US PGA Championship: Day two digest

It was tight at the top, Rose produced a big finish and Harrington was rolling back the clock on day two of the US PGA Championship.

Here is all you need to know.

McNealy and Smalley edge ahead

Home favourites Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley will share a one-shot lead heading into the weekend but they have a bunched chasing pack breathing down their necks. With a seven-way logjam after day one, it was expected the field could get spread in round two but with tough, windy conditions in Pennsylvania, that did not transpire. McNealy briefly had some breathing room at six under but two late bogeys saw him fall back to four under with a 67, a target that had earlier been set by Smalley after a 69. Two more Americans in Chris Gotterup and Max Greyserman were a shot off the lead alongside Australian Min Woo Lee, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, South African Aldrich Potgieter and German Stephan Jaeger. There were a total of 43 players within five shots of the lead, with the cut just eight back.

Gotterup ready for Major tilt

Chris Gotterup feels he is ready to contend for a maiden Major after carding the lowest round of the week on day two. The American's career has been on a stunning upward trajectory since he held off Rory McIlroy to win the Genesis Scottish Open and move into the world's top 100 last summer. The following week he finished third at The Open and this season he has two wins on the PGA TOUR which helped him move into the top five on the Official World Golf Ranking. He was met with tough, windy conditions in round two at Aronimink Golf Club but carded six birdies and a single bogey for a 65 - the lowest round of the week by two thus far - to put himself right in contention heading into the weekend. After such a swift rise, this is just his sixth Major appearance and, while he may be coming in somewhat under the radar, he is confident he can challenge for one of golf's biggest titles. "I feel like, if I'm playing well, I can compete anywhere," he said. "I feel like you've got to keep putting yourself in position and you hope that one day it breaks through and it was your time. But as long as you can keep putting yourself there, I think that's all you can do."

Big finish keeps Rose alive

Justin Rose continued his love affair with Aronimink Golf Club with a spectacular eagle to ensure he made the weekend. The Englishman has an excellent record over the Philadelphia layout, having won the 2010 AT&T National and lost a play-off at the 2018 BMW Championship in two of this three appearances. He looked set to damage that legacy, however, sitting five over for the day and the week and set to miss the cut when he found the rough with his second at the par five ninth. What followed was spectacular, with Rose pitching a high shot onto the green and seeing it roll into the cup for the eagle that secured him weekend golf at the second Major Championship of the season. “I left myself in the worst possible spot which I was getting pretty good at, I’d done that all day long,” he said. “I literally had to toy with the big bank... I flopped it up over and it’s in the lap of the gods but I hit a great shot, obviously. The previous hole I three-putted because I knew I had a par five to finish and was looking to make birdie there but I left myself in... desperate times call for desperate measures and that was pretty fun to be honest.”

Paddy's still got it

At the 15th Pádraig Harrington holed a spectacular 48-footer - that's just a six-footer less than his age.

Spanish hands

From one of the oldest players in the field to the youngest - take a bow 21-year-old Angel Ayora.