Li Haotong proved you don't need to hit every fairway to shine at TPC Harding Park, while several others showed you don't always need a putter either on day two of the US PGA Championship.
Here is everything you need to know from the second day of the first Major Championship of the year.
Brilliant bunker play
Just when it looked like Alex Noren had played the best bunker shot of the day, Erik van Rooyen provided him with some serious competition for that honour. Swede Noren, who was the last man in this week following Vaughn Taylor's withdrawal, holed out from a greenside bunker at the 14th to get his first birdie of the day. And not long after, South African Van Rooyen did exactly the same thing at the first to bounce back from a bogey on his previous hole. How good was this?
Erik van Rooyen showing us all how to play bunker shots 💯 #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/nUUsI8xB9R
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 7, 2020
Who needs fairways?
Li flew into contention at the year's first Major with a bogey free 65 on day two at TPC Harding Park. What makes his second round effort even more impressive, though, is the fact that he only hit four fairways all day. The 25-year-old from China was able to rely on some outstanding approach play and a red hot putter to post a low score, as five birdies and no bogeys handed him a two shot lead heading into the weekend.
.@haotong_li hit just 4 fairways on his way to a second-round 65.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/UWrWwYbcWW
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 7, 2020
Koepka's hip problem doesn't stop him from contending
Two time defending champion Brooks Koepka was motoring along nicely on Friday afternoon, making three birdies and one bogey before he was shown lying down and receiving treatment on the 12th. The American said after his round that he had a tight hip but it did not appear to affect him too much in the closing stages of his 68 as he recovered from a bogey on the 13th with a brilliant birdie at the last to jump to six under.
Rory's birdie burst
After opening his campaign with a level par 70 on Thursday, Rory McIlroy followed up a birdie at the first with bogeys on the third and fifth on day two to sit right on the projected cut mark after five holes. He then caught fire, reeling off four straight birdies at the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth to propel himself up the leaderboard. Unfortunately for the four time Major Champion, he gave three shots back at the 12th when he carded a disappointing seven but a birdie on the 16th helped him get to one under and comfortably make the cut.
Lorenzo-Vera's late run
Li's place at the top of the leaderboard looked pretty secure all day, with only Jason Day briefly joining him at the summit before falling back into the large tie for second. After mixing two birdies with two bogeys on his front nine to sit four shots behind Li at the turn, late starter Mike Lorenzo-Vera suddenly made a charge with three birdies in a row from the second - his 11th hole - to become Li's nearest challenger. But he was unable to knock Li off his perch and instead finished his round with a bogey on the difficult ninth to drop to six under.
