TULSA, Okla.—Will Zalatoris shot a 36-hole score of 9-under 131, which is the lowest by any player in history at Southern Hills to lead halfway through the 2022 104th PGA Championships, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Southern Hills has hosted the most PGA Championships, as well as a few U.S. Open Championships, and has served to be a great test of golf with it’s typical 20–30 mph steady winds and even stronger gusts.
History has shown at this venue that all seven previous 36-hole Majors leaders at Southern Hills have gone on to win, with most recently Tiger Woods in the 2007 PGA Championship, and Retief Goosen at the 2001 U.S. Open.
Though the 2021 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Zalatoris has yet to win on the PGA Tour, he has four career top-ten finishes in seven starts at Major Championships; including a second-place finish at the 2021 Masters.
“We lucked out a little bit with the draw for sure,” said the 25-year-old Zalatoris of the usually strong afternoon winds. “I played the last eight holes really with not much wind, but take it when you can get.”
Following a first round of 66, Zalatoris overtook first-round leader Rory McIlroy with a round of 65 on Friday; with an opening birdie on the first hole, and four birdies on the back nine on holes 11, 12, 13, and 17.
“On 17, being able to get out of there with birdie where it was looking like I was going to be making five,” said the Wake Forest alum Zalatoris.
Hole “10 was really the big one, compounding two errors, and then hitting one really good golf shot, and saving par,” added Zalatoris. “I just kept on going today, I made a bunch of six, eight footers for par; that kind of kept the day going, and obviously being bogey-free [is] pretty nice around this place.”
Ball striking was a premium, which is typical, for the Dallas native Zalatoris who was able to take advantage to make all 18 putts from within 10 feet in the second round.
Following his first-round Thursday, “I either made four or five 25-footers, it was kind of a bizarre day,” added Zalatoris of his game weakness of putting. “I didn’t drive a great early, and drove it nicely at the end, but I think all six my birdies came from the rough today.”
“So I’m very pleased with today obviously, anytime you can put up [a score of] 66 at a major, you’re obviously happy,” said Zalatoris of his opening round.
Mito Pereira was one stroke behind at –8 in his second career major start, having missed the cut at the 2019 U.S. Open. The 27-year-old Texas Tech alum tied for the most birdies after the first two rounds with 11.
Pereira has has three PGA Tour Top 10 finishes, and has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, and internationally as an amateur. He played alongside fellow Chilean native Joaquin Niemann throughout his junior career.
Justin Thomas sits in third at –6, while Bubba Watson shot up to fourth with a low round for the tournament on Friday with a score of 63, 7-under total.
Tiger Woods narrowly made the cut with a 69-second round after opening with a 74 for a total of 143. Woods seemed to suffer from noticeably limping and grimacing from complications with his right leg, which negatively impacted his old strategy of hitting stingers from the tee; he adjusted successfully in the second round by hitting with the driver.
Zalatoris and Pereira tee off in the final group Group on Saturday at 2:50 p.m. ET with temperatures dropping to the mid-50s.
