Hovland Shares Tour Championship Lead After Stellar Second Round

Tour Championship – Second Round

-10 Ryan Gerard (USA), Viktor Hovland (Nor); -9 Collin Morikawa (USA), Chris Gotterup (USA); -8 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Cameron Young (USA)

Selected others: -7 Matt Fitzpatrick (England), Justin Rose (England), Adam Scott (Australia), Ludvig Åberg (Sweden); Ryan -6 Fox (New Zealand); -4 Tommy Fleetwood (England), Austin Fitzpatrick (England), Will Clark (USA); -3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland); +3 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)

Full Leaderboard

Viktor Hovland of Norway and Ryan Gerard of the United States share the lead at 10‑under par as they head into the weekend at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, birdied the final hole to post a four‑under 66, after Gerard had earlier set the clubhouse benchmark with a five‑under 65.

Although Hovland’s putting was once again sharp, Gerard matched him with a remarkable 78‑foot birdie putt that snaked across the seventh green.

Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup sit jointly in second place at nine‑under, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler overcame two early bogeys to card a 67, leaving him just two strokes behind in the PGA Tour’s season‑finale.

Cameron Young, winner of the Players Championship in March, is also at eight‑under after a scintillating 62 that featured seven birdies and an eagle on the par‑5 18th.

England’s Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick remain firmly in contention for the $10 million (£7.4 million) prize on Sunday, sitting three shots back at seven‑under overall.

Rose posted a bogey‑free 65, displaying superb form, whereas Rory McIlroy’s day was a mix of promise and frustration after an opening birdie left him two‑over par through four holes.

His frustration showed on the third hole, where he missed the green with his approach shot and then failed twice to chip onto the putting surface from the same spot, resulting in a double bogey.

Despite making two birdies in the final three holes, the Masters champion will need to make substantial progress on Saturday; he currently sits tied for 23rd at three‑under.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre also endured a disappointing round, especially after the turn.

The 30‑year‑old strung together three consecutive bogeys before a double bogey on the par‑3 15th, after his tee shot found the water.

He finished the round with a six‑over 76, joining Min Woo Lee and Xander Schauffele as the only players to finish the second round above par.

Nevertheless, his path to a bogey on the 18th was far less quirky than that of Jacob Bridgeman, whose wayward tee shot came to rest inside a pizza stall.

Source link