have par every hole in a single major championship round (Sepp Straka/2025 Open Championship); recorded just two bogeys through 36 holes, the fewest by any player this week
- Chris Gotterup (T3/-5) birdies his final three holes (Nos. 7-9) and cards a 5-under 65, the lowest round of the week by any player; hit 15-of-18 greens in regulation and ranks sixth this week in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (3.973)
- Max Greyserman (T3/-5) leads the field through two rounds in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (3.782); making his second PGA Championship start after finishing T33 in 2025
- Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (T9/-2) opens with bogeys on three of his first four holes (Nos. 10, 12, 13) and finishes with a 1-over 71; seeks to become the third player in the last 25 years to successfully defend, joining Tiger Woods (2006, 2007) and Brooks Koepka (2018, 2019); finished T7 or better in each of his last six major championship starts
- Justin Thomas (T9/-2) enters the weekend inside the top 10 for the first time in a major since the 2022 PGA Championship (3rd after 36 holes, went on to win); in 15 major starts since his 2022 win, owns just one top-25 finish (T8/2024 PGA Championship)
- Cameron Young (T9/-2) sat even-par with five holes remaining in his second round before a birdie on the par-3 fifth and eagle on the par-5 ninth; ranks sixth this week in Strokes Gained: Putting (4.337); T3 finish at 2026 Masters Tournament is tied for his second-best finish in 19 career starts in majors (best: 2nd/2022 Open Championship)
- David Puig (T9/-2) made four putts of 17+ feet and led the field in the second round in Strokes Gained: Putting (3.978); through 36 holes, he ranks second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (3.123)
- Ludvig Åberg (T9/-2) records four back-nine birdies in a five-hole stretch (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 16) en route to a 66, tied for his best score in 30 career rounds in major championships (66/2024 U.S. Open/R1); makes the cut for the first time in three PGA Championship starts; owns two top-10 finishes in nine major starts, both at the Masters Tournament (2nd/2024, 7th/2025)
- Following a first-round 74, Rory McIlroy (T30/+1) cards a bogey-free 67 in his 250th career round in a major championship
- In his third PGA Championship start, Ben Kern (T35/+1), PGA professional at Hickory Hills Golf Club in South Bloomfield, Ohio, records his second made cut (T42/2018, MC/2023)
- Dating back to 2010, there have been 13 PGA professionals to make the cut at the PGA Championship: Jeremy Wells (2024), Braden Shattuck (2024), Michael Block (2023), Brad Marek (2021), Ben Cook (2021), Marty Jertson (2019), Rob Labritz (2019), Ryan Vermeer (2019), Ben Kern (2018), Omar Uresti (2017), Brian Gaffney (2015), Mike Small (2011), Rob Labritz (2010)
- Other notable scores:
- 18-hole co-leaders Ryo Hisatsune (T22/E) and Martin Kaymer (T44/+2)
- 2024 PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele (T30/+1)
- Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka (T30/+1)
- World No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick (T44/+2)
- Adam Scott (+8) misses the cut in his 99th consecutive major championship start
- Second-round course statistics:
- Scoring Average (Total): 72.609 (+2.609)
- Scoring Average (Front Nine): 35.538 (+0.538)
- Scoring Average (Back Nine): 37.071 (+2.071)
- Toughest Hole: No. 10, Par 4, 481 yards – 4.417 (+0.417)
- Easiest Hole: No. 9, Par 5, 590 yards – 4.724 (-0.276)
- Morning wave scoring average: 72.88
- Afternoon wave scoring average: 72.33
