After matching the championship record with an opening 62, Schauffele added a 68 in the second round to reach 12 under. Collin Morikawa trails by one shot after a 65, with Sahith Theegala a further stroke back and Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau in a group on nine under.
Scheffler’s 66 was a remarkable achievement, coming just hours after he was arrested and released following an incident outside the course. The world number one was attempting to enter the course amid heavy traffic caused by a fatal accident involving a pedestrian and a shuttle bus. He faces charges including second-degree assault of a police officer and reckless driving.
The fatal accident resulted in an 80-minute delay to tee times, with 18 players unable to complete the second round before darkness fell. Morikawa and Scheffler previously faced off in the final round at Augusta National in April, with Scheffler winning his second green jacket as Morikawa tied for third.
Morikawa is confident in his abilities, saying, “I know I still have it in me… It sucked to finish like that at Augusta and it sucked to lose to Scottie, but what’s exciting is that I knew I had three more majors coming up and to prep for that and get things as sharp as possible and just come out strong.” He added five consecutive birdies from the fourth hole, saying, “The little five-birdie run was me just playing solid golf and sometimes when the putts drop, that’s what happened.”
Thomas Detry of Belgium lies three shots off the pace after a flawless 67, including two birdies and an eagle on the par-five 18th. He described the wind on the 18th as “probably the perfect wind… straight downwind,” allowing him to hit a great drive and execute a straightforward shot. Detry missed a short putt on the 17th but felt redeemed with his performance on the 18th.
