Scottie Scheffler finishes with 3 straight birdies, leads Tour Championship by 5 strokes after 1st spherical

ATLANTA — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler might need had a curler coaster of a gap spherical Thursday on the Tour Championship if solely he had been taking note of the scoreboards.

Scheffler began with a two-shot lead because the No. 1 seed within the FedEx Cup. He led by as many as six pictures on the entrance 9. Then his lead was down to 2. And when he completed with three straight birdies for a 5-under 65, he was 5 strokes forward of Xander Schauffele.

“I did not know any of that,” he stated. “I used to be simply making an attempt to exit and shoot an excellent quantity.”

Rory McIlroy‘s day at East Lake was much more wild. And he knew it.

A two-time FedEx Cup champion, McIlroy began six pictures behind. He teed off in a downpour and hooked his tee shot over the fence and out-of-bounds. He reloaded and located a bunker. He missed a 6-foot putt and took triple bogey, and identical to that was 9 pictures behind.

After which he went rough-to-rough to make bogey on the subsequent gap. McIlroy had just one par on the entrance 9 and remarkably salvaged a 67.

“Not one of the best ways to begin,” McIlroy stated. “The golf course is de facto gettable, so I knew there was a number of holes on the market that you can birdie. I knew my sport was good. It was simply a type of issues. Not the perfect solution to begin, however happy with how I bounced again from that.”

Equally spectacular was Open champion Cameron Smith, enjoying for the primary time because the opening FedEx Cup playoffs occasion due to a hip damage that will get aggravated in delicate circumstances. East Lake wasn’t fairly an actual lake, however in a single day rain and the downpour made for an excellent stroll spoiled.

He nonetheless managed a 67 and joined McIlroy at eight pictures again. They have been a curious attraction as a result of McIlroy has been the most important voice for the PGA Tour and its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, and experiences point out Smith would be the subsequent to go.

Contained in the ropes, it is golf.

“Enterprise as traditional,” McIlroy stated. “Cam and I get on rather well — all the time have completed. Once more, I hold saying it doesn’t matter what choices are made or what selections are made by anybody, it would not make them a foul particular person. Does it make me disagree with them? After all it does. However I disagree with lots of people that I like and love.”

And so started the ultimate leg within the chase for the FedEx Cup and the $18 million prize. Scheffler has had the very best yr along with his Masters victory amongst three wins in opposition to robust fields. He would love nothing greater than to complete it off, and he performed that means.

His 3-iron from 230 yards up the hill to fifteen ft led to eagle on the sixth gap. He dropped just one shot, going from bunker over the inexperienced on the par-3 ninth and having to make an understated 10-foot putt to flee with bogey.

After which he had a giant end, capped off by going from the left tough over the water to 30 ft for a two-putt birdie to succeed in 15-under par (which accounts for his 10-under begin).

U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick completed with an eagle for a bogey-free 64 and was six pictures behind — he matched the very best spherical of the soggy day and gained just one shot on Scheffler — whereas Joaquin Niemann (64) and defending champion Patrick Cantlay (70) have been one other shot behind.

Schauffele is harmful as ever, and his report at East Lake is astounding for somebody who has by no means left Atlanta in possession of a trophy. This was his twenty first spherical within the Tour Championship, and his nineteenth spherical underneath par. The opposite two have been even-par 70s.

He had the low 72-hole rating in 2020 however began too far behind to catch Dustin Johnson.

“It is a bizarre occasion,” Schauffele stated. “We do that annually, and it is one of many greater occasions for us to do it. Due to these issues, you simply must attempt your finest to remain within the current and never get forward of it. Tuck your head and play your finest golf.”

Weirder nonetheless was an damage that Scheffler talked about from the weekend on the British Open, the place he went into Sunday within the combine and shot 74. He had by no means disclosed it and wasn’t totally comfy stepping into the small print besides to say he was in ache.

“I had what’s referred to as a pilonidal an infection. It is an an infection on the high of your butt crack,” he stated, making an attempt to not crack a smile. “You possibly can look it up. It was actually onerous for me to bend down. It was actually onerous for me to make a swing on Sunday. Strolling was truly extraordinarily tough.

“Simply a type of issues that occurred.”

All a part of what already has been a exceptional yr, and now’s 54 holes away from changing into much more memorable.