Scottie Scheffler Dominates East Lake! Can Morikawa and Schauffele Stop Him?

**ATLANTA (AP) —** Scottie Scheffler delivered another masterclass from tee to green at East Lake on Friday, shooting a 5-under 66 to secure a four-shot lead at the Tour Championship. However, his advantage didn’t seem as commanding as it appeared.

 

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele had something to say about that. In a second round that demanded urgency from those trying to catch the world’s No. 1 player, Morikawa responded with nine birdies, including two on his final two holes after a 93-minute storm delay, finishing with an 8-under 63. Schauffele, meanwhile, sank a pair of crucial 12-foot putts — one for par, the other for birdie — for a 64.

 

“This course right now with how firm the greens are, it’s all about ball-striking,” Schauffele said. “You have to be in the fairways and hit your number, and Scottie’s been excelling at that all year. I know he’s not going to ease up, so there’s only one way to beat him.”

 

Morikawa, who started the day seven shots behind, has his strategy set. He has seen enough of Scheffler’s form this year to know what he’s up against. “He’s going to keep making birdies,” Morikawa said. “He’s driving it really well here and giving himself enough wedge opportunities to score. For me, it’s just about bringing energy and staying alive out there.”

 

Despite their efforts, Scheffler still holds a commanding position. As the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup, he started the tournament with a two-shot lead and has been playing some of his best golf this year. Those directly behind him in the FedEx Cup standings did not perform well in the opening round, allowing Scheffler to build a seven-shot lead at the start of Friday’s play.

 

After the storm delay, Scheffler returned with two birdies in his final three holes, reaching 21-under par. Morikawa finished at 17-under, and Schauffele was one shot further back. No one else was closer than nine shots to Scheffler.

 

Scheffler is eyeing a chance to win the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize, a feat he has narrowly missed as the top seed the past two years. But he appears more at ease on an East Lake course that has been revamped. “This is not the same course,” he noted earlier in the week.

 

Scheffler started his round with a 7-iron he thought would give him a 20-foot birdie opportunity, but the ball rolled off the green and settled 90 feet away against the rough. He saved par with a 20-foot putt, which set the tone for his day. Despite Morikawa and Schauffele making early moves, Scheffler maintained a six-shot lead until a bogey on the 13th hole and a birdie from Morikawa brought it down to four.

 

Morikawa made four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn but bogeyed the 11th after his tee shot bounced off the back of the green. He recovered, however, with two birdies to close his round. Schauffele, starting two shots back as the No. 2 seed, overcame a disappointing 70 on the first day with a bogey-free round.

 

Scheffler tried to stay focused despite his seven-shot lead, which was a result of his 65 on Thursday and the struggles of the next five players in the FedEx Cup standings, who did no better than 69. “Today was a day where I had a big lead, but there was a big group of guys right there, so obviously some guys are going to play pretty well,” Scheffler said. “But I did a good job of staying in my own world out there and put up a good round of golf.”

 

Scheffler went out in 32, while Morikawa and Schauffele kept pushing with birdies to prevent the tournament from becoming a runaway. Scheffler’s only mistake was going bunker-to-bunker on the par-4 13th and missing an 8-foot par putt.

 

Scheffler’s precision off the tee — he missed only three fairways — meant he never had more than a 7-iron into a par 4, setting a challenging target for the field. Adam Scott (67), Wyndham Clark (67), and Sahith Theegala (66) were nine shots behind. Sam Burns, Scheffler’s best friend on tour, birdied his last two holes for a 68 but lost so much ground that he stopped looking at the leaderboard, ending 10 shots back.

 

“He’s the best golfer on the planet. He’s really good with leads,” Burns said. “It’s not a great thing for us.”