feature-image

Getty

feature-image

Getty

The PGA Championship is making waves, not so much for the performance as for the dramas surrounding the second men’s major. It all began when Scottie Scheffler pointed to “mud balls,” an issue worsened by the weather woes in the region. Following that, an elite roster of golfers started losing their cool and swearing—thanks to the softened turf. Now, as we head into the third round, we’re facing yet another “major” unexpected setback.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

Due to dangerous weather and intense thunderstorms, the PGA Championship’s initial update announced that officials halted practice at 7:30 a.m. local time because of hazardous conditions in the area, just 45 minutes before the first group was set to tee off. They then suspended official play at 8:15 a.m.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the latest update, the PGA Championship announced another significant delay during the second men’s major. According to the update, hazardous weather will lead to a split tee start for Round 3 from #1 and #10 tees in groups of three, running from 11:43 AM to 1:55 PM.

golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many LIV Golfers are Playing at This Week's PGA Tour-Sanctioned Event?

This situation is not sitting well with the elite roster at Quail Hollow, especially for Rory McIlroy, who was set to start his third round. However, as he prepared for his upcoming round, the horn sounded, prompting the Irishman to mutter, “f–k off” with a smile.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, even after the storms pass, players will face strong winds, with steady breezes of 14-18 mph and gusts reaching up to 28 mph in the afternoon. If the current weather continues, it is likely the third match will move to Sunday. However, most importantly, it looks like the mud ball drama is sticking around at the PGA Championship—guess the only thing sinking faster than the scores is the turf! Despite the weather woes, here’s what is happening at the weather-beaten event at Quail Hollow.

ADVERTISEMENT

How did the elite roster perform so far at the PGA Championship?

The 4x Quail Hollow champion, Rory McIlroy, is struggling at the PGA Championship. The Masters champion began the tournament by shooting 74 in the first round but improved his performance in the second round with a score of 62, narrowly avoiding missing the cut. His current standing? T62. However, the Irishman can also blame his last-minute club switch. It has come to light that the 36-year-old had to change clubs just before his first round on Thursday. CBS Sports reported that USGA tests deemed his regular driver ‘nonconforming.’

ADVERTISEMENT

The most surprising performance so far has come from Jhonattan Vegas, who has battled years of injuries to reach the top of the leaderboard at Quail Hollow. The 40-year-old Venezuelan took the lead after two rounds with a score of eight-under 134, following a one-under 70. Si Woo Kim is right behind him, improving on his Thursday performance (72) with a score of 64 in the next round. Matt Fitzpatrick and Matthieu Pavon are closely trailing the leaders.

As for surprises, there are two notable ones: Scottie Scheffler climbed 15 positions on the leaderboard with scores of 69 in both the first and second rounds. Max Homa also appears to be regaining his form, jumping 68 positions and now standing tied with Scheffler.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another surprise? Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson, among others, have all missed the cut! Undoubtedly, Quail Hollow is proving more challenging than expected at this PGA Championship.

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Sudha Kumari

926 Articles

Sudha Kumari is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, where she has filed over 700 bylines covering the sport's biggest stages. She holds a Master's in English Literature, which shows in how she turns a day's leaderboard movement into a clear, readable story. Her live coverage of the 2025 Masters, when Rory McIlroy faltered on the brink of the career Grand Slam, is among her best-known work. She follows both the sport's history and its week-to-week shifts, and her writing gives readers the context behind a result rather than only the score. A lifelong golf fan, Sudha believes today's dark horses are tomorrow's legends, and she splits her coverage between the established names and the players starting to break through. When she isn't tracking tournament trends, she is digging into player backstories, working from the view that the game is as much about the resilience behind a shot as the number on the card.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Ridhiman Das

ADVERTISEMENT