Scottie Scheffler signed for a bogey-free 64 featuring four consecutive birdies from the first hole to reach 13-under and take the lead at the Hero World Challenge.
“Overall good day, 8-under on this golf course is always a good score. Yeah, pretty solid,” said the American.
“Front nine just things were going my way, back nine maybe not as much. A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things.
“I think in this game I think a lot of all y’all are looking for perfection out of us and I think today I shot 8 under on the golf course is not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there, clean card, bogey free, eight birdies. Overall I think I’m pretty pleased.”
Scheffler seeks to join Tiger Woods (2006, 2007) and Viktor Hovland (2021, 2022) as the only back-to-back winners of the Hero World Challenge.
Akshay Bhatia lies in second place at 11-under alongside fellow American Justin Thomas who hit the longest drive of the week, a 378-yard tee shot, at the 16th.
“I drove it well and I hit some good irons, some good wedges, but I really did nothing special,” said Thomas. “I feel like other than the 10 or so footer I made on 1, every other birdie I had was a tap-in. I definitely left a couple out there. You know, hit some good putts that didn’t go in and also just kind of misread some. I’ve always found these greens can be a little tough to read, it’s hard to kind of see the grain on some of them.
“It just was a very low, low stress 5 under. I didn’t feel like I had to grind on the majority of my birdie putts, a lot of them were tap-ins or whatnot. If I can just iron or wedge it just a little closer to the hole tomorrow and get some putts to go in, I feel like I’ve got a really good round out there this weekend.”
Keegan Bradley of the United States shot a bogey-free 67 to move into fourth place at 9-under.
Austrian Sepp Straka and South Korean Sungjae Im shot 68s for a share of fifth place at 7-under alongside Swede Ludvig Åberg who closed with a 70.
American Cameron Young who held the lead after the first round closed with a double bogey at the 18th to cap off a mixed round featuring five birdies and six bogeys for a 75 and a share of tenth place at 5-under.
Related: Julien Guerrier takes narrow lead in South Africa
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 | R2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | -13 | 67 | 64 | 131 |
| T2 | Akshay Bhatia | -11 | 67 | 66 | 133 |
| T2 | Justin Thomas | -11 | 66 | 67 | 133 |
| 4 | Keegan Bradley | -9 | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| T5 | Sepp Straka | -7 | 69 | 68 | 137 |
| T5 | Sungjae Im | -7 | 69 | 68 | 137 |
| T5 | Ludvig Åberg | -7 | 67 | 70 | 137 |
| T8 | Sahith Theegala | -6 | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| T8 | Patrick Cantlay | -6 | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| T10 | Tom Kim | -5 | 74 | 65 | 139 |
| T10 | Robert MacIntyre | -5 | 68 | 71 | 139 |
| T10 | Cameron Young | -5 | 64 | 75 | 139 |
| T13 | Russell Henley | -4 | 69 | 71 | 140 |
| T13 | Sam Burns | -4 | 68 | 72 | 140 |
| 15 | Nick Dunlap | -3 | 68 | 73 | 141 |
| T16 | Brian Harman | -2 | 70 | 72 | 142 |
| T16 | Aaron Rai | -2 | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| 18 | Wyndham Clark | -1 | 73 | 70 | 143 |
| 19 | Jason Day | +1 | 75 | 70 | 145 |
| 20 | Matthieu Pavon | +3 | 74 | 73 | 147 |
Simon Bale
The editorial team at Golf Today strives to provide readers with captivating content that celebrates the rich heritage and exciting developments in the world of golf. Their collective expertise and dedication ensure that Golf Today remains a premier destination for golf enthusiasts seeking the latest news, insightful analysis, and engaging stories from the world of golf.