NEWTOWN SQUARE – Justin Rose was searching to regain his stroke Friday evening and desperately trying to make the cut at the PGA Championship.

His chances looked bleak on his final hole of the second round, the par-5 ninth, after his second shot landed in thick rough just short of the green. He needed a birdie in order to play Saturday and Sunday.

He did one better, sinking his chip shot for an eagle.

“It gave me a bit of freedom today,” Rose said Saturday. “Obviously a bit of gratitude just to be here. It offered me the opportunity to go and try and find something within myself and within my game. I relished that opportunity.”

And he took advantage of it. He tied for the low score of the round with a 5-under 65 at Aronimink Golf Club and gave himself a chance to win his second major championship Sunday.

“I got off to a good start, which is exactly what I felt I needed to do,” he said. “I thought we had some beautiful conditions this morning. I put the ball in play off the tee, which I wasn’t able to do for the first two days.

“I hit some really beautiful iron shots into some pins and worked the ball nicely into the right flags or left flags.”

Rose is a favorite of fans in the Philadelphia area. An Englishman, he won the 2013 U.S. Open at nearby Merion Golf Club for his only major title. He also has played well at Aronimink, winning the 2010 AT&T National and losing to Keegan Bradley in a playoff in the 2018 BMW Championship.

“I’ve fortunately done well on these styles of tracks,” he said earlier this week, “and therefore built a nice rapport with Philly. The crowds have kind of sensed that. I do. I get great support out there because of that. It’s been a lot of fun to come back to this part of the country and play.”

Rose became the first golfer this week to reel off four consecutive birdies, on holes 3 through 6. He also birdied No. 9 for a 30 on the front nine. After he birdied the short par-4 13th to get to 6-under for the round, he bogeyed the par-3 14th and then parred out.

“I thought the pins were a little bit easier to read,” he said, explaining the lower scores Saturday. “And the greens are in such good shape, so I think guys were making putts.

“To be honest, the last hour we were on the golf course it started to feel tricky. The wind was picking up and shifting around a little bit.”

His round Saturday was much steadier than the one he had Friday, which included four bogeys, three birdies and two double bogeys. He recently made a change with his irons because he had struggled since tying for third at the Masters last month.

He has had several close calls at the majors. Playing on a course that he described as a “beautiful old-school track” and where he has played well might make a difference Sunday.

“I realize it’s such a bunched leaderboard this week,” he said. “It offered me the opportunity to make a run today and get in the tournament. Whether you felt you could win it or not, two good rounds are going to go a long way this weekend if you made the cut.

“I came in with that mindset and motivation.”