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4 standout stats after 2 rounds at the PGA Championship

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The PGA Championship's halfway point is officially here, with Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, and Corey Conners in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

The challenge presented by Oak Hill is fierce, as the cut is all the way back at 5-over and a number of big names will miss the weekend.

Here are four eye-catching stats from the opening 36 holes in Rochester.

Scheffler's bogey avoidance

Avoiding bogeys at major championships is often just as important as making birdies - especially on a treacherous course like Oak Hill. Scheffler is proving that theory to be very successful. The World No. 2 sits tied for the lead and has made only two bogeys through 36 holes.

Scheffler leads the PGA TOUR this season in bogey avoidance, with only 9% of his holes resulting in an over-par score. The six-time TOUR winner has gained strokes in every stat this week, so it's safe to expect few bogeys on his card this weekend.

Conners' hot putting

Conners has made a career on the PGA TOUR with elite ball-striking that ranks among the best in the world. The only thing that has kept the two-time winner from claiming more titles is his tendency to struggle on the greens. A quick look at his strokes gained stats over the last five seasons show just how big a discrepancy there is between those two portions of his game.

Year SG: Tee-to-green SG: Putting
2023 17th 134th
2022 13th 136th
2021 12th 112th
2020 16th 181st
2019 9th 181st

Through two rounds at Oak Hill, Conners is having one of his best weeks ever on the greens, currently sitting fifth in strokes gained: putting. Add that to his usual brilliance on ball-striking - he also sits ninth in the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green - and it's easy to see why the Canadian is tied for the lead.

McIlroy's ability to score despite driving issues

There's been no better driver in the world of golf over the past decade than Rory McIlroy. The World No. 3 has never finished outside the top 10 in strokes gained: driving in his PGA TOUR career, and he's leading the circuit in driving distance this season. So much of McIlroy's success on the golf course is predicated on his driving and ability to shorten holes to lengths other players can't. That's what makes his PGA Championship performance thus far equal parts puzzling and impressive. The four-time major champion has battled a two-way miss off the tee all week, sitting an outrageous 146th in driving accuracy with only 7-of-28 fairways hit.

With the rough at Oak Hill thick and penal, one would expect McIlroy to be crashing out with a missed cut due to his poor driving, but that's far from the case. Despite putting himself in some precarious positions, the 34-year-old is somehow even par for the championship and just five shots off the lead. If McIlroy can straighten his driving out on the weekend, a charge up the leaderboard is likely in the cards.

Koepka's finish to major rounds

Brooks Koepka's ability to raise his game in major championships has been well-documented over the past six years, with the Floridian grabbing four wins and countless other top finishes in those events. His talent for finishing rounds in clutch fashion is one of the reasons he's able to deliver. That was on full display Friday, with Koepka recording birdies on three of his final four holes as the rain began to fall to get to 2-under for the championship. With his close to Round 2, Koepka is now 6-under over the final four holes of his last six major rounds. After playing in the final group all weekend at Augusta National in April, Koepka finds himself just three back as he searches for his fifth career major title.

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