2024 PGA Championship's Day 2 highlights before suspension of play at Valhalla Golf Club

Immediately after his round, Collin Morikawa wasn't pleased with Mother Nature. A persistent rain plagued him for a good portion of his 18 holes Friday at Valhalla Golf Club during the second round of the PGA Championship.

Then, the rain cleared.

"It seems like it's going to be pretty nice for these afternoon guys to take advantage of that," Morikawa said with a hint of resignation.

They didn't.

By the time Friday's second round was suspended because of darkness just before 9 p.m., no one had gone lower than Morikawa's 6-under 65 during the second round. (Though four afternoon players — Bryson DeChambeau, Lee Hodges, Hideki Matsuyama and Matt Wallace — matched him, with 65s of their own.) Even so, Morikawa's efforts put him in prime position to add a third major — and a second Wanamaker Trophy — to his tally.

At 11 under entering Round 3, he trails 36-hole leader Xander Schauffele by one stroke.

"I have a job to do this week, and (I'm in) decent position through 36," said Morikawa, who won the 2020 PGA at TPC Harding Park and added an Open Championship title at Royal St. Georges in 2021.

Here’s what else happened Friday:

Local favorite Justin Thomas stays within striking distance heading into weekend

Justin Thomas was two shots better Friday than he was Thursday. Yet he only cut the deficit between himself and the lead by one stroke. After shooting 2 under in the first round, he was seven behind Schauffele. Thomas posted a 4-under 67 Friday, edging Schauffele — whom he played beside the first two days — by a stroke.

Yet Thomas, a St. Xavier graduate, will begin the weekend six back of Schauffele.

"I feel like mentally and strategically, I need to go into it way more like I did today," Thomas said of his strategy for the final two rounds. "I think I sometimes in major championships, I feel like I have to play the correct way and have to not short-side myself — have to do all these things — and in reality, if I feel like I'm swinging like I was most of the day yesterday and especially today, and it's this soft? There really (weren't) very many pins I wasn't aiming at."

Tiger Woods struggles through sloppy 2nd round, will miss cut

At the outset of his second round, Tiger Woods already was flirting with missing the cut.

After just four holes, the 15-time major champion (and four times a winner of the PGA) had all but guaranteed he'd be packing his bags for a flight out of Louisville. He went triple-bogey, bogey, triple-bogey on Holes 2 through 4, going from 1 over to 8 over faster than a thoroughbred at nearby Churchill Downs. Though it didn't get much better from there, he at least ended on a positive note: Woods birdied the 18th hole.

But it was far too little, far too late, as he finished the tournament at 7 over after signing for a 6-over 77 Friday.

Once Round 2 concludes Saturday morning, Woods will miss the cut for the fifth time in 23 career PGA Championship appearances.

"It was a great week being here — being here at Valhalla — and unfortunately my scores did not indicate how the people treated me and how great a week I had," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I hit too many shots."

What other notable names are likely heading home after 36 holes at Valhalla?

Though Woods certainly is the most well-known name who will miss the cut, he's far from the only marquee player who isn't in line to play the final 36 holes once Round 2 concludes Saturday morning. (The projected cut is 1 under; the PGA Championship cut is the top 70 and ties.)

Others high-wattage names include:

• Ludvig Åberg: Even (tied for 80th)

• Matt Fitzpatrick: Even (tied for 80th)

• Jon Rahm: Even (tied for 80th)

• Adam Scott: 3 over (tied for 108th)

• Sam Burns: 3 over (tied for 108th)

• Wyndham Clark: 4 over (tied for 116th)

• Phil Mickelson: 4 over (tied for 116th)

• Padraig Harrington: 10 over (tied for 142nd)

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: PGA Championship Day 2: Leaders, top moments from Valhalla Golf Club