It takes some luck to win a major championship, and the leader at the PGA Championship caught a huge break in his second round.
Jhonattan Vegas was leading the PGA Championship when he stepped up to the 17th tee box, facing a daunting final two holes. While Vegas’ shot appeared to be headed right of the green, he got some luck from a rake to put his ball in much better position.
While Vegas finished his round after a tough double-bogey on 18, it could have been worse had his 17th hole not included the lucky break. Vegas enters the weekend at 8-under for the tournament and in position to contend for his first major championship victory.
Here’s what happened on 17.
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Jhonattan Vegas rake shot, explained
Vegas sent his drive on the par-3 17th away from the hole, as he was trying to avoid the water. While the shot was farther right than he probably preferred, he got a great bounce off the rake by the sand trap that rocketed the ball towards the hole.
Instead of dealing with a chip or long putt, Vegas was set up with a legitimate birdie putt to extend his lead.
That’s just classic Vegas luck 🍀#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/vELza3YfZ3
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 16, 2025
On his way to the green, Vegas walked by and acknowledged his new, lucky rake.
Little tip of the cap to the rake from Vegas! pic.twitter.com/AYeYVUQDP5
— Tee Times (@TeeTimesPub) May 16, 2025
While Vegas ended up missing the putt, he gladly took the par to move onto the last hole. At Quail Hollow this week, the last two holes are playing as the toughest two, so Vegas’ lucky break could be a factor in the final leaderboard.
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Jhonattan Vegas PGA Championship scorecard
Round 1:
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 64 |
Round 2:
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 70 |
Johnattan Vegas PGA Championship history
Jhonattan Vegas has not seen much success in majors during his career, but he has seen the most success during the PGA Championship. Vegas has participated in six PGA Championships, making the cut in three of them with his best finish coming at tied for 22nd. That score is also his best finish at a major tournament thus far.
