Newtown Square, Pa. The expectations for Bryson DeChambeau when coming into the 2026 golf year were clear — be a consistent force in the game’s biggest events. The result thus far? At both the Masters and now the PGA Championship DeChambeau showed a consistent and disturbing result – missing the 36-hole cut each time.

His performance at Aronimink was woeful. During the first round he was completely out of sorts and finished with a six-over-par 76. During Friday’s second round his play improved five shots with a one-over-par-71 but his two-day total of 147 missed the cut by three shots.

The two-time US Open winner has missed the cut in three of the last four majors and four of the last seven. The word consistency is not applicable. More likely inconsistent.

The 32-year-old showed form in winning two events on the LIV Golf circuit this year. But the key for DeChambeau is demonstrating a clear relevance in the sport’s most prestigious events and that connection is missing with his wayward play in the first two majors this year.

To be clear, the caliber of the competition on the PGA Tour and more noticeably at major events is considerably beyond what’s demonstrated with LIV Golf.

DeChambeau has been a steadfast supporter of LIV Golf even after a recent announcement was made via the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund that it would no longer provide financial support starting in 2026. But a bigger concern emerges on whether competing via LIV Golf is providing him a clear benefit besides the financial largesse he receives from being a member.

When the PGA Tour provided a pathway for a return by previous members who had aligned with LIV Golf, DeChambeau passed in doing so. The reality for a return to the PGA Tour likely means far different terms than the ones Brooks Koepka opted to follow in his recent return.

DeChambeau has stated a plan in which he would engage his base of supporters via YouTube videos and whether or not that proves successful begs the question on whether DeChambeau has his wits about him.

Since 2019, DeChambeau has played in 22 major championships. He has as many top ten placements as he does missed cuts — eight each. To be seen as a clear force against the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy the inability for consistent play presents a disturbing situation.

Part of the success of DeChambeau is that he marches to the beat of his own drum. His penchant for instituting his own training regimen as well as being a stickler on how clubs are created to the exacting specs he requires showcases a golfer who takes seriously even the smallest of details.

But even with all these elements, the bottom line is whether DeChambeau will reset himself for the final two majors ahead at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and at The Open at Royal Birkdale.

The first step for DeChambeau is to realize his golf game has not lived up to the expectation he sees for himself.

Departing after two rounds at both major championships this year should be a clear wake-up call for a golfer who sees himself as one of the best players on the planet.

To paraphrase what former NFL coach Bill Parcells famously said — “You are what your golf scores say you are.”

And those scores are there for all to see.

Note to Bryson – it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.

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Thisa & Thata from round two

The two leaders after 36-holes are at 4-under par — Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley. It is the first time since 2012 at Kiawah that no player is as many as 5-under par through 36 holes of a PGA Championship.

Fifteen players are within 2 strokes of the lead after Round 2. That is the third-highest total in major championship history. There were 16 such players at the 1991 and 2002 Open Championships. The previous PGA Championship record was 11, set in 2006 at Medinah.

This is just the fifth PGA Championship in which as many as seven former major champions are within 4 shots of the lead after 36 holes. That also occurred in 1970 (8 players), 1973 (10 players), 1997 (8 players) and 2006 (8 players).

Chris Gotterup fired a 65 to post the low round of the day — and the tournament thus far. It marked the fourth time in his PGA Tour career that he recorded the outright low round of the day, and he won two of the previous three such events (2025 Genesis Scottish Open, 2026 WM Phoenix Open).

Two players went bogey free on Friday: Stephan Jaeger made 18 pars, becoming just the second player in the last 10 years to have 18 pars in one major championship round. Sepp Straka also did that at last year’s Open Championship. Rory McIlroy was the other player to go bogey free on Friday. It was McIlroy’s 250th career major championship round and just the 16th that was blemish free. It was his first bogey-free round at the PGA Championship since 2018 (R2).

Scottie Scheffler (T-9) and Cameron Young (T-9) are among the Top 10 on the leaderboard after 36 holes yet again. Over the last five calendar years (2022-2026), here are the players with the most 36-hole Top 10s in majors: Scottie Scheffler (12), Rory McIlroy (8) and Cameron Young (7).

Hideki Matsuyama posted nine consecutive rounds of 70 or higher on the PGA Tour entering today’s round of 67. It was his longest such streak since 2014 when he failed to break 70 in each of 11 consecutive PGA Tour rounds.

Ben Kern, a club professional, shot 67 on Friday en route to making the cut. Since 2000, a club professional has shot 67 or better at the PGA Championship just three times — and Kern owns two of those rounds. He also posted a 67 in the third round of the 2018 PGA Championship. The only other such round in that span was a second-round 67 by Johan Kok in 2014.

In 13 previous major championship starts, Maverick McNealy never found himself among the Top 25 after 36 holes.

Alex Smalley entered this tournament with 5 consecutive PGA Tour starts finishing among the Top 25. The only players with longer active streaks than Smalley are Scottie Scheffler (29), Cameron Young (7) and Ludvig Åberg (7).

In 14 out of the last 15 PGA Championships, the eventual winner was among the Top 7 and ties at the end of the second round. The lone exception over this time was Collin Morikawa, who was T-25 after 36 holes at TPC Harding Park in 2020.

However, 8 of the last 18 winners were at least three shots behind the leaders after 36 holes. That includes last year’s winner, Scottie Scheffler, who was 3 behind the leaders at the midway point at Quail Hollow. The most recent winners to overcome as large as a 6-shot deficit after 36 holes are Morikawa (6 back in 2020), Y.E. Yang (6 back in 2009) and Pádraig Harrington (6 back in 2008).

The early wave on Friday played to an average score of 72.88;   the late-wave players played about a half-stroke lower at 72.33.

Related: Here’s what they said following round two

2026 PGA Championship / Aronimink