It was a frustrating day at Aronimink on Friday for world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler was tied for the lead on day one at the PGA Championship, after posting a very good score of three-under par 67.
The 29-year-old world number one failed to get going and his ball-striking was nowhere near as polished as it was on Thursday.
Nonetheless, Scheffler is still well-placed heading into the weekend at Aronimink , as he sets his sights on winning his second PGA Championship in a row.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler drove the ball terribly on day two of the PGA Championship , especially on the more challenging back nine (his front nine).
However, he battled hard and is currently sitting just two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend.
Scheffler addressed the media at Aronimink on Friday afternoon after posting a second-round 71 to accompany his opening-round 67.
The American responded when asked about the challenge he faced on the golf course on day two of the PGA Championship.
" Yeah, I mean, I didn't hit many fairways to start the round, " Scheffler said.
" I hit a good tee shot off 10, where I thought it would be in the fairway, and ends up in the rough. I can't get it to the green. That's probably the hardest fairway to hit on the golf course, just because of the pitch in it.
" And then I hit it okay to start. It was just really, really tough. It was blowing really hard, and it was quite cold as well. So the golf ball wasn't really traveling anywhere. It was just a really challenging morning overall.
" After the first, I think I was maybe 3-over through 4, and the par I made on 14 was extremely good. That was one of the craziest pins that I've seen just in terms of it wasn't — your ball wasn't going to roll off like 50 yards away, but that was like they put the pin on like this microphone, like it was just like a high point. I hadn't seen anything like it. You saw, I made a really good 3 1/2-footer there, and if you don't start that perfectly online, it's probably not touching the hole.
" You saw it with Fitzy and Rosie in my group, both of them missing a couple of putts inside 10 feet with when you got guys who can put putt the ball like that, that's pretty rare. So you knew there was some activity, I would say, around that hole.
" And then hit the really nice shot into 17 to kind of get things going. Definitely feel like stealing at least a shot there with how hard that hole's playing with the wind in off the left.
" Was able to make a few birdies on the back nine. I wish I could have taken a couple more shots there going to the easier side of the course. As the conditions were getting better I wish I could have gotten a few more there. But overall, I did some good stuff. It was still pretty gusty as we played our back nine, which was the front nine as well. So overall just a challenging morning.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
" You just got to continue to try to hit good shots, and most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd. They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be, and then they just — like the one on 14 was probably the hardest pin that I've seen in a long time just because, I mean, there's literally just like a spine and they're like, oh, we'll just put the pin right on top of it. And you're like, all right, well, I'll see what I can do. And just you know, just challenging.
" This is the hardest set of pin locations that I've seen since I've been on TOUR, and that includes U.S. Opens, that includes Oakmont. I did ask, I asked Fooch, who caddies for Justin Rose. He's been around a long time — and I asked Teddy too — have you seen anything like this before? They said maybe Shinnecock is the only place they have seen that has pins that could compare to this.
" But it's different in a sense on this golf course, because Oakmont, their greens are extremely severe, but they're extremely severe in one direction. Here, it's like the green may slope all this way and then we put the pin down here and then there's also a slope this way. And like it's not as, how would you say, natural to the slopes that are there. There's a bit more, I think, that's manufactured into the greens, and it's just very difficult.
" It's difficult to get the ball close to the hole. It's difficult to hole putts, especially when you have big slopes and wind, and I think that's why you see the scores so close to par. "
Not all departments of Scheffler's game are firing right now.
Scheffler is ranked 22nd in strokes gained off the tee so far this week, and 10th in strokes gained approach.
He is ranked 83rd in strokes gained around the green and 35th in strokes gained putting.
In total, Scheffler is ranked tied 5th in strokes gained overall, having gained 3.478 strokes on the rest of the field.
If Scottie Scheffler is to go on and win the PGA Championship this weekend, he will need to sharpen up his chipping and putting, that's for sure.
