Jhonattan Vegas, chasing his first major title, kept a two-stroke clubhouse lead in Friday's second round of the PGA Championship despite Matthieu Pavon and Max Homa making epic charges at Quail Hollow.
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The 40-year-old Venezuelan closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under par 70 and stand on eight-under 134 after 36 holes with France's Pavon second on 136 after shooting a bogey-free 65. American Homa was third on 137 after a 64.
"It was a great day," Vegas said. "I can't really get too down on myself for making double on 18. I feel like I managed my game really well. I was feeling it out there. It was nice to keep the momentum. The game was there and the feeling was good."
"It wasn't happy to finish with that double on 18 but we have two more days to go."
Vegas fired his lowest major round of 64 on Thursday and didn't drop the lead Friday despite his troubles and Pavon and Homa each producing their own low major round.
"That was really very solid," Pavon said. "Got a nice momentum with the putter early on that kept me in the right way to manage the golf course. A few birdies on the front nine helped me to be more confident on the back nine. Overall, it was a super satisfying day."
Back-nine starter Homa went six-under through nine holes, shooting 30 on the same ones where he fired 39 on day one.
"I knew the game was good," Homa said. "Didn't know I was going to shoot seven-under but I'll take it."
At six-under on the course was American Alex Smalley with Japan's Ryo Hisatsune on five-under.
World number 70 Vegas could become the lowest-ranked player to lead a major outright after each of the first two rounds since American Gil Morgan at the 1992 US Open.
Vegas missed a seven-footer at the second hole and made bogey. He responded with a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five seventh and pushed his lead to three strokes with a birdie from just inside five feet at the par-five 10th.
'VERY THANKFUL'
Vegas sank nine-foot birdie putts at the par-three 13th and par-four 14th then hit a bunker rake with his tee shot at 17, the ball bouncing onto the green to set up a par.
"I was very thankful," Vegas said. "It wouldn't have been an easy up and down at 17."
At 18, the South American found a greenside bunker and after a long wait send his third shot rolling off the green. He chipped to three feet but lipped out on the bogey putt.
Pavon, fifth in last year's US Open for his best major finish, sank a 34-foot birdie putt at the second, a eight-footer to birdie the par-three fourth, a tap-in birdie at the par-five seventh and another from inside three feet the eighth.
He rolled in a 17-foot birdie putt at the 12th and a three-footer to birdie the 14th.
Homa opened with a tap-in birdie at 10, sank a 22-foot birdie putt at the par-three 13th, then nearly aced the 340-yard par-four 14th before making a tap-in birdie.
He added a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-five 15th, chipped in from 49 feet to birdie the 18th and made a 33-foot birdie putt at the third.
Homa missed the green at the par-three fourth and stumbled to a bogey and made a tap-in birdie at the par-five seventh but missed a birdie putt from just outside six feet at the eighth and closed with a par.
TOP THREE TRY AGAIN
The feature group of the world's three top-ranked players – Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Xander Schauffele and Masters winner Rory McIlroy, were just on the course after struggling on day one.
McIlroy made a 12-foot birdie putt at the second to match Schauffele on two-over with Scheffler on three-under after a birdie at three.
The projected cut was one-under 143. Among those in danger of missing it were Jordan Spieth, on 144 in his ninth bid to complete a career Grand Slam with a PGA win, and two-time major winner Justin Thomas.
American Patton Kizzire withdrew on Friday due to an unspecified injury.