LOUISVILLE, Ky. — They did end up playing the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday at Valhalla despite a series of tragic and bizarre events that took place early in the morning that seemingly sucked up all the oxygen out of the day.
First, a man working for a tournament vendor was struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside the club entrance shortly after 5 a.m.
And then, an hour later, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested at that same spot while trying to drive into the entrance.
Scheffler, after being detained, booked and released, was able to make his tee time and somehow shot a 5-under 66 to get to 9-under through 36 holes.
Scheffler, however, wasn’t the only story on this weird day at Valhalla.
Xander Schauffele, who owned the first round with his record-tying 9-under 62, remained atop the leaderboard after his second round, shooting a 3-under 68 to get to 12-under for the tournament and take his first 36-hole lead in a major.
Schauffele had the 36- and 54-hole leads at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship and lost the tournament to Rory McIlroy. So, he’s treading cautiously with this lead.
“Just two days into the golf tournament,’’ Schauffele said. “Two rounds to go. Happy with my position.’’
Asked if, because he’s seeking his first career major championship victory, he will allow himself to think about that, Schauffele was honest.
“My mind will wander ahead — at night maybe when I’m alone,’’ he said. “But eventually, you have to believe do it in real time. Once that happens, I just have to focus in on the present and get ready for the day.’’
Collin Morikawa, the winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open, stands at 11-under and just one shot behind Schauffele after shooting a 6-under 65 on Friday.
The tragic accident caused the PGA of America to delay play for 80 minutes, which caused chaos for the players, some of whom were unable to finish their second rounds.
Of the contenders who did complete their respective rounds, Thomas Detry (67) and Mark Hubbard (68) each got to 9-under and are tied with Scheffler at three shots off the lead. Viktor Hovland and Austin Eckroat are 8-under and four shots back.
With the golf course wet and without wind for the second consecutive day, scores continued to be low. The cut looks like it’s going to be 1-under when second-round play is complete by Saturday morning.
There have been only two major championships in which the cut line was under par — the 1990 British Open (1-under at St. Andrews) and the 2006 British Open (1-under at Royal Liverpool).
Follow The Post’s latest coverage on Scottie Scheffler’s morning at the PGA Championship
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 had belief since Day 1 that I was going to be able to do it, and obviously you want to see the results,’’ he said. “But just believing that it’s possible and just knowing that it’s going to happen … I know I still have it in me, and that’s what’s exciting.
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 happened,’’ Morikawa said. “That’s the kind of golf I’m going to ask for myself over the next two days and 36 holes. Just stay present, hit your shots, execute them, and if the putts drop, the putts drop.
“I wasn’t forcing anything out there, especially throughout all of today.’’
Morikawa lamented what he called “a pretty flat start of the year,’’ but added, “For me, the confidence doesn’t go away. The confidence is always there. Even when I wasn’t playing well, I still felt like when I teed it up on that first hole, like I can go out and shoot 65.
“Sometimes you learn the lesson really quick and you run into a brick wall, and you realize that day is not going to be that day. But the confidence is always there.’’
