PGA Championship Round 2: Vegas Leads, Scheffler Struggles

The PGA Championship is heating up. Check out the scores and analysis of Round 2, featuring the world's top golfers. Jhonattan Vegas takes the lead at the PGA Championship after a stellar round.

Cam Davis, currently second place, teed off early in the PGA Championship's second round at Quail Hollow, aiming to close the two-stroke gap to leader Jhonattan Vegas.

Vegas maintained his lead with an impressive 7-under par 64, featuring five birdies in his last six holes, the best round in a major for him. Davis and Ryan Gerard trail behind, both shooting 66 and one stroke behind Vegas.

Justin Vegas expressed surprise at his score, attributing his success to the rapidly drying course conditions, which allowed him to take advantage of a late tee time. “I didn't really see that score coming, but I think I got lucky that I was able to tee off very late and the course is drying very quick,” Vegas said. “I was able to take advantage a little bit of those conditions, but a solid round from beginning to end. Good way to start.”

Davis started the day in the second morning group, facing a challenging approach shot from a fairway bunker. However, he skillfully dropped his shot 29 feet from the hole and calmly two-putted for par, setting a solid foundation for the round.

Cam Davis expressed satisfaction with his performance, saying, “Five-under is a pretty low score in a major actually, so pretty happy with it.” However, he remained focused on the challenge ahead, adding, “Very happy with my work, but it's still a four-round event.”

Jhonattan Vegas and Ryan Gerard have tee times scheduled for Friday, with Vegas starting at 9:01 a.m. off the first tee and Gerard in the penultimate group off the 10th tee in the afternoon. Meanwhile, a group of players, including Luke Donald, Aaron Rai, Ryan Fox, Stephan Jaeger, and Alex Smalley, sit tied for fourth place with a score of 67.

The world's top three golfers struggled in the first round, with Scottie Scheffler carding a 69, Xander Schauffele shooting 72, and Rory McIlroy scoring 74. A key moment came at the par-four 16th hole, where all three players made double bogeys.

 

Scheffler and Schauffele attributed their struggles to mud on their balls, which caused their fairway shots to veer into the water. Scheffler expressed frustration with the PGA of America's decision not to allow preferred lies, saying, “It's frustrating. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision, all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes. But I don't make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules.”

'It's kind of stupid' 

Schauffele agreed, adding: “It's just unfortunate to be hitting good shots and to pay them off that way. It's kind of stupid.

The first Venezuelan to hold a lead in a major 🇻🇪

Jhonattan Vegas leads by two @PGAChampionship.
pic.twitter.com/OoKuLV7xjK

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 16, 2025

“The mud balls are going to get worse as the plays dries up. They're going to get in that perfect cake zone.”

Not everyone, however, was so critical of the move, typical for a major tournament.

“The PGA Tour and PGA of America referees know what they're doing,” Rai said. “They know a lot more than us as players. That decision would have been based on the right reasons.

“There were a couple of spots that were pretty wet on the fairways, but that's to be expected with just how much rain that we've had.

“Without playing preferred lies, it brought in the challenge of the short game a little bit more.”

Ryan Fox, a golfer from New Zealand, expressed his lack of surprise over the PGA of America's decision not to allow preferred lies. “I was expecting it not to be,” Fox said. “I think probably all of us would have liked it to be, but it is a major championship."