CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Major Max is on the move again.

Max Homa has endured a trying season on the PGA Tour to say the least, but when it comes to the major championships, he’s been on his game.

After missing the cut in his previous five tournaments, Homa somehow managed to pull it all together last month at the Masters to finish just outside of the top 10. On Friday, he climbed into contention at the midway point of the PGA Championship behind his best round ever at a major.

The Cal alum started on No. 10 and shot a blistering 6-under 30 on Quail Hollow’s challenging back nine and finished with a 64, leaving him at 5 under for the tournament and three back of the leader Jhonattan Vegas. It bested his previous low round at a major at the 2024 Masters by three shots.

“I mean, I was told for a long time I couldn’t play a major,” Homa said. “So now all of a sudden I’m being asked about why I play well only in majors. I don’t really have an answer for that one.”

Then he shrugged and added, “it’s just golf, I guess.”

Entering the day, the 34-year-old Homa had not been among the top 10 on a major championship leaderboard following any of his previous 15 rounds, including at Augusta.

But he was dialed in on Friday.

Even his mishits were working out in his favor.

That was never more true than on the 347-yard par-4 14th hole when Homa carried the trees on the left side of the fairway off the tee and his ball bounced on the green and rolled to within two feet of the cup to set up a gimme eagle putt.

Homa figured he’d driven the green when he heard the cheers from the crowd, but didn’t realize how close he was to recording an elusive albatross.

“That was one of the rare occasions in golf where as the further you walk up to the green, the closer it got,” Homa said.

When asked if it was among the best shots he’s ever had, he shook his head no.

“I was aiming one yard inside the right bunker, so I toed it like the perfect amount,” Homa said, with a laugh. “I looked up slightly scared of it going left, but obviously it was still a good drive. I mean, you don’t hit it there intentionally unless you’re Scottie (Scheffler) or something.”

Vegas (8-under 134) cruised through the back nine at muggy Quail Hollow and was 10-under par until he missed a 3-foot putt on 18 and ended an otherwise splendid day with a double bogey for an even-par 70, giving him a two-shot lead.

Scheffler was only three shots back going into the weekend.

“Every chance you get to lead a major and play with the lead is never easy,” Vegas said. “So I feel proud of a solid round today.”

Si Woo Kim, the engaging South Korean, was two shots back and made an ace on the longest par 3 at Quail Hollow on his way to a 64. Kim hit 5-wood on the 252-yard sixth hole, making it the longest hole-in-one in major championship history.

Xander Schauffele kept his cut streak alive — barely.

The defending champion shot an even-par 71 to make the cut on the number at 1-over 143, extending his streak to 64 tournaments. He hasn’t missed a cut since the 2022 Masters.

It’s the longest since Tiger Woods’ 142-event run that started in 1998 and ended in 2005.

Homa still has work to do this week, including trying to finish in the top four to avoid having to qualify for next month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.

But Homa seems to rise to the occasion when his back is against the wall. Last month, he needed to finish 12th or better at the Masters to assure a return to Augusta National next year. He hit the number on the button, finishing in a tie with Harris English for 12th.

Still, Homa said he didn’t take much confidence away from his strong finish amid the azaleas, saying he felt like he did so with “smoke and mirrors.”