Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy led the PGA Championship at Aronimink after two rounds at 4-under 136, the highest 36-hole leading score since 2012, highlighting the course’s difficulty. Smalley recovered from three straight bogeys to shoot 69, while McNealy’s 67 included late mistakes after briefly reaching 6 under.
The tightly packed field saw just eight shots separating first from last, with seven major champions—among them Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama—within four shots. Rory McIlroy, after a bogey-free 67, was only five back despite sitting tied 30th. Challenging pin positions, wind and fast greens made scoring difficult, with Scheffler calling them among the toughest he’s seen. Ludvig Åberg surged with a 66, while Stephan Jaeger posted 18 pars to stay close.
Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut, as did Garrick Higgo after a costly penalty. With so many players still in contention, McIlroy noted that anyone making the cut still had a realistic chance heading into the weekend.