ATLANTA – Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns are greatest buddies. They’re highway roommates, practice-round companions and revel in bible research collectively on the PGA Tour. On Friday, Burns predicted Scheffler would go gap looking along with his second shot from a fairway bunker at No. 13 at East Lake Golf Membership. When Scheffler hit a uncommon poor shot, a one-handed end that discovered a plugged lie within the sand, Burns, talking with Kevin Kisner and Smiley Kaufman on NBC cracked, “This man is horrible.”
So horrible that he made simply his second bogey of the week at that gap and posted a 5-under 66 to enhance to 21 beneath after two rounds on the Tour Championship.
However after he completed his spherical, Burns was extra real looking. “I must make a number of birdies. He’s the perfect golfer on the planet. He’s actually good with leads. It’s not an important factor for us,” he stated.
Requested if he thought there was an opportunity Scheffler may again up over the weekend, Burns didn’t hesitate.
“I’m not anticipating him to come back again within the slightest,” he stated. “Someone goes to should go chase him down. I believe when you drive the ball properly round right here, get your self in place sufficient and you’ve got a superb day with the irons and make some putts, I believe a low rating is available.”
Throughout Friday’s second spherical, which included a late-afternoon climate delay of 1 hour and 33 minutes, Collin Morikawa did simply that, posting 63 to chop Scheffler’s lead from seven after the primary spherical right down to 4 and Xander Schauffele is lurking 5 again.
Cancel the coronation for Sunday? Not but. However after 36 holes, we’re saying there’s an opportunity it received’t be a blow out.
Listed here are 5 issues to know after the second spherical of the 30-man Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup finale, the place $100 million in bonus cash might be doled out and the winner will financial institution a cool $25 million.
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Scottie Scheffler performs his shot from the third fairway through the second spherical of the TOUR Championship golf match. Obligatory Credit score: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports activities
Scottie Scheffler shot 66 on Friday however failed to increase his lead. After taking pictures 65, the low spherical of the day on Thursday, he led by a landing and the additional level was good. However Scheffler is aware of that the chasers are too good and somebody would make a cost to maintain issues fascinating.
“Most likely will certainly not have any extra seven-shot leads after — it was seven, wasn’t it? I’m positive you guys made a extremely big deal of that,” he stated.
When informed that the document seven-shot lead after the primary spherical got here with a giant asterisk, he stated, “I hope you probably did. Yeah, giant asterisk.”
Scheffler prevented opening with a bogey for the second straight day when he drained a 20-foot par putt. He tacked on birdies at Nos. 3, 6 and eight and wedged shut for an additional birdie at No. 10, which received him to twenty beneath for the primary time.
“I received off to a greater begin than yesterday, so it was good,” Scheffler stated. “Yeah, performed one other what I felt like was a fairly strong spherical of golf.”
The lone bogey of the day occurred at No. 13, however after the climate delay he made birdie at two of the ultimate three holes. Scheffler is enjoying his model of golf and if he retains avoiding the lengthy Bermuda tough, sticking his wedges inside 10 ft and rolling his rock – these had been his two greatest back-to-back rounds placing at East Lake in his 5 years enjoying right here – he’s going to be robust to beat.
Collin Morikawa appears down the golf green on third tee field through the second spherical of the TOUR Championship golf match. Obligatory Credit score: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports activities
Collin Morikawa began the match six strokes again of Scottie Scheffler. He made six birdies in a row on the again 9 on Thursday and nonetheless fell one other stroke behind Scheffler. On Friday, he struck again and birdied half the holes at East Lake to put up 8-under 63 and trim his deficit to 4. Morikawa’s in putting distance heading into the weekend however he is aware of Scheffler’s not going to make it simple for him to be caught.
“He’s such a superb participant that you just simply know he’s going to maintain going low and making birdies,” Morikawa stated. “I noticed that firsthand. I’ve seen it for years. For me, it’s simply hold my foot on the fuel and hold sticking to my recreation plan.”
Morikawa made three of his 4 front-nine birdies in a row starting at No. 6. He made his lone bogey of the day at No. 11 however then chipped in for birdie at 13.
“The chip-in was good, particularly having just a little two-shot swing there with Scottie,” he stated.
Morikawa added a birdie on the par-5 14th after which closed with a pair of birdies after play resumed.
“Caught to my recreation plan,” he stated. “Actually, simply stored hitting my pictures and made a bunch of putts in the present day, which was good.”
Xander Schauffele walks off the third tee field through the second spherical of the TOUR Championship golf match. Obligatory Credit score: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports activities
Higher.
That’s how Xander Schauffele described his play on Friday.
Certainly, it was. A day after taking pictures 1-over 37 on the again 9 and opening-round 70 to fall seven strokes again of Scheffler, Schauffele bounced again with a 7-under 64 on Friday.
At some point earlier, Schauffele ranked twenty ninth within the 30-man subject in proximity. Blame poor driving, particularly a case of the lefts on account of swinging just a little inside on his takeaway, for placing him in some sticky conditions. On Friday, he ranked seventh in proximity. He additionally improved from twenty second in Strokes Gained: Placing (-1.146) to 3rd (2.742).
“It was good to see some balls go in,” Schauffele stated.
“This course proper now with how agency the greens are, it’s a ball-striking kind deal the place it’s a must to be within the fairways and hit your quantity, and (Scottie’s) been killing everybody at that every one 12 months. I do know he’s not going to let up, so there’s just one strategy to get him,” Schauffele stated.
His plan? Simply hold his head down the following two days.
“It’s actually as much as him, to be sincere,” Schauffele stated. “I’ve to play out of my ‘beep’ to smell.”
Justin Thomas performs his shot off the third tee field through the second spherical of the TOUR Championship golf match. Obligatory Credit score: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports activities
U.S. Captain Jim Furyk and Worldwide Group Captain Mike Weir are watching carefully to see how their potential picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup are faring.
Sam Burns, who completed seventh within the level standings, shot 68 to climb to seventh place. Tony Finau, who was eighth within the standings, posted 66 to make a superb impression. Russell Henley, who was ninth, shot even-par 71 whereas Keegan Bradley didn’t have his good things, taking pictures 3-over 74. Justin Thomas, who was means down the standings at No. 19, has seemed higher with rounds of 66-69.
On the Worldwide Group aspect, South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who ranked tenth within the factors race, shot 2-under 69, however he sits in twenty eighth place. Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who completed eleventh in factors, has been sharper with scores of 66-69.
The 2 captains will make their six picks on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
Scottie Scheffler appears over his putt on the second inexperienced through the second spherical of the TOUR Championship golf match. Obligatory Credit score: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports activities
Scheffler set the bottom 36-hole whole because the Beginning Strokes format began in 2019. The earlier largest 36-hole lead was two, which was the margin in 2022 when Scheffler was in entrance too. If Scheffler had been to win, he’d be the primary participant to win seven or extra instances in a single season since Tiger Woods in 2007.
