ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler had another clinic from tee-to-green at East Lake on Friday for a 5-under 66 and a four-way lead in a Tour Championship that didn’t seem as big as it looked.
Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele had something to do with that.
In a second round that brought a sense of urgency to those chasing golf’s No. 1, Morikawa responded with nine birdies, two on the final two holes after a 93-minute storm delay, for an 8-under 63.
Schauffele finished with 12-foot putts — one for par, one for birdie, both felt as important as the other — for a 64.
“This course right now with how strong the greens are, it’s a very new type of deal where you have to be on the field and hit your number, and he’s been killing everybody at that point all year,” Schauffele said. “I know he won’t agree, so there’s only one way to get him.”
Morikawa has set the schedule for the week. Still, he had seven shots back to start the day and has seen enough of Scheffler this year to know what to expect.
“He’s going to keep making birds,” Morikawa said. “He drives it really, really well here and gives himself enough wedges to create other scoring opportunities out there. For me, it’s just bringing energy and staying alive out there.”
They are protected from their work.
Scheffler is the No. 1 seed. 1 in the FedEx Cup and started the final with a two-shot lead. He’s playing as well as he has all year, and those behind him in the FedEx Cup weren’t at their best in the opening round. That accounted for Scheffler’s seven-point lead at the start of the day.
He bounced back from a storm delay with a pair of birdies over his final three holes and reached 21-under par. Morikawa was 17 under and Schauffele was one behind.
No one else was closer than nine shots to Scheffler.
At stake for Scheffler is a chance to win the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize, which he has failed to do as the top seed each of the past two years. But he looks very comfortable on the groomed East Lake course — “This is not the same course,” he said when he arrived Monday for his first look — and everyone has a big job chasing him.
Scheffler started the round with a 7-iron that he thought would leave him looking for a 20-foot birdie, except it caught the wrong side of the fairway and rolled off the green, down a steep slope and landed 90 short. strong collar.
He holed a 20-foot par putt, a great start that sent him on his way. Even though Morikawa and Schauffele scored early, Scheffler held a six-shot lead on the back nine until he made his first bogey in 29 holes and Morikawa chipped in for birdie, two swings.
Morikawa had four birdies in five holes around the turn, but saw his tee shot hit the 11th bounce hard and off the back of the green, resulting in a bogey. But he recovered well enough, especially with his two closing birdies.
Schauffele, who started the tournament two shots behind as the No. 2 seed, shot a 70 on the first day. He solved most of his swing problems and had a bogey-free day.
Scheffler tried to hang on to his seven-shot lead — a product of his 65 on Thursday and the next five players behind him at the FedEx Cup not doing better than 69 — even though it was rare to see a six-shot. front nine on Friday.
“Today was a day where I had a big lead, but there was a great group of guys out there, so obviously some guys are going to play well,” Scheffler said. “But I did a good job of staying in my world outside and playing good golf.”
He came out with 32. Morikawa and Schauffele had to continue making birdies to prevent this from becoming a runaway. Scheffler’s lone mistake was a rough drive-to-bunker on the 4th 13th and he missed an 8-foot par putt.
Scheffler is driving it so well — he’s only missed three fairways — that he didn’t have more than a 7-iron in the 4th and is setting a tough target for everyone to chase.
Adam Scott (67), Wyndham Clark (67) and Sahith Theegala (66) were nine shots behind. Sam Burns, Scheffler’s best friend on tour, bogeyed his last two holes for a 68 and lost so much ground that he stopped looking at the leaderboard. He was 10 shots behind.
“He’s the best golfer in the world. He’s really good with the front,” Burns said. “It’s not a good thing for us.”
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