j. t. poston took the Memorial Tournament lead after a second-round seven-under-par 65 left him at nine under. Ryan Gerard sat one shot behind, while Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dropped eight shots back after laboring through Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Poston and Gerard at nine under
Poston moved clear on a leaderboard that tightened behind him but did not crowd the top. Gerard stayed within one shot, putting pressure on the leader without matching the pace that posted a 65.
Tommy Fleetwood reached fourth at four under, and Aaron Rai stood on one under. That left only a narrow group within range of the lead as the tournament moved through its second round.
Scheffler’s 72 and McIlroy’s 74
Scheffler, the world number one and defending champion, signed for a level-par 72 and stood one over after two rounds. He bogeyed holes eight, nine and 10, then said, "I felt like I was going to shoot about 90 today" after a round in which he also said, "That's maybe some of the worst I've hit it in a couple years out there and I still managed to shoot even par around a golf course that requires you to strike the ball really well".
McIlroy carded a two-over-par 74 and also sat one over after two rounds. He had a double-bogey, two bogeys and a birdie in his last six holes, a finish that pushed him well back in a tournament he has never won.
McIlroy’s limited buildup
This was only McIlroy’s third tournament since winning the Masters in April, and it served as his only warm-up event before the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. That gave the second-round standings a sharper edge, with the players closest to Poston needing a major move just to get back into striking distance.
For Scheffler, the gap was less about one bad stretch than the size of the deficit: eight shots back after two rounds while trying to chase a third straight Memorial title. Poston, meanwhile, left the field with a narrow lead and the most efficient score of the day, exactly the kind of margin that can disappear fast at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
