CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The PGA Championship heads into the weekend with an eclectic group of contenders at Quail Hollow and the Masters champion nine shots behind.
Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela leads by two shots. He's never finished in the top 20 at a major in his career. Scottie Scheffler is the looming presence. The world's No. 1 player is only three shots behind.
There is U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick at two shots back. There also is Alex Smalley and Ryan Fox, two players who a week ago were not even in the field.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy made the cut on the number. He won the career Grand Slam last month. There probably won't be another career Grand Slam. Jordan Spieth had to win the PGA Championship and he missed the cut.
Here are some other details about the PGA Championship.
Who's leading at the PGA Championship?
Vegas had the lead for the first time in a major and he wasn't about to let it go. He finished late Thursday with five birdies in his last six holes. He was right back on the course Friday morning and shot a respectable 70.
Vegas had a big lead until a double bogey on the 18th hole brought him back to 8-under 134.
Two shots behind were Fitzpatrick, Matthieu Pavon of France and Si Woo Kim of South Korea. Kim made the longest hole-in-one in major championship history with an ace on the 252-yard sixth hole. Pavon played in the final group at the U.S. Open last year.
Joining Scheffler at three shots back was Max Homa after a 64.
How can I watch the PGA Championship?
Coverage of the PGA Championship on the weekend now starts at 11 a.m. on ESPN because of the weather delay. On Sunday, it goes from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on ESPN+, then moves to ESPN until 1 p.m. CBS and Paramount+ take over from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Who are the betting favorites?
Scheffler started as a slight favorite and now is listed as the clear favorite by BetMGM Sportsbook at +200.
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is five shots behind and second on the money list at +750, followed by Fitzpatrick at +1100. Vegas, with his two-shot lead, is at +1200.
As for McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele at nine shots back? McIlroy is +3000 and Schauffele, a double major winner last year, is +10000.
What's at stake?
The winner gets the Wanamaker Trophy, which at 27 pounds is the heaviest of the four major championship trophies.
McIlroy faces a difficult path toward becoming the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year. Also facing a long road at nine shots behind is Schauffele. He’s trying to become only the third player to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years in stroke play.
Who are the players to watch?
Scheffler has everyone's attention at three shots behind because he doesn't appear to be in full form and he still managed rounds of 69-68. That includes that double bogey from a mud ball on the 16th hole of the opening round.
Vegas, Pavon and Fitzpatrick are in the last group Saturday afternoon, with Kim right in front of them alongside Scheffler and Homa.
The fans at Quail Hollow thought they were in for a treat early Saturday. McIlroy and Schauffele are Nos. 2 and 3 in the world and were to play together in the second group starting at 8:30 a.m., finishing before the leaders even arrived.
Because starting times were delayed by weather and players were grouped in threesomes off both tees, McIlroy and Schauffele didn't start their rounds until 1:38 p.m. on the 10th tee.
What about LIV?
There are 16 players from LIV Golf in the field at the PGA Championship, the same number as last year. Half of them made it to the weekend.
Leading the way is DeChambeau and 52-year-old Richard Bland of England, both at 3-under par in a tie for 17th. Bland sticks around next week to defend his title in the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional.
Two-time major champion Jon Rahm was six shots behind. Also still in the game are Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton.
Among those missing the cut was Phil Mickelson. He took four shots to get out of a bunker on No. 12 in the second round, made a quadruple-bogey 8 and still shot 72.
What's the forecast?
Play was suspended early Saturday because of thunderstorms moving through the area and eventually the PGA of America delayed starting times and said players would be grouped in threesomes going off both tees.
The forecast was increasing sun in the afternoon with a minimal rain chance, and dry weather for all of Sunday.
Masters jinx
A year ago, Masters champion Scheffler was famously arrested trying to get into Valhalla and taken to jail in handcuffs on charges he did not follow instructions by police investigating a traffic fatality. He was released in time to get back to Valhalla for his tee time.
Masters champion McIlroy certainly wasn't taken to jail. But he was the center of curious questions when it was revealed his driver had been tested and ruled unfit for play by the USGA before the PGA Championship started. He had to use a backup driver for the week.
McIlroy is tied for last in driving accuracy among those missing the cut. He also isn't speaking, refusing to speak to the media for two straight days.
Driver testing is common at the majors. It's rare for a Masters champion at the center of attention.
What happened last time?
Schauffele won the PGA Championship last year at Valhalla for his first major, making a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory over DeChambeau.
The last time the PGA Championship was at Quail Hollow was in 2017 when Justin Thomas won his first major. There won't be a repeat of that. Thomas missed the cut.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson And Steve Reed, The Associated Press
