China's Li leads PGA Championship by two shots

San Francisco - Two-time defending champ Brooks Koepka appears poised to strike.

China No. 1 Li Haotong outshone the big guns on Friday to lead at the halfway stage of the PGA Championship, but two-time defending champ Brooks Koepka appears poised to strike.
Li, who is trying to become the first player from China to win a men's major championship, fired a bogey-free 65 to take a two-shot lead in the first major championship of the pandemic-interrupted season.
Li is at eight-under 132 heading into the weekend making him the first player from China to lead in a major.
Koepka kept his pursuit of a three-peat on track by shooting a hard-fought 68 to join five others in tie for second at six-under at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
First round co-leader Jason Day, England's Tommy Fleetwood, Daniel Berger, England's Justin Rose, and France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera are all at six-under 134, two shots back of Li.
Brendon Todd, Paul Casey and Cameron Champ are another shot back at five under.
Li, who turned 25 on Monday, is hoping his solid play this week in San Francisco will revive the form that catapulted him to the upper echelons of golf with a third-place finish at the 2017 British Open.
He drained five birdies, including four on the front nine, making him the first player from China to hold a lead in a major championship. He has just one bogey through 36 holes.
"The last couple of days I've been pretty much all hitting in the right spot," said Li. "Even if I miss the green, I still got a chance for an up-and-down."

Leading scores after Friday's first round: 132 - Li Haotong (CHN) 67-65 134 - Michael Lorenzo-Vera (FRA) 66-68, Jason Day (AUS) 65-69, Brooks Koepka (USA) 66-68, Daniel Berger (USA) 67-67, Justin Rose (ENG) 66-68, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 70-64 135 - Paul Casey (ENG) 68-67, Brendon Todd (USA) 65-70, Cameron Champ (USA) 71-64 136 - Dustin Johnson (USA) 69-67, Lanto Griffin (USA) 68-68, Alexander Norén (SWE) 67-69, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 68-68, Xander Schauffele (USA) 66-70 137 - Tony Finau (USA) 67-70, Bud Cauley (USA) 66-71, Matthew Wolff (USA) 69-68, Brendan Steele (USA) 66-71, Scottie Scheffler (USA) 66-71, Joel Dahmen (USA) 69-68, Kim Si-Woo (KOR) 69-68, Dylan Frittelli (RSA) 70-67, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 70-67 138 - Adam Scott (AUS) 68-70, Harold Varner III (USA) 72-66, Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 68-70, Collin Morikawa (USA) 69-69, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 72-66, Patrick Reed (USA) 68-70 139 - Brian Harman (USA) 68-71, Gary Woodland (USA) 67-72, Denny McCarthy (USA) 70-69, Kevin Streelman (USA) 69-70, Nate Lashley (USA) 69-70, Webb Simpson (USA) 71-68, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 70-69, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 68-71, Victor Perez (FRA) 70-69, Jon Rahm (ESP) 70-69, Abraham Ancer (MEX) 69-70, Joost Luiten (NED) 71-68, Viktor Hovland (NOR) 68-71