Vegas maintains lead but pack closes in at US PGA

2025 US PGA Championship second round

-8 Vegas (Ven); -6 Pavon (Fra); -5 Homa (US); -3 DeChambeau (US), Rai (Eng); -1 Hatton (Eng); +2 Spieth (US); +3 Aberg (Swe), Thomas (US); +9 Rose (Eng)

Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas retained his lead at the US PGA Championship while a crowded leaderboard group jostled for position on day two at Quail Hollow.

Overnight leader Vegas, who began two shots in front, backed up his opening round of seven under par with a one-under 70 to set the pace at eight under.

However, his position could have been even more commanding but for two dropped shots at the last – including a missed bogey putt from about 18 inches.

Chasing 40-year-old Vegas are several others aiming to win their first major title.

France’s PGA Tour player Matthieu Pavon went bogey-free in a fine round of 65 to move to second place on six under.

Meanwhile, America’s Max Homa lit up his first 12 holes, carding five birdies and an eagle before signing for a seven-under 64 to slot in at five under par.

Among the highlights of Homa’s round were a stunning tee shot to the driveable par-four 14th that stopped within two feet of the hole, and a chip-in for birdie at 18.

English pair Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton were on the fringes of Vegas’ lead for a spell but, as he pulled away, they slipped back – not helped by nightmare holes on Quail Hollow’s treacherous ‘Green Mile’ stretch.

Rai is five behind the lead after a double-bogey six on the 16th, his second shot ricocheting backwards off a tree trunk after he had gone right off the tee.

As for Hatton, he had reached five under for the tournament before finding the water with his tee shot on the 18th – his ninth hole – and eventually recorded a triple-bogey seven before finishing the day at one under par.

Vegas has won multiple PGA Tour events, his most recent victory coming last July at the 3M Open, but a possible lead at the halfway point is rarefied air for him at a major.

His best finish at a major to date is a tie for 22nd spot in the 2016 US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

He started steadily, dropping a shot at the second but clawing it back at the par-five seventh to reach the turn in level par.

Like on Thursday, his best work was done in the second half of his round.

Further birdies followed on 10, 13 and 14, while Vegas escaped with a par five on the 15th despite two wayward shots to start the hole.

Additional birdie chances slipped by on 16 and 17, where he received a huge slice of fortune – his tee shot to the par three landed short of the green but bounced kindly off a bunker rake and safely onto the putting surface.

He was 10 under par heading down 18, but a poor bunker shot was compounded by a miss from exceptionally short range with the putter.

At the opposite end of the leaderboard, Jordan Spieth, who needs to win the US PGA title to complete a career Grand Slam, finished at two over and faces a nervous wait to find out if he will make the cut.