(Photo credit score: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
ATLANTA — Ryan Gerard and Viktor Hovland share the midway lead on the Tour Championship, however Scottie Scheffler remains to be close to the highest of the leaderboard.
What did you anticipate?
Scheffler is 8 beneath par and two strokes off the lead after the second spherical Friday at East Lake Golf Club. He stays tied for fifth. With 36 holes to play, the world’s No. 1 golfer and FedEx Cup factors chief remains to be in place to assert his second Tour Championship title in three years.
Gerard, making his Tour Championship debut, and Norway’s Hovland lead at 10-under 130 after taking pictures rounds of 65 and 66, respectively. Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup every posted 67 and are tied for third at 9-under 129.
Gerard’s spherical of 5-under 65 included a 79-foot putt on No. 7.
‘I’ve performed a whole lot of golf tournaments in my life,’ Gerard stated, noting he had a number of near-wins this yr. ‘I’ve received a number of golf tournaments in my life. I really feel snug that I’m doing the precise issues, we’re executing the precise pictures, we’ve got the precise mentality to exit and type of shut it and type of be the canine beneath stress. Just go on the market and revel in it.
‘That’s type of what we play for is to have an opportunity on the again 9 coming down the stretch on Sunday, and that is type of what we put together for, and we’ll be prepared.’
Gerard rebounded after an opening-hole bogey with six birdies, together with one at No. 18.
Joining Scheffler at 8 beneath is Cameron Young. Scheffler is one stroke nearer to the leaders than the place he began the day, however nonetheless in fifth, his place after the primary spherical.
Scheffler posted his 3-under 67 regardless of back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4 and a pricey one at No. 17. They had been the primary blemishes on his card for the match. He additionally had six birdies, together with 4 in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 6-10.
Scheffler has been the mannequin of consistency on the PGA Tour, so this has come to be anticipated. He received solely twice, together with within the playoff opener, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, however has 12 top-five finishes on tour this yr.
‘I believe over the course of my profession, I really feel like one factor I’m most happy with is my consistency week in and week out,’ Scheffler stated earlier than the match. ‘I believe that is one thing that I take a whole lot of satisfaction in. It’s not simple to point out up each single week and play the way in which that I play and play the depth that I play and that I carry to each match. That’s one thing I’m actually very happy with.’
Scheffler went to the driving vary following his spherical.
There have to be one thing about enjoying by your self. The discipline was an uneven 29 after J.J. Spaun withdrew following a partial spherical on Thursday. Min Woo Lee of Australia was paired with Spaun within the first spherical and went 6 beneath, of his 8-under whole, over the ultimate 13 holes.
Young went out first and by himself for the second spherical Friday and shot an 8-under 62. He was tied for the lead at 8 beneath by the point he completed his spherical with an eagle on No. 18. He stayed there or simply off the lead all day.
‘Playing by your self, it is unusual for a second,’ Young stated. ‘Kind of once you see the pairing, it is unusual, after which when you get into it you do not have to attend, you do not have to hurry. You can type of simply do all the things you’d love to do the entire day. So, it is easy in that sense.’
Other gamers of observe embrace defending champion Tommy Fleetwood of England (70) at 4 beneath and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (69) at 3 beneath. Lee, the first-round chief, shot a 3-over 73 and fell to five beneath. His spherical included a triple bogey on the par-4 fifth gap.
–Chris Vivlamore, Field Level Media