I’ve got to say that today’s play at the 2011 PGA Championship is certainly setting us up for a most interesting weekend!

The leaderboard looks much different today than it did yesterday. That’s one of the great things about the majors, it’s any mans game and  more often than not, you’ll see a bunch of not-so-familiar names on the score board.

Tiger Woods finished his second round with a +3, and although a drastic improvement to his first round of +7, it wasn’t enough to nudge his name above the cut-line. Have no fear though, now that he’s healthy and hale again, it’s only a matter of time until Tiger gets his groove back. I imagine his three month hiatus from the game certainly has something to do with it.

Jason Dufner, who currently shares the top spot of the 2011 PGA Championship with Keegan Bradley shot a 5‑under par 65 during the second round with five birdies and one eagle offset by bogey on #2 and #14.

When asked what he would say to the average golf fan who only tunes into the majors about some of the uncommon names topping the leaderboard, Jason Dufner says, “I would say to them that there’s a lot of good guys out here. That’s one thing that I’ve learned, this is my sixth year out here, there’s tons and tons of guys that can play golf out here.

The networks and the media maybe focus on bigger names for a reason. That’s who people want to see. People want to see Tiger Woods, people want to see Phil Mickelson. But there’s other guys that can really, really play golf out here and that are really good that you’ve never heard of.

I think and you’ve seen a lot of first time winners out here this year, so that’s another factor that kind of supports that. I just think it’s very, very competitive out here. I don’t think the average golf fan realizes how competitive it is to be on the PGA TOUR, keep your card, win tournaments. It’s just not an easy thing, and for guys that you’ve never heard of to do it, that shows you how deep the fields are and how deep the events can be.”

Steve Stricker faltered a bit following his PGA Championship record tying 63 with a 4-over during the second round, bumping him down to a -3 under 7th place. PGA golf’s “Best Player to Never Win a Major” had a rough round today, shooting only two birdies and five bogeys.

Rory McIlroy’s sprained wrist seems to be the talk of the tournament, which kind of stinks, but he finished today at 3-over, much better than many in the field who don’t have a convenient excuse like an injured wrist to blame it on.

I’m happy to see eight out of the top ten slots have the American flag next to their name, we’re due to win a major and the 2011 PGA Championship looks promising.

Even though it’s a crazy long course, 7,467 yards crazy, it’s not the length that’s hurting the players, it’s missing the fairways. Granted, playing out of the fairway is ALWAYS easier than the alternative, the Atlantic Athletic Club seems to really be punishing those who miss, even in the first cut.

How about those greens eh? Is it just me or does it seem like an abnormally high amount of long putts have found their way into the cup?

I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the tournament, it’s still any mans game and a ton of excitement ahead of us.