NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Chris Gotterup had enough Jersey toughness to handle the cold wind and treacherous greens Friday in the PGA Championship and then poured it on at the end with three straight birdies, giving him a 5-under 65 for the low round of the tournament.
Scottie Scheffler took a while to get settled down after not hitting a fairway until his ninth hole. He salvaged a 1-over 71 and was two behind Alex Smalley (69) among early finishers.
Hideki Matsuyama shot 67 in his quest for a second major. Aldrich Potgieter, a 21-year-old from South Africa, had a strong front nine and was looking to become the youngest golfer with a 36-hole lead at a major since Tiger Woods’ historic win at the 1997 Masters.
Aronimink is plenty difficult without dealing with blustery conditions that made it feel colder than the low 50s (10s Celsius) for so much of the morning.
“Today would definitely be one of those days where I would be on the couch and I would be like, ‘How did he hit it there?’ and ‘How did he do this?’ And then you’re out there, and it just feels like it’s impossible,” Gotterup said.
Gotterup has three PGA Tour titles since July, two of them this year to reach No. 10 in the world. He had his best stuff on a stage that is the closest course to a home major. He grew up 100 miles away and played college golf at Rutgers, just up the New Jersey Turnpike.
Gotterup had a pair of birdies on the back nine to hang around the lead and then finished the front nine with three short putts.
“I really battled all day,” Gotterup said. “It was very hard. There were some pins that didn’t even look like they were on the green.”
Smalley set the early target at 4-under 136.
Scheffler, who had a share of the 18-hole lead for the first time in a major, couldn’t quite keep up. One day after hitting 13 of 14 fairways, Scheffler didn’t find the short grass until the 18th hole. He started on No. 10 and already had three bogeys — all from the rough — through four holes.
He might have saved his round on the par-3 14th when he hit a beautiful lag putt from 80 feet for a two-putt par. That settled him, and he closed with an up-and-down birdie on the par-5 ninth to finish at 2-under 138.
Two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas had another remarkable bogey that could have been much worse early in his round and was on the ropes until he steadied himself with a pair of birdies and salvaged another 69.
Thomas was playing with Cameron Young, who worked for pars and finished with an 8-foot eagle putt that gave him a 67.
Still to come in the afternoon were Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, whose first order of business was to make the cut. McIlroy bogeyed his final four holes on Thursday for a 74, while DeChambeau didn’t make a birdie until his final hole for a 76.
But the worst of the weather looked like it might be in the morning. Dustin Johnson, with perhaps his final invitation to the PGA Championship, ground out an even-par 70. Heading to the parking lot, he looked at a clearing sky and slightly calming wind and shook his head.
“It was blowing 100 for us,” Johnson said with a grin.
The former world No. 1 and two-time major winner is not typically prone to exaggeration. But it was hard work out there.
Shane Lowry went from one shot out of the lead to having to sweat out making it to the weekend after a 76, which included him topping a tee shot on the par-3 17th into the water. Justin Rose had two double bogeys through his opening five holes. He finished by chopping out of thick rough and into the hole for eagle at the end for a 73 that might just keep him around.