Although Scheffler maintained the two-time lead he started the week with, the leaderboard lineup behind him brought a handful of new chasers. Schauffele is the closest challenger — just as he was after Round 1 — but now sits at 17 under after playing his last three holes in 4 under. Jon Rahm also put his name in the hat thanks to an impressive 7-under 63 and is 13 under after starting week seven off the pace. Both Rahm and Schauffele have enjoyed strong showings at East Lake in the past, and that experience has helped them so far in their pursuit of the top name in the game. So has Rory McIlroy, who has recovered from his tumultuous start on Thursday. Posting another round of 3-under 67, the two-time FedEx Cup winner is a full nine strokes off Scheffler’s lead but sits in solo seventh place. Despite the number of names on the front page of the leaderboard, a potential two-horse race has developed on the outskirts of Atlanta.
The leader
- Scottie Scheffler (-19): Although there have been moments of discomfort — his tee shot on the par-3 15th just cleared the water, for example — the world No. 1 remains atop the leaderboard. He is 9 under on the week, which is just two strokes worse than Schauffele. I can’t imagine the steadfast Scheffler is too worried about his performance up to this point. However, as comfortable as Scheffler is, the player needs to improve if he wants to successfully fend off Schauffele and others. After being tied for fifth in strokes gained on Thursday, he fell back a lot on Friday and came in 26th on the greens. His tee-to-green play carried him into the second round, but Scheffler won’t have the luxury of his B game to carry him to victory given the way Schauffele — even Rahm — plays this one. the moment.
Other contenders
- Xander Schauffele (-17)
- Jon Rahm (-13) T4. Sungjae Im, Patrick Cantlay (-12)
- Joaquin Nieman (-11)
- Rory McIlroy (-10) Schauffele changed the complexion of the entire championship with a back nine 29. The man who has been nothing short of ridiculous around East Lake throughout his career continued to show his affinity for the property this week. The 2017 Tour Championship winner has done everything right through 36 holes and if he can continue to perform in this fashion, he will have a realistic chance of turning a four-shot deficit into victory at the FedEx Cup weekend.
Ram in a familiar position
The man who claimed the low 72-hole total a year ago is ready to do it again. In the context of Rahm’s season, which includes just one win against a less-than-stellar field at the Mexican Open, a close call in the season finale will certainly go along with the theme of disappointment. The former world No. 1 has been fantastic in the first two weeks of the postseason, connecting on back-to-back top-10 finishes and finally finding a comfort level with the athlete in hand. While the week’s lowest score may not produce a trophy, it can provide momentum just as it did in 2021 when he parlayed his East Lake form into a dominant Ryder Cup performance. “It’s more doable, but he is [Scheffler’s] playing good golf, right, and we’ve got to go on and play good golf, too,” said Rahm, who is currently second in the field in strokes gained. “It will take a very strong weekend from me and hopefully not a strong one from Scottie. That’s kind of what we’re looking for. I think tomorrow might be a good day. If I can post a good round again tomorrow and it doesn’t shoot low, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Take a bow, Max Homa
The two-time winner this season entered the week at 2 under and after a poor first tour at East Lake on Thursday, bounced back in a big way on Friday. Posting an 8-under 62, Homa moved into the top 10 and is positioned to collect another seven-figure check at the end of the Tour Championship. “I felt like I deserved to play well and I wasn’t letting myself down at the start. I got through, I’m hitting really well, a great 9-iron to 10 feet and I’m thinking, I’ve got to do this.” Homa said. “You just did two great things. Why don’t you see what’s going on and trust that you’ve put in the work.”
2022 Tour Championship updated odds and picks
Scottie Scheffler: 5/7 Xander Schauffele: 7/4 Jon Rahm: 11-1 Patrick Candley: 22-1 Sungjae Im: 35-1 Rory McIlroy: 40-1 Joaquin Nieman: 75-1
Only seven names check in at under 200-1 and even that might be too many. For my money, there are only three players who have a chance to lift the FedEx Cup trophy as of now, and Scheffler remains the best bet even though Schauffele is breathing. The world No. 1 was not at his best in the second round but remains a fair price at -140. On the week, Scheffler ranks first in strokes gained off the green. He also ranks in the top five in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained on approach and strokes gained around the green. If the player puts it together like he did in the first round, he will extend his lead over Schauffele on Saturday and go for the title on Sunday.
