LOUISVILLE, KY. – Xander Schauffele continues to lead the way at the PGA Championship, but a handful of big-time chasers are closing on him late in the second round at Valhalla Golf Club.

No one could have foreseen a wild Friday where world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested on his way to the course, placed in a holding cell, yet still made his tee time to remain in contention.

A tragic fatal accident just outside the golf course in the early hours of the morning created traffic chaos, forcing an 80-minute delay to the start of the second round. It ensured the second round was not completed before darkness.

When play was called, Schauffele was in the clubhouse as the leader at 12-under par, backing up his record 62 from Thursday with a 3-under 68.

But the news all centered around Scheffler’s 5-under 66 which came after an incident with police.

Scheffler is now 9-under for the tournament chasing back-to-back majors after winning his second Masters in April. A victory would be his fifth in six starts on TOUR, including the Masters and PLAYERS victories.

At +300 on the BetMGM Sportsbook odds board, Scheffler is in a really interesting spot. One train of thought is, if he can get through scenarios like Friday, he can get through anything – and he’s on his way to being the first person since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win the opening two majors of the season.

The other is he’s surely going to have an adrenaline crash after the chaos. Add the fact his caddie Ted Scott will be off the bag attending his child’s graduation and Scheffler could be vulnerable. Scott is the calming influence he might need in the moment.

I’m leaning to the latter but I’ve been burned so often by Scheffler I am certainly worried he’s ready to pounce.

Earlier in the day Collin Morikawa posted a slick 65, including a run of five straight birdies, to get to 11-under and into second place. Young star Sahith Theegala sits third at 10-under.

Joining Scheffler at 9-under are Belgium’s former World Cup winner Thomas Detry (67), American Mark Hubbard (68) and former U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau.

Here are the latest odds from BetMGM Sportsbook with my take on who to consider for your bets going forward.

• +250: Xander Schauffele (12-under)
• +300: Scottie Scheffler (9-under)
• +500: Collin Morikawa (11-under)
• +1000: Bryson DeChambeau (9-under)
• +1200: Sahith Theegala (10-under)
• +1600: Brooks Koepka (7-under)
• +2000: Viktor Hovland (8-under)
• +2800: Rory McIlroy (5-under)

Draw

Collin Morikawa +500

I made the huge mistake of leaving Morikawa off my list last night after seriously considering adding him, so I’m going to learn my lesson and join the two-time major winner’s fan club. While Morikawa had some struggles earlier this season he has been trending back up of late, contending at the Masters and now putting himself back in place for a weekend tilt at Valhalla.

The winner of the PGA Championship in 2020, Morikawa knows what it takes to get in done in this championship and with his return to his longtime coach of late, he seems much more settled and clearly happier. Morikawa ranks third in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and is third in SG: Around-the-Green. If he can maintain that against the ball striking of Schauffele and Scheffler, he represents the value on the board when it comes to the lead contenders.

“Just kept it in front of myself, and look, I've been putting great so far since Augusta, so it's nice to just kind of keep that trend going,” Morikawa said. “Was able to hit a few good close shots, few wedge shots, take advantage of the short holes, the par 5s and for the most part didn't really make any big errors, other than the last hole."

Fade

Xander Schauffele +250

It is simple math here. The odds are too low considering Schauffele’s record of falling just short. He has 12 top-10 finishes in 27 career major starts, including runner-up finishes at the 2018 Open Championship and 2019 Masters. He has played in the final group four times this season without winning having been run down by Scheffler at THE PLAYERS and by Rory McIlroy last week at the Wells Fargo Championship. I would love to see Schauffele finally get it done, even though he’s fallen short each time I’ve picked him this season. He is leading the field in SG: Tee-to-Green and is inside the top 17 for all other SG stats, including second in SG: Off-the-Tee. He has just one bogey through two rounds. Despite all the good reasons, he just hasn’t earned the trust of bettors.

“When you haven't won a golf tournament in a few years, you have to be pretty resilient," Schauffele said. "I'm just patient and trying to play the best golf I can and stay out of my own way. I know I'm playing really good golf right now, and all I can do is focus on my process."