Rory five back of lead at PGA: Anyone who made 36-hole cut has chance to win

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The first PGA Championship at Aronimink in 64 years brought a pair of newcomers to the top of the leaderboard Friday in Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy , and left hope for just about everyone else on a course that hasn’t let anyone get too far away. Smalley, in only his fifth major championship, overcame three straight bogeys after making the turn and closed with a birdie for a 1-under 69.

McNealy, who has never been among the top 25 in any major through 36 holes, fell back with a pair of late bogeys in his round of 67. They were at 4-under 136, the highest 36-hole score to lead the PGA Championship since 2012 at Kiawah Island. Chasing them?

Seven major champions are within four shots of the lead, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama. Masters champion Rory McIlroy is right there, too, tied for 30th after a bogey-free 67 and still only five behind. The difference between first and worst was only eight shots, unusually tight for any tournament, much less a major.

“Anyone who makes the cut, they’ve got to feel they have a shot in the tournament,” McIlroy said. No one was sure what to expect from Aronimink except the greens were large with sharp slopes and big undulations and knobs for perilous pin positions. The players got plenty of those in the second round on a day that produced cold and blustery conditions in the morning and got faster by the minute in the late afternoon.