Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler shook off a morning arrest Friday to fire a five-under par 66 and keep himself in the hunt at the darkness-halted PGA Championship, trailing leader Xander Schauffele by three strokes.
Third-ranked Schauffele, seeking his first major title, matched the low round in major history with a 62 Thursday and shot 68 Friday to stand on 12-under 130 for 36 holes, clinging to a one-stroke edge over two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who shot 65, with Sahith Theegala third on 132 after a 67.
“I played pretty well,” Schauffele said. “Happy with my position.” Scheffler was in a fourth-place pack on 133 alongside fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau, LIV Golf’s lowest player after a 65, and Mark Hubbard and Belgium’s Thomas Detry.
Scheffler overcame the shock and tension of being in jail two hours before his start to make six birdies against a lone bogey at Valhalla.
“I was pretty rattled,” Scheffler said. “I’ve kept myself in the tournament now with a pretty chaotic day. I’m going to focus on getting some rest and recovery and get ready for a grind the last two days.”
Police handcuffed Scheffler before arresting him on charges of assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic around an accident at the entrance to the course.—AFP
