LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Collin Morikawa had one of the low rounds of the day Friday — a 6-under-par 65 — to get to 11-under, one shot behind PGA Championship leader Xander Schauffele at Valhalla Golf Club.
Morikawa entered this week hoping to atone for what he felt was a poor finish at the Masters last month.
He finished in a tie for third behind Scheffler, but a 74 in the final round left a bad taste in his mouth.
“After Augusta, 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 get things as sharp as possible and just come out strong,’’ Morikawa said. “It’s obviously nice to get off to this start.’’
Morikawa said winning those two major championships gave him “belief’’ he can win more.
“I know I still have it in me, and that’s what’s exciting,’’ he said.
Morikawa seized control of his round with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Morikawa’s five-birdie streak was the longest such streak of his major championship career.
“The little five-run birdie was me just playing solid golf, and sometimes when the putts drop, that’s what happens,’’ Morikawa said. “That’s the kind of golf I’m going to ask for myself over the next two days and 36 holes.’’
Justin Thomas, the hometown hero, stayed in contention Friday with a 4-under-par 67 and is 6-under for the tournament, six shots off the lead.
“I feel great, my game feels good, I played really, really well today,’’ he said.
Thomas said the hometown experience has “been better than I thought somehow,’’ adding, “I’m going to enjoy it for all it’s worth because it’s been fun.’’
Braden Shattuck, one of 21 PGA of America club pros competing this week, made the cut. He had two holes to play on Friday and figured he needed to birdie one of them, if not both, to get into the weekend.
He holed a 35-footer for birdie at the par-3 eighth hole (his 17th of the round).
And, on his last hole, he recovered from a poor drive into a bunker, hit his second into a greenside bunker, and faced a 4-footer for par and made it. That got him to 1-under for the week.
“The cup looked like the size a thimble on that last 4-footer,” Shattuck said. “But, thankfully, it found its way to the middle.”
Shattuck, 29, played in last year’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill after capturing the PGA Professional Championship, but failed to make the cut.
Michael Block, the California club pro who captivated the golf world at last year’s PGA at Oak Hill with a tie for 15th place, missed the cut this week, shooting 7-over par. … Matt Dobyns, the club pro from Meadow Brook on Long Island, finished 14-over for two rounds and missed the cut in his fifth career PGA. … Among the big-name players to miss the cut were Jon Rahm, reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Phil Mickelson. … Chris Gotterup, the Jersey Shore native and former Rutgers player, finished 3-over and missed the cut a week after winning his first PGA Tour event at Myrtle Beach, S.C.