Pendrith using length, putter to shine at PGA Championship
Published
After a few weeks of playing well but not getting any results, Taylor Pendrith is finally seeing red numbers on his scorecard on a course that isn’t giving up too many.
Pendrith posted a second-round, one under 70 on Friday to stay inside the top 20 after the morning wave finished to keep him very much in contention at the PGA Championship.
“Drove it really nicely today,” said the long-hitting Richmond Hill, Ont., product. “I hit some really nice iron shots, hit some poor ones, as well, but got a couple of nice breaks and I was able to roll in a couple of putts. All in all, it was a good day.”
Pendrith played steady golf, making his first birdie on the par-5 seventh after reaching the green in two and two-putting from 61 feet. His only bogey came on the par-3 13th when he missed the green and failed to get up and down. He added one more birdie on the 16th hole, ranked as the second-most difficult, after hitting his approach shot to 10 feet and draining the putt.
Like they did on Thursday, the soft conditions led to several mud balls where caked-on dirt causes the ball to fly off in unanticipated directions. The most severe one for Pendrith came on the 12th hole and his second shot soared well right of its intended target. He was still able to make par.
Good days haven’t been that plentiful of late for Pendrith. After starting the 2025 season on a roll, Pendrith fell into a wave of mediocrity with his usually strong putting going cold. In his last nine starts, he’s missed the cut on four occasions – including at the Masters -- and posted just a single top-10 finish.
Yet he came into the year’s second major with high hopes thanks to a course that fit his strengths, namely hitting the ball a long way off the tee. Quail Hollow plays a meaty 7,600 yards and has been even more demanding due to plenty of rain prior to the tournament start.
“I honestly don’t feel that different than the last couple of weeks,” said Pendrith, who hit 10 drives in excess of 300 yards. “I have been playing some decent golf, but the scores just haven’t been there. Getting off to a good start is good for the confidence and I feel like my game is in a good spot.”
He’s hoping to ride the wave of positivity into the weekend, he said, where he’ll continue to try and move up a leaderboard that doesn’t have many top-ranked players near the top.
Before that, however, Pendrith will be tuned into the Friday night playoff game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers. He’s hoping his Leafs can provide him with a little more positive momentum as he heads to the weekend at the PGA Championship.
Of the four Canadians who teed off in the morning, Pendrith was the only one to survive the cut. Mac Hughes, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor all struggled and will have the weekend off.
Corey Conners played in the afternoon and was expected to join Pendrith with tee times for Saturday and Sunday.