Mother Nature threw a major curveball at the PGA Championship on Friday, and top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler was the first to feel its sting. After sharing the overnight lead at three-under par, Scheffler stumbled badly out of the gate in the second round, carding three bogeys in his first four holes as cold temperatures and gusting winds at Aronimink turned the course into a true test of grit.

The world No. 1, who started his round on the back nine, missed his first six fairways—a shocking contrast to his pristine 13-of-14 performance on day one. The sloping greens and swirling breezes didn't help, and Scheffler quickly fell back to level par. He had been part of a historic seven-way tie for the lead after 18 holes, the most co-leaders in a major since 1989.

But Scheffler wasn't alone in his struggles. Fellow co-leader Martin Kaymer, a two-time major winner, also took a tumble with bogeys on five of his first seven holes. Meanwhile, American Alex Smalley managed to grind out six pars on the back nine to maintain his share of the lead—the highlight being a spectacular 19-foot putt at the 15th hole.

Australian Min Woo Lee, Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, South African Aldrich Potgieter, and Germany's Stephan Jaeger were among the afternoon starters looking to capitalize on the morning chaos. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, briefly joined the lead party with a five-foot birdie at the fourth, only to three-putt for his first bogey of the tournament two holes later.

Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner, kept his card clean with a bogey-free start, sinking a 23-foot birdie from just off the 13th green and adding another from eight feet at the third to reach two-under. For Justin Rose, however, the day was a disaster: a double bogey at the 10th and another at the 14th left him at four-over, dangerously close to missing the cut.

Even Rory McIlroy, the six-time major winner and reigning Masters champion, couldn't escape the chaos. After spraying tee shots in an opening 74 that included bogeys on five of his last six holes, McIlroy spent hours on the practice range Thursday evening trying to find his swing. The last player to overcome such a rough start? That would be Payne Stewart in 1979—a reminder that at the PGA Championship, no lead is safe and every shot counts.