ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler began the Tour Championship with a two-shot lead based mostly on his dominant season. After which he appeared dominant as ever Thursday, posting one of the best spherical at 6-under 65 to construct a seven-shot lead and take an enormous step towards the FedExCup title.
Scheffler had 5 birdies over his final seven holes on a sweltering afternoon at renovated East Lake to tug away from Xander Schauffele and everybody else.
He made birdie from the bunker on the par-5 18th gap with an 8-foot putt and took his spot within the PGA Tour report guide with an asterisk. Nobody has ever led by seven after 18 holes way back to the tour retains such data.
Right here’s a take a look at how gamers are faring within the Tour Championship, minus the “beginning strokes.”
The asterisk is as a result of he was just one shot higher than Collin Morikawa and 4 others who every had a 66.
That is the sixth yr of the “beginning strokes” format on the FedExCup finale. Scheffler was the No. 1 seed based mostly on his six PGA Tour victories, which incorporates the Masters and The Gamers Championship. He began the match at 10 below par and with a two-shot lead over Xander Schauffele, the double main winner and No. 2 seed.
That is the third straight yr Scheffler has began with the lead. He has but to win the FedExCup and its $25 million bonus. And by the sound of it, that wasn’t on his thoughts.
“I wasn’t occupied with the lead on the market right this moment. There’s no cause to. It’s the primary day of the match. It’s 72 holes. It’s a very long time on the market to be taking part in with a lead,” Scheffler stated. “I used to be simply centered on staying in my very own world and persevering with to simply attempt to execute.”
He bought a fast reminder {that a} two-shot lead on Thursday — and even on a Sunday — is nothing to have fun. Schauffele made up that deficit on the opening gap with an 8-foot birdie, whereas Scheffler made his lone bogey by having to play wanting the inexperienced from behind a tree.
Scheffler, on the power of a 35-foot birdie putt at No. 7, led by one once they made the flip after which left his fellow Olympic gold medalist within the mud.
Schauffele missed an 8-foot birdie likelihood at No. 10 and a 5-foot par putt on No. 11. Scheffler made birdie on the following three holes as Schauffele couldn’t discover a fairway, which led to him not having any cheap birdie probabilities.
Presidents Cup hopefuls need to impress U.S. captain Jim Furyk one last time at East Lake.
