By Michael Whitmer, Globe Staff

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- Scott Verplank has surged into the lead at the 93d PGA Championship, using three front-nine birdies to reach 6-under-par, two clear of his nearest pursuers.

There's currently a five-way tie for second at 4-under, with D.A. Points the only one of those to finish his second round. Points had a 67. Adam Scott, looking for two straight wins, is 3-under on the day to reach 4-under. First-round leader Steve Stricker has given three shots back on the front nine, making bogey on Nos. 8 and 9, and instead of sitting two shots up is now two behind. Brandt Jobe is the other one at 4-under.

Hopkinton High School graduate Keegan Bradley has one of the day's best rounds going, and has played his way into the championship. Bradley, making his major championship debut, is 4-under through 11 holes and 3-under for the tournament, tied for seventh.

Unless he changes his mind, Tiger Woods's PGA Tour season will come to an end in a few hours. Woods, who had a 77 in the first round, hasn't made any kind of move today. In fact, he's going the other way, 4-over after 12 holes, and is tied for 131st among the 156-player field. Woods, in a microcosm of his tournament, just doubled the par-5 12th without a penalty stroke. He yanked his drive left, punched back to the first cut of rough, pulled his third shot way left, punched out again, barely reached the green with a chip, and missed the bogey putt. Despite his recent return from a lengthy injury layoff, he looks ready for a break.

1:45 p.m. Steve Stricker is 30 minutes from beginning his second round, but still has a two-shot lead at the 93d PGA Championship. In addition to Jerry Kelly at 5-under, D.A. Points has reached that figure, closing the gap with five birdies through 16 holes. Points is 4-under on the day.

Stricker, who matched the lowest score ever in a major championship when he opened with 63, has a 2:15 p.m. tee time, looking to create even more separation as he continues his quest for an elusive major. It's always tough to follow up a really low score with another; Stricker has one other 63 this year, in the third round of the John Deere Classic. He shot 69 in the final round, winning the tournament by one stroke.

Rory McIlroy should make the cut, finishing 36 holes at 3-over after shooting 73. McIlroy showed up with a brace-like device on his right forearm this morning, but appeared to be in much less discomfort than yesterday, when he injured himself hitting a shot from near a tree root. He kept both hands on the club today, and was even shaking his competitors hands after his round using his right hand, something he didn't do after his first round.

10:15 a.m.: Most of the first-round leaders have afternoon tee times today, but half the field is on the course, including Rory McIlroy.

Injured when he chose to play a shot near a tree root yesterday early in his first round, McIlroy went to a local hospital last night for an MRI, which showed minor tendon damage in his right forearm. Ice and an improvised wrap allowed McIlroy to finish his first round, when he somehow shot an even-par 70. His arm is wrapped better this morning, and he's even-par through five holes.

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel has made the biggest move so far today, carding three early birdies to reach 2-under, which is tied for fifth. Schwartzel, starting on No. 10 and playing with McIlroy (the first three major winners are paired together), has birdied the 10th, 13th, and 14th.

D.A. Points (2-under through four) and Jason Day (2-under through four) are also moving up the leaderboard by making some early birdies.

Steve Stricker (63), Jerry Kelly (65), and Scott Verplank (67) are among those with afternoon starts. That includes Tiger Woods, who will try to improve on a first-round 77, his highest score in any PGA Championship. He'll likely need an under-par score if he wants to make the cut and extend his PGA Tour season. If he misses the cut here, he won't qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which includes the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Brandt Snedeker, who had a first-round 74, was assessed a two-stroke penalty when he arrived late for his 8:10 a.m. tee time. He went on to bogey the hole, and is 2-over on his round through seven holes. J.B. Holmes, who opened with 80, withdrew this morning, citing illness. So did Rocco Mediate, who had 79 but left with an undisclosed injury.