At the halfway point of the US PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, and Corey Conners lead, while Jon Rahm battles to make the cut.
After Scheffler and Conners scored two-under 68s and Hovland shot a 67, the trio is tied for fifth place at Oak Hill.
Bryson DeChambeau is two shots back, with Brooks Koepka a further shot back, while Rory McIlroy appeared to be in better spirits after he shot 69 to equal par.
To make the cut, defending winner Justin Thomas holed a bogey putt on 18.
The top 70 and ties advance to the weekend, as Jordan Spieth sank a vital putt on the last to join Thomas on five over.
Phil Mickelson, who at the age of 50 became the oldest major champion when he won this championship in 2021, also made it to the final two rounds on the cut mark.
However, England’s US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who stated earlier in the week that he loved this type of attritional struggle, missed the cut by one stroke after dropping shots on his final two holes.
As it transpired, round two
Latest leaderboard World number one Rahm, who won the Masters last month, entered this title on a four-win streak dating back to August.
However, following a birdie on his second hole, the Spaniard squandered multiple further opportunities to better his score in a run of nine consecutive pars, and his irritation boiled over.
But three birdies in a row on the back nine saved his round and left him in contention for a third major championship.
In difficult morning conditions, Justin Rose set the clubhouse lead as one of just seven players under par for their rounds, but rain in the afternoon softened the course and resulted to better score, particularly on the back nine.
Fellow Englishman Callum Tarren, who just made the field after previous champion Martin Kaymer withdrew on Friday, was one to benefit, shooting a 67 with four birdies and one bogey to get to two under overall.
Despite having only nine players under par for the tournament, Oak Hill is still proving to be a difficult test.
