Round 2 of the 2024 Tour Championship on Friday brought some drama as Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa cut into Scottie Scheffler's lead in the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale putting pressure on the world's No. 1 golfer entering the weekend. Entering the second round with a seven-stroke lead, Scheffler saw his advantage cut nearly in half to four by day's end with Morikawa sitting right behind him and Schauffele standing five back as Moving Day approaches at East Lake Golf Club.
Morikawa, who was paired with Scheffler in Friday's final grouping, fired a field-best 8-under 63 to improve to 17 under. Schauffele, meanwhile, had the second-best outing of the day in the group as he finished with a 7-under 64 that was better than any score posted Thursday.
Scheffler was the man who posted that score with a Thursday-low 65, and while he was unable to match that score Friday, a 66 with only one bogey and six birdies ensured he still maintained a comfortable cushion between himself and the rest of the field.
With 36 holes to play, time is quickly running out for challengers to unseat Scheffler, but the weekend may bring with it some suspense. Sahith Theegala, Adam Scott and Wyndham Clark also stayed within striking distance; they sit seven strokes off the lead after big Friday rounds. That could set up an eventful finish from East Lake.
Let's take a look at the leaderboard's current form with the weekend on tap.
Leader
1. Scottie Scheffler (-20): Scheffler's lead of seven strokes entering the day dwindled to just five with Morikawa and Schauffele surging. And yet, his second-round 66 Friday felt more impressive than his first-round 65 Thursday. He has previously failed to close out this event in the past despite holding significant leads, but Scheffler showed poise in pounding greens and escaping with just one bogey on the scorecard along with two birdies across his final three holes.
Contenders
T2. Collin Morikawa (-17)
3. Xander Schauffele (-16)
T4. Wyndham Clark, Sahith Theegala (-12)
Morikawa picked up Friday (four birdies on the front nine) where he left off Thursday (six birdies on the back nine). He went out in 31 and proved he would push Scheffler down the stretch. Schauffele, meanwhile, was relentless in his pursuit all day with a bogey-free 65. Theegala and Clark have a ways to go if they hope to make this tournament interesting, but after respective 5-under and 4-under rounds, they sit just seven off the lead and well within striking distance should Scheffler fall back this weekend.
Biggest movers
Up: Tony Finau quietly set the tone early in the day with a 66 to move up 12 spots on the leaderboard from 20th to T8. At 9 under, it would take quite a collapse from several guys at the top for him to be a real threat this weekend, but he's lurking in the shadows and could perhaps do more than that should he post another number in the mid-60s on Saturday.
Down: Keegan Bradley fell 17 spots down the leaderboard after Friday 74 that featured three bogeys in his final six holes. Bradley is coming off a win at the BMW Championship last weekend that moved him into the top five of the FedEx Cup standings, but a rough outing Friday moved him to 15 shots off the lead and out of contention for the championship.
Rick Gehman and Mark Immelman recap the second round of the 2024 Tour Championship at East Lake. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
