The second round of the 2026 PGA Championship is complete, the cut has been made, and Moving Day awaits at the year’s second major. What does Round 3 have in store?
Let’s break it all down. Here are five things to know for Saturday at Aronimink.
The leaders
The crowded first-round leaderboard got a little more streamlined after Round 2, with two players emerging from the heap: Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy, who, at four under par overall, are one shot ahead of the rest of the field. Just behind them, though, are six players at three under and seven more at two under — a group that includes major winners Hideki Matsuyama (three under), Justin Thomas (two under) and Scottie Scheffler (two under).
Scottie takes his foot off the gas
Golf is a fickle game, and over the course of four rounds, pretty much anything can happen. Case in point: Scottie Scheffler, the four-time major winner and defending champion, who entered the week as the prohibitive betting favorite. Scheffler looked rock-solid on Thursday, surging to a share of the lead at three under par. But on Friday, Scheffler’s bogeys outnumbered his birdies, 4-3. At two under overall through 36 holes, he’s far from out of it, but the off day is proof that Aronimink has some teeth, and lifting the Wanamaker trophy on Sunday isn’t going to come easily — even for the World No. 1.
Rory’s resurgence
Rory McIlroy’s PGA Championship prospects looked pretty grim after the first round, when four straight bogeys resulted in a score of four-over 74 — and a placement of T105 on the leaderboard. But the six-time major winner dug deep on Friday, firing a three-under 67 to launch himself 75 spots up the leaderboard to one over par — not only deep into the safe side of the cut line but also well within striking distance for the next 36 holes. Just like that, the reigning Masters champion is only five shots back.
A club pro’s triumph
At this PGA Championship, the club-pro storylines centered once again on Michael Block, who enjoyed a star turn when he finished T15 at Oak Hill in 2023. Of the 20 club pros who qualified for this week’s field, Block appeared to be the best bet for the top finish, especially after he posted an opening round of even par on Thursday. But a second-round 75 put him on the wrong side of the cut line by one shot. In his place, however, another club pro shined. Ohio’s Ben Kern posted rounds of 74-67 to sit at one over par (T30). Kern is the lone club pro to make the cut this year.
This is Kern’s third appearance at the PGA Championship, and he’s actually made the cut once before, in 2018 at Bellerive, when he finished T42. So far, he’s well-positioned to top that mark this year.
