Zalatoris takes US PGA lead as McIlroy drops back

-9 W Zalatoris (US); -8 M Pereira (Chi); -6 J Thomas (US); -5 B Watson (US); -4 R McIlroy (NI), A Ancer (Mex)
Selected others: -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -2 T Hatton (Eng), C Smith (Aus); +1 R MacIntyre (Sco), T Fleetwood (Eng), J Rose (Eng); +3 T Woods (US);
Missed cut:+6 S Scheffler (US), D Johnson (US)

American Will Zalatoris takes a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the US PGA Championship after overnight leader Rory McIlroy faded on day two.

The 25-year-old added to his opening 66 with a five-under 65 with conditions favouring the late wave in Oklahoma.

Chile’s Mito Pereira, on his second major start, is second at eight under.

Scoring was at a premium on a blustery morning in Tulsa and world number nine Justin Thomas set the early clubhouse target of six under par with a second successive 67.

But former world number one Dustin Johnson and current occupant Scottie Scheffler missed the cut after both slumped to six over par – Scheffler after inexplicably dropping two shots on his final hole.

Open champion Collin Morikawa also endured a tricky morning and he faced a nervy wait after finishing at four over, while Spaniard Jon Rahm heads into the weekend at two over par after a one-under 69.

Among those late starters to benefit from the wind dropping was Bubba Watson, who missed a putt on the last to become just the second player to shoot 62 in a major. However, his scintillating 63, that included nine birdies and two bogeys, leaves him at five under.

Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods, who looked to be in pain at the end of his opening round as he continues his comeback from a career-threatening car crash that left him unable to walk for three months, battled hard and edged inside the cut at three over after a 71.

Thomas sets pace before Zalatoris charge

McIlroy’s recent majors have been characterised by slow starts that have played him out of contention but the 33-year-old set the target on day one in Tulsa.

He started slowly on Friday though, with two costly bogeys on his front nine, as those below him began to find some momentum. His solitary birdie came on the 12th as the four-time major champion finished with a one-over 71 that leaves him at four under for the tournament.

Thomas started the day two behind McIlroy and erased that deficit with two birdies in his opening four holes, having started on the 10th, in what was an assured round from the 2017 champion.

A bogey on the par-three 14th checked his momentum but a run of eight pars followed and he finished in confident fashion with a birdie on the long fifth before walking in another on the final hole to post his second 67.

“I enjoyed it a lot, it brings out a good part of my game and I am comfortable in it,” said Thomas about the conditions.

“I feel like I’m playing well. We’re halfway through so it’s still a long way from home, but I’m very pleased with where everything is at and the frame of mind and state of mind that I’m in.”

That looked for a long while like it would be the number to beat, but when the wind dropped there were scores to be had and Zalatoris and Pereira were among those to take advantage.

Zalatoris already has four top-10 major finishes and had to scramble to keep his blemish-free round intact before a run of three birdies after the turn saw him pull clear of the field.

He leaked a drive right on the 17th and appeared to have his route to the green impaired by branches, but the 25-year-old world number 30 stuck a superb approach to within eight feet and holed the birdie putt to move back into a solo lead that he would hold on to.

“When I got out of position I missed in the right spots,” said Zalatoris. “I made a bunch of six to eight-foot par saves that kept the round going – I was surprised when I looked on the scorecard that I didn’t have any bogeys on there.”

Zalatoris was playing alongside Australian Cam Smith, whose errant tee shot the second struck fellow player Aaron Wise on the head on the adjacent seventh hole – the American needed treatment but thankfully was fine, albeit “a little sore”.

Chilean Pereira missed the cut at the 2019 US Open on his only previous major start but the 27-year-old will head out in the final pairing on Saturday after an impressive six-under 64 that included six birdies on his back nine.

English pair in contention

England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick was one of the few trending in the right direction on Friday morning, moving to three under par for the tournament before dropping his first shot of the day on his 13th hole.

The 27-year-old, whose best major finish was joint seventh at the Masters in 2016, bounced back with a birdie on the seventh – his 16th – and scrambled two pars to sign for a 69 and three-under total.

“I feel like this is the best I’ve played ever in my career this year so far,” he said.

“I’ve got a lot longer and it showed a lot the first two days, the guys that I played with, the clubs that I’ve been hitting into holes – hopefully it’s a sign things are changing a little bit for me.”

Compatriot Tyrrell Hatton carded four successive birdies on his way to a two-under 68, but will feel he left something out there after closing his round with bogeys at 16 and 18.

Big names miss the cut

Two-time major champion Johnson signed for a second successive 73 will be heading home, despite finishing with two birdies.

Scheffler, fresh from his Masters triumph last month, is another facing an early exit after he struggled to get to grips with the Tulsa venue and also ended the day at six over.

He was in a marquee group with world number two Rahm and third-ranked Morikawa, but followed Thursday’s 71 with a five-over 75 on Friday that unravelled on his back nine.

Scheffler started at the 10th and after carding nine pars in a row posted four bogeys either side of a birdie down the stretch before a double bogey at the last left him two outside the cut line.