Xander Schauffele shrugs off Collin Morikawa’s cost to keep up his lead on the PGA Championship as he battles to FINALLY finish his main drought

By Isabel Baldwin At Valhalla Golf Membership Revealed: 02:51 BST, 18 Might 2024 | Up to date: 03:03 BST, 18 Might 2024

Xander Schauffele mentioned he performed the most effective golf of his life following his opening 62 on the PGA Championship Thursday. Whereas Friday’s spherical wasn’t fairly the identical caliber, the chief could have no qualms.Whereas he lapped the sphere together with his opening nine-birdie, bogey-free affair, Schauffele was confronted with the duty of chasing on Friday.Whereas Schauffele waited to lastly take to the course, Collin Morikawa had thrown down the gauntlet because of a flurry of 5 consecutive birdies. And it was a problem Schauffele accepted. If there had been any questions of whether or not he may lastly maintain on and shut a significant out, he swiftly answered them together with his tenth birdie of the match on the second Friday.Two extra adopted on the entrance 9 to succeed in the flip at 12-under for the match and sank one other on the tenth. He wasn’t cracking beneath the stress. Not but, anyway. Xander Schauffele watched on as Collin Morikawa made a cost on Friday in Kentucky However Schauffele returned to the course he dismantled on Thursday and retained his leadThe first crack started to point out on the par-three eleventh when he left his birdie-putt try on the par-three quick and did not convert to save lots of par. His first unforced error and his first bogey of the week.However he pasted over it with regular pars for the rest of his spherical, to card a three-under 68 for the midway wire-to-wire lead at 12-under.It wasn’t fairly the 9 birdies of the opening spherical earlier than but it surely was nonetheless sufficient to guard his lead and thrust back the specter of Morikawa.’If you’re taking part in with one of many best nine-unders you have ever seen, it makes you’re feeling such as you’re taking pictures one million,’ Schauffele’s taking part in companion Justin Thomas had mentioned following his opening 62 Thursday.Morikawa, watching on from the clubhouse, would have sympathized with the Louisville native when his 65, that includes a lone birdie, wasn’t sufficient to topple Schauffele from the highest.The 2020 champion birdied 5 consecutive holes earlier than ending with a bogey on his closing six holes to card a six-under 65 and sit one shot again of Schauffele at 11-under.’Look, the little five-run birdie was me simply taking part in strong golf, and generally when the putts drop, that is what occurred,’ Morikawa mentioned. Morikawa had thrown down the gauntlet because of a flurry of 5 consecutive birdies After lacking out to Scottie Scheffler on the Masters, Morikawa is chasing one other main title’However for probably the most half, that is the form of golf I will ask for myself over the following two days and 36 holes is simply keep current, hit your photographs, execute them, and if the putts drop, the putts drop.’However actually not power something. I wasn’t forcing something on the market, particularly all through all of immediately.’Morikawa had been considerably of a stranger to the highest of a significant championship leaderboard since his 2021 Open win. That’s till he made a cellphone name to a well-known face.After a tough patch earlier this yr the 27-year-old reunited with Rick Sessinghaus, the coach who helped him win two main championships.He went on to contend at The Masters in April and now finds himself the best challenger to Schauffele. He tamed the harder circumstances at Valhalla on Friday to show that he can as soon as once more produce his greatest on golf’s main stage.’I do know I nonetheless have it in me, and that is what’s thrilling is that, after Augusta, it sucked to complete like that and it sucked to lose to Scottie, however on the finish of the day, I knew I had three extra majors arising and to prep for that and get issues as sharp as attainable and simply come out robust,’ he mentioned. ‘It is clearly good to get off to this begin.’

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Xander Schauffele shrugs off Collin Morikawa’s cost to keep up his lead on the PGA Championship as he battles to FINALLY finish his main drought

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