It’s been a very long, very sad and very unusual Friday at the PGA Championship. Thanks for reading the blog. Enjoy Moving Day, brought to you by the one and only Scott Murray.

It’s not been easy to win the PGA Championship from off the pace. 22 of the last 30 winners were tied third or better at halfway and 27 were tied seventh or better.

Par for Bryson DeChambeau at the last. Here’s the halfway leaderboard (Dean Burmester is -6 with two holes to play tomorrow morning):

-12: Schauffele (F)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-10: Theegala (F)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F), DeChambeau (F)
-8: Finau (F), Hovland (F), Eckroat (F)

Bryson DeChambeau is playing the 18th and the last man out there with the potential to impact the top end of the scoring. TV, however, has had enough and gone off air.

Bob MacIntyre’s messy finale continues. He pushes his approach at 9 through the green and his putt from the fringe rushes by the hole. At least 10 feet for par … and it misses. That’s really going to hurt. A wonderful opportunity has become a night of gnashing teeth. He’s -6 for the tournament.

It’s getting dark out there and the referees are poised to call a halt to play. They hover about, looking furtive but unmenacing, whispering into walkie-talkies, horns ready to be honked.

Somehow Sahith Theegala has contrived to give himself a decent birdie opportunity at the 18th. He sprayed his tee shot into the trees, thrashed a recovery, hated the swing on his approach and the result really wasn’t that bad. About 18 feet and it grazes the hole. Par to finish.

-12: Schauffele (F)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-10: Theegala (F)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F), DeChambeau (17)

Here’s where Bob MacIntyre found himself on the 7th. It looks more like an extremely rundown crazy golf hole than a major championship venue. (He’s just dropped a shot at the 8th, too.)

Xander Schauffele addressed his near-misses when he talked to the media after his round. “When you haven’t won a golf tournament in a few years, you have to be pretty resilient,” he said. “I’m just patient and trying to play the best golf I can and stay out of my own way. I know I’m playing really good golf right now, and all I can do is focus on my process.”

Oh dear - Bob MacIntyre update. He’s back on our screens but dropping a ball on a muddy carpet near some sort of building. The pitch to the green finds rough. We don’t see that shot but we do see him hole a lengthy putt for par. It’s all so confusing the shot tracker has more or less given up with lines and squiggles everywhere. Little fist pump from Bob, though, when the ball dropped in the hole.

Bob MacIntyre has disappeared from TV coverage and the shot tracker has gone quiet too. He’s -4 for the round, -9 for the tournament, in a share for fifth place and playing the par-five 7th. His approach was a bit of a thrash and didn’t find the green but it’s all a bit bewildering.

Brooks Koepka has had a miserable few minutes. Birdie at 15 gave him a chance of getting close to the leader but he’s responded with back-to-back bogeys. He’s now -6 for the week.

A few big names won’t be playing this weekend. They include Ludvig Aberg, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Sungjae Im and Wyndham Clark. All of them have missed the cut.

Earlier today Mark from Spain emailed asking us if Tiger Woods should bow out. He shot 72-77 but refused to be down afterwards. “I need to play more,” he said. “Unfortunately, I just haven’t played a whole lot of tournaments, and not a whole lot of tournaments on my schedule either. Hopefully, everything will somehow come together in my practice sessions at home and be ready for (the US Open at) Pinehurst.”

An eagle 3 at the 18th hole for Justin Rose. That leaves the Englishman -5 and in the top 30 heading into the weekend. No less than 10 of his last 12 championship performances have reaped top 30s.

A final opportunity for Xander Schauffele at the par-five 18th. But is he set to spurn it? He was -4 through 10 holes today, made bogey at 11 and has parred every hole since. The chasers will be heartened and even more so after he yanks his approach to 18 into thick grass and can only poke the ball on to the putting surface. He’s got about 18 feet for birdie … and is up and out of it almost immediately. Another par. Hmm.

In contrast to the late Friday sense of fatigue, Brooks Koepka is making a move. The defending champion opened the front nine with a bogey and the back nine with a double bogey, but he’s also ticked seven birdies, the latest at 15 to get to -4 for the round and -8 for the tournament.

It’s not really happened for Michael Block this year. The unlikely star of last year’s championship bids farewell after rounds of 76-73 (+7).

A few biggish moments in a rush. Brooks Koepka holes a 9 foot par putt to stay at -7, Rory McIlroy gives himself a rare look at a birdie, Xander Schauffele lips out from 12 feet for birdie at 17, Bryson DeChambeau loses momentum with a bogey (drops to -7), Viktor Hovland chips close from thick rough, Sahith Theegala faces a scramble for par at 14. Late in a long day, it’s beginning to feel like a test of patience.

-12: Schauffele (17)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-10: Theegala (12)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F), MacIntyre (14)

It’s not happening for Rory McIlroy. He’s +1 through 14, -4 for the championship and doesn’t really look like changing the situation.

Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie was getting a bit frustrated earlier today. Pure double teapot and long distance icy stare.

Englishman Matt Wallace is enjoying a terrific day. He’s -6 through 16 and -7 for the tournament. He has sneaky good form on Jack Nicklaus designs. He won the 2018 BMW International Open at Gut Larchenhof in Germany and was fourth in the 2020 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. He was also third in this event at Bethpage Black in 2019.

Xander Schauffele has three holes left to stretch his lead. He’s looked a little tentative on the back nine and Paul McGinley on Sky Sports has repeated his theory that he’s had a great opportunity to grab the moment - amd not taken it. At 16 he has a 23 foot birdie putt that is never running at the hole. Is he fluffing a chance to put some distance between himself and his closest rivals?

Behind him, Sahith Theegala makes a birdie at the tough 12th.

Kentucky’s Justin Thomas breaks a scorecard stalemate with birdie at 15. After playing the first seven holes in -3 he added seven pars but he’s back on track and -6 for the tournament. It would be fantastic for the tournament to have JT involved at the top end this weekend.

Bob MacIntyre is playing even better: yet another birdie, this time at the 4th, and he’s on the front page of the leaderboard.

-12: Schauffele (15)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F), MacIntyre (13), Theegala (11), Finau (11)

Sahith Theegala is kind of recreating Botham’s Ashes. His second shot at 10 veered left, clattering into a food concession. Richie Benaud’s “Don’t even bother looking for that” comes to mind. “It’s gone into the confectionery stall and out again.” It has - Theegala’s had a drop.

Double bogey for Rory McIlroy at 12. He found a greenside bunker, couldn’t escape to the green and it all became messy thereafter. “This is what we see too often from McIlroy,” says Paul McGinley on Sky Sports with a sigh. McIlroy needs a big finish and for Xander Schauffele to stop making birdies. The good news? the leader has just missed a 6 foot par breaking opportunity at 14.

Viktor Hovland really does look sharp again. Another birdie, this time from 18 feet at the par-three 11, and he’s flying on -5 for the round and -8 for the week.

A fourth birdie for Sahith Theegala. He makes the turn in -4 and is now alone in third (but has just hit a very wild drive at 10).

-12: Schauffele (11)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-10: Theegala (9)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F)

The name Valhalla comes from Norse mythology. Perfect for Viktor Hovland you might think. The Norwegian has a curious recent story. He finished top five in the 2022 Open, the 2023 Masters and the 2023 PGA Championship. He was top 20 in last year’s US Open and Open. He won the Tour Championship and was a Ryder Cup star. He then changed coach and lost form completely. He’s back with him now and looks happier (as well as hitting the ball better). He’s just made birdie at 10, is -4 for the day and -7 for the tournament.

Tremendous from Bob MacIntyre. He knocks his 188 yard approach to the 1st to 6 feet and holes it for birdie. He’s now -3 for the round, -8 for the week and tied seventh. A keen shinty player he’s treating Valhalla like a match against Kingussie. Regular correspondent Simon McMahon is a big fan of Bob saying his new base in Florida “isn’t Oban”.

Here’s Ewan Murray on “the jaw-dropping nature of Friday at the 106th US PGA Championship”.

Sahith Theegala is bang in the hunt. The American said after the Masters: “Major championship golf is just so fun. It’s hard and I love hard golf.” He’s proving it this week (even though this week is not the hardest major championship golf the field will encounter). He’s -3 for the day through 8 and now tied third.

-12: Schauffele (11)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F), Theegala (8)

Tomorrow’s headline.

Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre is ticking along in nice fashion. He’s swapped three birdies and one bogey through the back nine. He’s -7 for the week and just inside the top 10. If he’s still there by the end of Sunday it will go a long way toward regaining his card for next season which would be a relief for him. He’s not the biggest fan of a) not being home in Oban, and b) being in America.

A super par saver from Rory McIlroy. He was making a real mess of the 9th until he drilled a par putt into the middle of the hole from 25 feet. He makes the turn in -1 for the day and -6 for the week. He needs a good back nine.

David from Mortlake asked yesterday about stellar major championship performances conducted while a golfer was injured. It was in response to a post about Sahith Theegala’s recently dislocated ribs (he’s -8 for the week by the way). I’ve been trying to think of examples since and I’ve just been hit by the bleeding obvious: Tiger Woods winning the 2008 US Open on a fractured leg. Robert Karlsson was a playing partner that week and the sound of the leg cracking when Woods hit drives was so distressing the Swede took himself and his caddie off to the bar afterwards to have a whisky. They were the most expensive he ever bought but he considered them medicinal.

Clare asks: “You said yesterday that Belgium’s Thomas Detry has connections with Cornwall - what are they?!?” It’s true, Clare. His wife’s family have a holiday home in the county and he plays golf at St Enodoc. John Betjeman is buried in the churchyard in the middle of the course. Detry’s fondness for Betjeman’s rhyming couplets is unknown.

We have a new solo leader. Xander Schauffele continues to pile on the par breakers, now adding a 16 foot birdie at 9 to turn in -3 for the day.

-12: Schauffele (9)
-11: Morikawa (F)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F)
-8: Eckroat (F), Finau (5), Theegala (5)

Rory McIlroy needs igniting. Level par for the day, -5 for the week and six shots back of the lead, but the par-five 7th could provide the spark … and it does. He gets up and down from 56 yards short of the green for birdie. He’s in the red for the day.

A hat trick of birdies for Bryson DeChambeau at 3, 4 and 5. He’s got the tricky 6th to come but then the par-five 7th will be vulnerable to his big hitting. He’s -6 for the week and could be making a significant Friday move.

The merest hint of a smile in the middle of the goatee of Tiger Woods. It’s been a brutal round for him – he was +6 for the round despite a birdie at 7 – but he nearly aces the 8th. Instead, he taps in from 4 inches for back-to-back birdies.

Xander Schauffele joins Collin Morikawa at the top. A birdie at the par-five 7th gets him to -2 for the round and -11 for the week. Tidy stuff and, although the action feels a little becalmed right now, conditions are very playable. The rain of earlier has disappeared and the course is soft, vulnerable to quality ball-striking.

-11: Morikawa (F), Schauffele (7)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F)
-8: Eckroat (F), Finau (5), Theegala (5)

Patrick emails: “How did Aaron Rai fare today?” Good question, Patrick. The Englishman made 15 pars and three birdies to shoot a second 68 of the week. He’s -6 and currently T10th. I had a fun fact about him yesterday and here’s another: when he was 15 he holed 207 consecutive putts of 10 feet, setting a world record.

These numbers explain how good Scottie Scheffler has been over the last three seasons. The gap between himself and the three who are next best is ridiculous.

Mixed putting fortunes for Brooks Koepka. Through four holes he’s missed a par putt from 4 feet and a birdie putt from 5 feet, but drained birdie putts from 7 feet and 62 feet. He’s -1 for the day and -5 for the tournament however.

Tony Finau has made a smooth start to his second round. He’s -2 through 3 and now in a tie for 6th.

-11: Morikawa (F)
-10: Schauffele (6)
-9: Detry (F), Scheffler (F), Hubbard (F)
-8: Eckroat (F), Finau (3)

A lovely smile from Viktor Hovland. He hasn’t got one top 15 finish this season but is back with his old coach. The swing worked nicely for this shot.

Another holed fairway shot! Viktor Hovland this time and, like Scottie Scheffler yesterday, it was one bounce and in. From 72 yards on the short par-four 4th, the eagle 2 vaults him to -5 for the week. Brooks Koepka is on the same score after dropping a 62 foot birdie putt at the 3rd.

Mark in Spain asks: “So should Tiger bow out now?” Many will say yes, Mark. Colin Montgomerie said exactly that after the Masters and will surely be feeling vindicated right now. The flip side is that Woods has achieved much of what he has by, to put it bluntly, not giving a toss about common wisdom.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is struggling. Really struggling. After the par at 1 and the triple bogey at 2, he’s added a bogey at 3 and another triple bogey at 4. Oh, and he’s missed the green in regulation at 5.

Here are those kind words Scottie Scheffler opened his press conference with, regarding the man killed in a traffic accident this morning.

“First of all, my sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Mills. I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning. One day he’s heading to the golf course to watch a tournament. A few moments later he’s trying to cross the street, and now he’s no longer with us. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. My heart … I feel for them. I’m sorry.

“My situation will get handled. It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. I can’t comment on any of the specifics of it. But outside of that … my heart goes out to the family.”

From Ewan Murray out in Louisville, Kentucky:

Quite the line from Scottie Scheffler: “‘I did some stretching in a jail cell. That was a new one for me.” He then adds: “I’m a big routine guy” (that was certainly tested) and “I was a bit rattled … I was in shock … I was shaking … the officers in jail were great … very kind … it was chaotic situation this morning … it was great having the crowd behind me.”

Collin Morikawa was bullish when talking to the media after his round. “I know I still have it in me,” he said. “What’s exciting is that, after Augusta (when he played with Scottie Scheffler in the final round), it sucked to finish like that and it sucked to lose to Scottie. But, at the end of the day, I knew I had three more majors coming up and to prep for that and just come out strong. It’s obviously nice to get off to this start.”

Ouch for Tiger Woods. He never sees the fairway (and visits two greenside bunkers) on his way to a triple bogey 7 at the 2nd. Xander Schauffele, meantime, makes a birdie 2 at the par-three 3rd to close within one of the leader.

Birdie for Rory McIlroy! A sloppy approach after that excellent drive at 1 but then he drains a 40 foot birdie putt. A great start for the Northern Irishman. He’s -6 for the week.

Talking of echoes and Collin Morikawa, what does he have in common with last year’s PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka? Answer: both played in the final round of the Masters with the eventual winner – Koepka with Jon Rahm, Morikawa with Scottie Scheffler. He even said: “Watching Scottie today, I know it’s doable for me. I’ve just got to put the pieces together.”

What can we expect from Rory McIlroy today? He’ll hope to play better than yesterday because, despite a 66, he was a little underwhelmed by his performance. “It was pretty scrappy for the most part,” he admitted. “I thought I got a lot out of my game today.” His opening tee shot finds the fairway.

Oh dear, Tom Kim has had a nightmare on his final hole of the day (the 9th). His approach span back off the green, his first chip came back to him down a slope, his second was weak, and he missed the putt. With a double bogey he tumbles backwards from a promising -7 and tied fifth. Playing partner Thomas Detry rubs salt in the wound by draining a birdie putt to join Xander Schauffele on -9.

It’s still wet out there and will continue that way. So what can the afternoon starters expect? Harris English, who completed a morning 67, said: “It was going to be tough, switching on the umbrella, taking it on, off. You’ve got to stay focused and be patient out there. The rough is getting a lot thicker out there just with that rain.” I’ve never heard of switching a brolly on but I rather like it.

Make that five birdies in a row for Collin Morikawa. He was +2 through 5 yesterday and has made 13 birdies and no bogeys since.

-12: Morikawa (17*)
-10: Hubbard (13*)
-9:Schauffele
-8: Scheffler (15*)

Xander Schauffele is back in action. Quite a lot has happened since he signed for a first round 62. He hits a draw to the left edge of the 1st fairway. Playing partner and Kentucky native Justin Thomas gets a big welcome from the rain-soaked galleries.

Mark Hubbard isn’t going away. He makes another par breaker at 4 and is just one back of Morikawa’s lead. The idea of him contending seems a little unlikely, yet he was tied for the halfway lead just a few weeks ago in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside his partner Ryan Brehm and pairing of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. If you missed that event it’s because it flies a little under the radar, being the only non-individual event on the PGA Tour schedule. It’s all a bit giddy and parents-race-at-school-sports-day-like. But Wyndham Clark contended there before winning the US Open. You never know ...

Another birdie for Collin Morikawa – four in a row. The 2020 champion leads by two with two holes of his second round to play.

-11: Morikawa (16*)
-9: Hubbard (12*), Schauffele
-8: Scheffler (14*)

Slam dunk! Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo was +3 through 48 holes and all set to head home for the weekend. Not now. His 102 yard approach to the short par-four 13th disappeared down the hole without touching the sides. He remains outside the cut line but getting the right side of it is no longer beyond him.

Not long now until pace-setter Xander Schauffele tees off but how has he fared with a first round lead in the past? He shared the lead in the 2023 US Open after posting a Thursday 62, backed it up with a 70 and was eventually T10th. Earlier this year an opening 65 again earned a tie at the top, he added a second round 69, led by one after 54 holes, but couldn’t convert on Sunday and finished second. Then, last week he thrashed a 64 to open up a three-shot lead, shot 67 next day to extend his advantage to four, it withered to one on Saturday, and he was overtaken by a barnstorming Rory McIlroy on Sunday. That he is 0-for-3 at converting throughgout his career might not be a huge problem, but being 0-for-2 this year might have introduced a few gremlins (flipside: it might also have taught him a few lessons that are fresh in his mind).

A reminder that Collin Morikawa is chasing a fourth win on a Jack Nicklaus-designed course this week. The first three came at Montreux, Muirfield Village and The Concession. This one would trump all three but his game is clearly suited to the test. The theory makes sense - Nicklaus places a premium on approach play, and distance control in particular, which are Morikawa strengths.

Three birdies in a row for Collin Morikawa. He now leads the championship on his own on -10. He’s -5 for the day with the par-five 7th up next. He groans at his drive but it’s sat up in the fairway fringe.

Thanks Scott and well done on completing a most unlikely shift. Yesterday the Sky Sports commentary team likened the Zoysia grass on the Valhalla fairways this week to an Axminster carpet. It’s a 1980s-style reference I’ve not been able to get out of my head ever since. I’m expecting (or maybe hoping) to have it revealed that marshals are wearing Le Coq Sportif quality apparel or that the catering is every bit as good as a Little Chef. Fingers crossed.

… and with that, I shall take my leave and hand over all of the operational levers of this blog, plus a big box of bells and whistles, to your friend and mine, Mr Matt Cooper. Hope to see you all again for tomorrow’s third round.

Scottie Scheffler is on a roll now. A third birdie in five holes, this time at 4, reward for a delicate wedge from 60 yards to three feet. Your regular reminder that Scottie was in the cooler this morning!

-9: Morikawa (14*), Hubbard (10*), Schauffele
-8: Scheffler (13*)
-7: English (17*), Detry (14)

A step back by Tom Kim. He nearly finds water on 6 and though he’s able to power his ball up to the fringe of the green, he can’t get up and down and slips to -6. He can take solace in the fact that 6 is the hardest hole on the course, playing at 4.31 this week and 4.48 today.

Collin Morikawa makes it back-to-back birdies, with a 20-footer on 5, and all of a sudden it’s a three-way lead at the top! Meanwhile Harris English, rebounds from bogey at 6 with birdie at 7, and it’s getting busy at the top of the leader board.

-9: Morikawa (14*), Hubbard (9*), Schauffele
-7: English (16*), Kim (14*), Detry (14), Scheffler (12*)

Austin Eckroat has a decent chance for a bounce-back birdie at 13, but his straight 12-foot effort shaves the lip. He remains at -6. But up on 5 …

Scottie Scheffler gets up and down from sand at 3. He nearly misses the right-to-left slider, but the edge of the cup grabs the ball and that’s par saved. Speaking of the man of the moment, here’s the great Andy Bull with his take on this morning’s absurd run-in with the local bobbies.

On Sky, the camera zones in on a cute little tortoise. Aw! Sadly I can’t link to the cool little fellow, but I can offer some PGA-related nature footage, an all-time duel from 2012 between Croc and Snake. It’s not for the squeamish, as it’s a bit of a rout. To quote the hole-by-hole report from back in the day:

Astonishingly, the whole thing was shown live and in its entirety on CBS Sports. Nobody could be bothered cutting away from it. Sadly, the most entertaining part of the whole affair is missing from this YouTube version. If memory serves, CBS later cut back to the croc, who was floating serenely, a big toothy grin plastered all over its visage, content, stuffed full of delicious snake. He looked like a golf-club captain filled to the eyeballs with gin. RIP ol’ snake.

… Mark Hubbard sends his drive at 18 perilously close to the water on the right. He bashes back out onto the fairway, laying up, then from 110 yards lands his ball pin high to seven feet. In goes the putt, and a man known to his pals as Homeless Hubbs (a nickname given to him after spending time sleeping on floors when starting out on tour) is currently joint leader of a major championship!

-9: Hubbard (9*), Schauffele
-8: Morikawa (13*)
-7: Kim (14*), Detry (13), Scheffler (11*)

Some careless work around the green at 12 costs Austin Eckroat a shot. A heavy-handed chip from one side of the green to the other. He slips to -6. But back on 4, Collin Morikawa sends his second to ten feet, then steers in a tickly birdie putt to join Mark Hubbard in second place. The 2020 champion looking in the mood to lift the Wanamaker Trophy again! And a birdie for Tom Kim at 4 puts last year’s Open runner-up into the mix. Oh, and birdie for Scottie Scheffler at 2, as expected. But no updated leaderboard quite yet, because …

You have to wonder whether all the mental and physical energy expended during this morning’s drama will eventually cost Scottie Scheffler. It’d be more than understandable if it does. But he’s showing no signs of running out of gas yet. A mud ball from the middle of 2. Not a problem. He clips an iron from the best part of 200 yards to six feet, and he’ll have another good look at birdie.

So far today, the front nine has been playing to a cumulative total of +53. The back nine by comparison just +15. All of which explains the relative lack of drama on the leaderboard this morning, and also puts the round Brian Harman is currently putting together – he’s four under through his first ten holes – into a very favourable light. See also Jason Day and Harris English, who are both three under after 14 and 15 holes respectively.

Alex Noren misses another short putt. This one, at 14, costs him a shot and he drops to -6. Meanwhile both Scottie Scheffler and Brian Harman miss serviceable birdie chances on 1 after fine approaches. Harman’s in particular, a 5-wood sent pin high from 230 yards to 13 feet, deserved better. They remain at -6 and -3 respectively.

Birdie for Thomas Detry at 12, the reward for sending his second to three feet. The 31-year-old Belgian moves to -7. A second birdie of the day meanwhile for Aaron Rai, at 15, and he’s climbing the leaderboard to -5. And up on 17, Mark Hubbard is this close to draining his 30-foot birdie putt, the ball stopping millimetres from the drop. So very nearly grabbing a share of the lead with Xander Schauffele! Hubbard remains at -8.

Mark Hubbard isn’t going anywhere. He sends his tee shot at 17 into deep bother down a bank to the left of the fairway. He’s in thick cabbage. Then he lashes an outrageously good escape up and into the heart of the green. He’ll surely take two careful putts to save his par and remain at -8. Meanwhile birdies at 17, 1 and 2 for Matt Fitzpatrick, who was below the projected cut line of level par, but has now catapulted himself up to -2 in short order.

It’s unlikely that the second round will be completed today. We’re already 80 minutes behind schedule because of this morning’s tragic accident; the forecasters are saying the weather will close in on Valhalla at around 5pm local time, 10pm BST. Hopefully there won’t be any electrical activity and play will be able to continue, but it’s likely to be pretty wet and so not likely to be fast. Earlier in the day, Dame Laura Davies did some quick back-of-envelope workings while commentating on Sky, and reckoned the final pairings would have to get around in four hours without delay to get home before darkness sets in. Which is not going to happen. And if that sounds right to Dame Laura, it sounds right to us. But that’s all the worst-case scenario, so having managed expectations, let’s see how things pan out.

A fourth birdie in a row for Austin Eckroat! The latest at 10. It took a while, but the leaderboard is beginning to jiggle around a bit.

-9: Schauffele
-8: Hubbard (7*)
-7: English (13*), Noren (12), Eckroat (10), Morikawa (10*)
-6: Kim (11*), Detry (11), Scheffler (9*), Finau, Theegala
-5: Hojgaard (11), MacIntyre, McIlroy
-4: Rai (14), Lowry (13*), Tosti (6), Moore, Koepka, Kohles

Another birdie for Brian Harman, whose putter has been hot, hot, hot this morning. This one comes at 18, and the Open champion has played the back nine in 32 strokes to move to -3 overall. Birdie for his playing partner Scottie Scheffler, too, who made a meal of making his way up the hole – a drive into thick rough, the second evading the fairway too – only to rescue the situation with a stunning punched wedge from 80 yards to six feet. In goes the putt and he moves to -6.

Rasmus Hojgaard is making his presence felt at a major for the first time. The 23-year-old Dane has made four starts in the biggest tournaments, and has missed the cut every time bar one, when he finished 79th at the 2021 PGA. Perhaps his brother Nicolai’s decent performances at last year’s Open (tied 23rd) and this year’s Masters (tied 16th) have inspired him to kick on? Whatever, a 68 yesterday, and now birdies at 5 and 10 have sent him up the rankings to -5.

Austin Eckroat is trending in the right direction: a top-ten finish at the US Open last year, his first PGA Tour win at the Cognizant Classic a couple of months ago. Now the 25-year-old from Oklahoma cards three birdies on the bounce to move to -6. Meanwhile birdie at 18 for Collin Morikawa, birdie for Alex Noren at 12, yet another for English, at 4, and after a period of little movement on the leaderboard, a few players are beginning to make their move!

-9: Schauffele
-8: Hubbard (6*)
-7: English (13*), Noren (12), Morikawa (9*)

Birdie for Harris English at 3. He joins the group at -6, and can the 34-year-old Georgian make the big leap? According to the man himself, he sure can. Our man Matt Cooper – who will be blogging for your leisure and pleasure later today – has sent this quote across, gleaned at the Players the other month, on the subject of English’s close pal Brian Harman: “He’s a competitor. I feel like I’ve pushed him a little bit. He’s definitely pushed me to be better. We all really love seeing each other’s successes, but it pushes me to be better. I know I can compete with Brian Harman, I can win a major, I can win some of these tournaments.”

That 16th-hole birdie total remains at 14, because Scheffler tickles his downhill putt towards the cup, but it’s always going to stay out stubbornly on the left lip. Not hit with the conviction of Harman, minutes earlier from over double the distance. He remains at -5 … but perhaps even more importantly, retains the optimistic support of Simon McMahon, who predicts: “Scheffler’s winning this now, isn’t he? And being presented with a pair of handcuffs as big as the Wanamaker Trophy by the Chief of Police on Sunday in best Rory/Ollie Medinah style.”

Well, there is a 14th birdie of the week at 16, but it’s got nothing to do with Scottie Scheffler! Brian Harmon sends a 25-footer straight into the cup for birdie of his own. Like an arrow. Shades of his antics around Hoylake last year, and not just because of the drippy weather. The Open champ is -2.

The long par-four 16th is one of the hardest holes at Valhalla. It’s playing fourth most difficult so far this week. Just the 13 birdies so far. Number 14 could be coming up soon, though, because from the centre of the fairway, Scottie Scheffler has just creamed an iron from 226 yards to ten feet. Whatever happens with the putt, that’ll be one of the sweetest shots of the day.

Alex Noren yips a three-foot birdie opportunity at 10. He smacks his lips in frustration, and remains at -6. It continues to rain. Nothing dramatic, just a steady stream. No threat of more serious weather coming in just yet.

Jason Day birdies 18 to turn in 33. He’s -3 overall. Early birdies for Thorbjorn Olesen, at 3 and 5, send the Dane up the standings to -4. Aaron Rai is this close to making his second birdie of the day, at 10, only for the putt to shave the hole; he remains at -4. And on 16, Cameron Young teeters atop a mound of rocks in the middle of the stream running down the side of the fairway, and demonstrates his impressive core strength by lashing his ball back into play without toppling into the drink. Shades of Tom Kim last year, only without the mud-caked comedy.

Jon Rahm is in the middle of an existential golfing crisis. An LIV dude now, yet not quite able or willing to shake off his PGA Tour past, he came into the week struggling for form and out of sorts. He then bogeyed four of the first six holes he played yesterday. But what a response by the former Masters and US Open champ! Back in 32 last night to salvage a 70, and now birdies at 13 and 15. He’s -2 and fighting like mad to stay involved. Despite it all, Rahm’s presence at the business end of this major far from a pipe dream.

Alex Noren has ten European Tour wins to his name, but the 41-year-old Swede hasn’t done too much in the very biggest competitions. Top-ten finishes at the Open in 2012 and 2017, and that’s about that. But he did finish in the top-20 at the Players a couple of months ago, and third at the Byron Nelson at the start of May. So he’s in form, and he’s carrying it over to Valhalla. Birdies at 4, 7 and now 9 have whisked him up the standings to -6.

Back to Scottie’s golf, and he’s short of the green at the long par-three 14th. No matter! He takes out the Texas Wedge and lags a 50-footer up from the apron to tap-in distance. He remains -5. Meanwhile Mark Hubbard clips his second at 12 to eight feet, and tidies up for another birdie that takes the 81st-ranked player in the world to within a shot of the lead!

-9: Schauffele
-8: Hubbard (3*)
-6: Morikawa (6*), T Kim (6*), Detry (6), Finau, Theegala

Louisville police have issued a report of their own. They claim the officer who held onto Scheffler’s moving car, Detective Gillis, was dragged “to the ground” and suffered “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist” after the car “accelerated forward.” Gillis was taken to hospital for his injuries.

Scottie Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, has spoken to the Associated Press about this morning’s incident involving his client, and the subsequent arrest. “We will litigate the case as it goes. The main thing is he was proceeding exactly as he was directed in a marked vehicle with credentials. He didn’t do anything intentionally wrong.”

Tom Kim bounces back with a 15-footer on 15. He’s back to -6. Meanwhile over on 16, Min Woo Lee finds himself out of position high on a bank to the left of the green, but swishes confidently at his chip and sends the ball floating down the hill, scampering across the green and into the cup. Birdie out of nowhere! His third of the day, and after yesterday’s 72, Minjee’s brother is now -2 overall.

Shane Lowry has two top-ten finishes at the PGA, in 2019 and 2021. The 2019 Open champion is positioned nicely for a tilt at a third, or something even better: he’s just carded his third birdie of the day, at 16, to move to -4 overall.

Mark Hubbard is making his first impression at a major championship. Before this week, his best finish at one was a tie for 51st at the 2020 PGA; the 34-year-old from Denver’s next best effort is 75th in last year’s event. This week could be his breakthrough, though: a late-in-the-day 65 posted yesterday, and now an opening birdie at 10 to move into second spot all on his own!

-9: Schauffele
-7: Hubbard (1*)
-6: Detry (5), Morikawa (4*), Finau, Theegala
-5: English (8*), T Kim (5*), MacIntyre, McIlroy, McNealy

Tom Kim can’t find the green at the monster par-three 14th. It’s only playing at 246 yards today, to be fair, a whopping ten yards shorter than yesterday. Still. It costs him the shot he picked up with that rake at the previous par-three. Back to -5. “If Scheffler somehow ends up winning this tournament, should the US PGA introduce an Orange Jacket for the winner?” wonders Adam Hirst, because let’s face it, someone was going to say it at some point.

Scottie Scheffler missed a miserable par putt from close range on 11. He responds by draining a one-in-ten 40-footer on 12 to move back to -5. A gentle punch of the air. Nothing fazes him. He was in the jug a couple of hours ago!

Thomas Detry shot 66 yesterday. He rattles in a birdie putt on 4 to move to -6. Collin Morikawa does likewise on 13. Meanwhile an opening birdie at 10 for Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champ climbing to -3.

-9: Schauffele
-6: Morikawa (4*), Detry (4), T Kim (4*), Finau, Theegala, Hubbard
-5: MacIntyre, McIlroy, McNealy

The 2015 champion Jason Day prepares to wedge into 15. As he addresses the ball, an errant tee shot from the 16th misses him by … well, not a great distance at all. It flies towards him before whistling past his left lug. He calmly turns to see the ball come to a halt 30 yards behind him, then gathers himself and sends his approach to six feet. In goes the par. He’s -2 and lucky to still be upright. An apology no doubt coming from either Cameron Davis, Harris English or Talor Gooch, the three players in the group ahead.

Scottie Scheffler races his first putt at 11 six feet past the flag. He can’t make the one coming back, shoving his putt well wide right of the cup. That never looked like dropping. He moves back to -4. Tom Kim’s 30-foot birdie putt on 13 does look like dropping, however … but it suddenly rears up and stops on the lip, half a dimple short of toppling into the hole. He pulls his gilet over his mouth in irritation, and remains at -6.

Scheffler wasn’t totally on top of his game yesterday. (It’s testament to his outrageous ability that you can say something like that after a major-championship opening round of 67, but here we are.) That opening birdie will give him succour, but his tee shot into the long-ish par-three 11th isn’t the best, only just finding the fringe on the right of the green. He’ll have a bit of work to do to get down in two putts for his par.

Brian Harman is out of position all the way down 10. A short drive, a second shot shoved into bother down the left, a third sent 40 feet from the flag. No matter, he drains the birdie in the Hoylake style. Having shot 72 yesterday, he’s back to level par. Then Scheffler tidies up for his birdie to move to -5. Plenty of Scottie chanting, ringing its way around the course. Close your eyes and it could be Sunday afternoon. What a way to start his round after the morning he’s had. Scheffler and Harman smile at each other and jabber away happily. Looks like it’ll do Scheffler some good to be going around with a pal.

Scheffler does indeed lay up with his second, trusting his wedge. Great idea. He lands his approach just to the right of the stick, the ball spinning back to a couple of feet below the hole. If that. He’ll have a great look at birdie. Not as quite as blistering a start as the hole-out for eagle he made on 1 yesterday, but that’ll go some way to settling the nerves, which must surely be jangling like billy-o.

Min Woo Lee has started quickly as well. Birdie at 10 followed by a chip-in from the back of 12, and the young Aussie moves up to -1 in short order. Meanwhile Shane Lowry has got himself back up to -3 with birdie at 13.

The ever-entertaining Tom Kim shot 66 yesterday. The early signs are that he’s in decent nick today. He really should have birdied 10, but missed a five-footer; however that’s not fazed him, and he’s just sunk a 30-footer on 11 to make the first move at the top of the leaderboard.

-9: Schauffele
-6: T Kim (2*), Finau, Theegala, Hubbard
-5: Morikawa (1*), Detry (1), McIlroy, MacIntyre, McNealy

The Open champion Brian Harman will be going around with Scheffler this morning, and he speaks to ESPN. “It’s just a wild morning, man … Scottie is one hell of a dude and I sure am glad he’s going to be out here to play … by the time I got in, everything was cleared up, but it was so congested … just a bad scene … Scottie is a joy to be around and I look forward to playing with him again today … [the players in the locker room] were just supportive … hoping everything would get figured out in time for him to have a chance … we’ve all got a job to do … I’m happy to see him walking around over there.”

The PGA have also released a statement. This one as heart-wrenching as you’d expect.

Scottie Scheffler has issued a statement. It’s as thoughtful and respectful as you’d expect from the man.

A couple of early birdies to report. Shane Lowry, who shot 69 yesterday, follows opens with birdie at 10 to move to -3 … but only momentarily, as he three-putts from distance on the par-three 11th to slip back to where he started at -2. In the group ahead, Harris English birdied 10 and the 34-year-old Georgian, who has a weirdly lopsided record in the majors – absolutely nothing of note to report in a dozen years of trying, with the notable exception of third, fourth and eighth-placed finishes at the US Open in the last four years – joins the group at -4.

Scottie Scheffler turns up on the range. The orange jail shirt now swapped for a pristine white Nike sweater. Some wag in the gallery shouts that his mugshot “was way better than Tiger’s”; suffice to say Scheffler doesn’t crack a smile at the bon mot. The face still ashen. He’s trying his best to regain some sort of focus, looking straight ahead. A fistbump from Rickie Fowler. “All good?” “All good,” he replies. “You’re not a criminal,” another gallery member shouts, amid a smattering of supportive “Scottie”s. A few short irons to loosen up. Then finally a semblance of a smile as he gets back down to work.

The Louisville Metro Police Department have released a statement regarding the fatal accident. “About 5:00 this morning, the LMPD responded to a call of a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian and a bus,” it begins.

“Our preliminary investigation found that an adult male pedestrian was crossing Shelbyville Road south to north when he was struck by a shuttle bus that was travelling eastbound in the compulsory centre lane dedicated for buses.

“As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating.”

Sky: Scheffler to tee off at 10.08am. Kira K Dixon of Sky reports that Scheffler told gathered journalists that “he wasn’t going to be commenting” but “popped his head into player dining and said ‘hello I’m here’ and continued on”.

Dixon adds that “it seems to be all signs pointing to him having a warm-up, that he will play, and he should be at that 10.08 tee-time … spirits are fine … he is ready to go … he’ll try to get into the headspace that is required to compete at a major.”

As evidenced by Rich Beem’s early double bogey, the second round has belatedly started. Nothing of great import going on in the early matches, so time for some admin. “This is low down the list of things to point out,” begins our chief sports reporter Sean Ingle, “but Scottie is out to 13-1 on Betfair. He was less than half that a couple of hours ago.” Meanwhile here’s the weather report; expect more delays, for less tragic reasons, later in the day.

Sky Sports commentator Wayne Riley has been on the driving range to gauge opinion among the early starters. “The energy is zapped,” he reports. His Sky colleague Rich Beem is competing this week as a former champion, and Beem told Riley that “no-one had seen Scottie Scheffler … everyone was on their phone … they’d hit a shot, hit a putt, then look on their phone … they were caring for Scottie Scheffler, they were worried.”

Riley also spoke of the “person who was coming to the golf, if he was coming, lost his life … that is a terrible thing … you’re looking forward to the PGA Championship here at Valhalla and someone is not going to be with us today … so many players have said to me, ‘I can’t believe they’re actually playing today’ … I’m getting that vibe … I’m getting a lot of vibe that people are going ‘woah, somebody’s lost their life here today, Scottie has been taken away, do we go into Monday?’ ”

Play is however continuing as planned, albeit with that 80-minute delay. By way of illustrating the difficulty of snapping back into competitive mode, the aforementioned Beem, first out today, opened with a double bogey.

Louisville Metro police have given a little more detail on the fatal traffic accident in the early hours of this morning. Their spokesman Dwight Mitchell told Louisville radio station WHAS that the man was crossing Shelbyville Road, which runs past Valhalla Golf Club, at about 5 am. The shuttle bus didn’t see him. Mitchell confirmed that the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to reports, Scheffler thought he was attempting to get past Valhalla GC security, and not the police. And now look, courtesy of the sports director of an ABC affiliate in Tulsa.

… and a close-up of the mugshot thanks to Golf Digest magazine. Booked at 7.28am for the record.

The PGA have confirmed that all tee times have been pushed back one hour and 20 minutes from the original sheet. The 2002 champion Rich Beem will now hit the first shot of the day at 1.35pm BST.

“Here’s the thing. Right now, right now, he’s going to jail, OK, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Period. There’s nothing you can do about it.” That’s what a Kentucky cop told ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington in that filmed exchange, after Scheffler appeared to turn to Darlington and ask: “Can you please help me?” Fair to say, Scheffler will be lucky to make his tee time, initially scheduled for 8.48am (1.48pm BST) but since pushed back by the accident to 10.08am.