Aronimink bites back as Scheffler settles for share of US PGA lead

Aronimink Golf Club's broad fairways played generously on day one. The second round told a different story. Wind picked up across the Newtown Square layout in Pennsylvania, greens grew firmer, and the 2026 PGA Championship turned into a defensive test for world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler, who opened with a 65, signed for an even-par round on Friday and was pulled back into a seven-way tie atop the leaderboard. The PGA of America said it was the most crowded share of the lead at a major since 1969.

The par-four 17th, reworked for this championship to play shorter but with a sharply pitched green, proved decisive. The majority of the field laid up rather than attacking the flag, and Scheffler made one of his only two bogeys there after his approach released long.

First-round leader Garrick Higgo cooled off in conditions he later said had been complicated by his own timing. The South African said he and his caddie miscommunicated on the way to the first tee and arrived in such a rush that he was unsettled when his name was called. He took a one-stroke penalty after a slow-play warning earlier in the round and finished four shots back.

Those joining Scheffler at the top include two Europeans who featured for the Ryder Cup team, a veteran American putter, and two younger players who broke into the world top 30 last season. All seven will be paired into adjacent groups for Saturday's third round.

Scheffler's back nine was a study in restraint: eight pars and a birdie on 14, where a wedge from 102 yards spun back to four feet. He told reporters he and coach Randy Smith had tweaked his half-wedge yardages overnight and the change had paid off twice on the inward stretch.

Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America's chief championships officer, said pin positions had been moved to the firmer sectors of greens but that fairways had not been narrowed. Haigh added that with dry air forecast through the weekend, the putting surfaces could play noticeably faster on Saturday.

Scheffler kept his post-round news conference brief. "It's nice to be on top after two days but Sunday is decided by whoever makes the fewest mistakes," he said. He declined to be drawn on whether he expected the leaderboard to thin out.

The cut fell at one over par. Former major winners Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau all made the weekend. Justin Thomas and Tom Kim missed the cut by a single stroke and will be spectators for the third and fourth rounds.

Saturday's third round begins early afternoon Eastern Time on CBS Sports. Aronimink is hosting its first major since the 1962 PGA Championship, and this weekend will measure how the 1920s Donald Ross design performs against a contemporary field equipped with modern launch monitors and bombing drivers.