The Japan Times - Scheffler, Rahm and Vegas share lead in PGA shootout

World number one Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, joined two-time major winner Rahm and 36-hole leader Vegas, without a top-20 finish in 16 major starts, on seven under par as the last group made the turn at Quail Hollow, where a morning storm delayed the start.

Scheffler opened with a bogey but answered with a tap-in birdie at the par-three fourth hole, an 18-foot birdie putt at the fifth and an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-five seventh to put the American on seven-under.

Vegas squandered his overnight lead with back-to-back opening bogeys.

After finding pine straw near right trees at the first hole and missing a 24-foot par putt, Vegas was near a left cart path off the second tee and missed a 21-foot par putt.

But the 40-year-old South American reclaimed a share of the lead with a birdie at the seventh, chipping to just inside six feet and making the putt.

At the par-four eighth, Vegas blasted his tee shot just outside 26 feet from the hole but settled for a three-putt par after missing a three-foot birdie putt for the solo lead.

Rahm reeled off birdies at the 14th, par-five 15th and 16th holes to join them at the top.

The Spaniard birdied the first hole on a 13-foot putt, the third from 20 feet and answered a bogey at the sixth with a birdie at the seventh.

After a birdie at the par-five 10th, Rahm smacked his approach at 11 off a spectator and the ball rolled across the green into the right rough. Rahm made bogey at the 11th but bounced back with a two-putt birdie from eight feet at the par-four 14th, a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-five 15th and a tap-in birdie at 16.

- DeChambeau lurking -

Reigning US Open champion DeChambeau was one adrift on six-under with South Korean Kim Si-woo and American Davis Riley.

DeChambeau made a 30-foot birdie putt at the first, dropped his third shot inches from the seventh hole and tapped in for birdie and sank a five-foot birdie putt at the eighth.

Riley reeled off three consecutive birdies starting at the eighth and made another at the 14th to move up.

Kim sank a birdie putt from just inside six feet at the fourth to briefly grab the lead alone at seven-under, but he closed the front nine with a bogey to stumble back.

A severe thunderstorm postponed the scheduled 8:15 a.m. (1215 GMT) start and forced organizers to re-draw the groups into trios off the first and 10th tees starting at 11:43 a.m. in a bid to finish the round by sunset.

Rain-soaked areas, saturated by showers for four days before the tournament began, and gusting winds made the layout even trickier.

World number two Rory McIlroy, who won last month's Masters to complete a career Grand Slam, and defending champion Xander Schauffele were to have started in the second group off the first tee the morning.

Instead, they ended up teeing off five hours and 13 minutes later from the 10th tee alongside American Chris Kirk.

Four-time major winner McIlroy, who has won four times at Quail Hollow and owns the course record of 61, dropped his approach at 14 inside four feet and made the birdie putt, but stumbled with bogeys at the par-five 15th and par-three 17th to stand on two-over.

Schauffele, also the reigning British Open champion, opened with a birdie but went bogey-birdie-bogey on 14 through 16 to stand on one-over.

M.Saito--JT