Denny McCarthy (-11) and Hideki Matsuyama (-11) lead the Fedex St. Jude Championship after the second day, having signed cards of 63 and 64 strokes respectively. Sam Burns (-10) has delivered another 63 and is one stroke behind the leaders. There was another 63 at the TPC Southwind, this time from Viktor Hovland (-7), who with such a push, perhaps unexpectedly, is now firmly on the radar tracking the candidates for victory.
The Norwegian was clear at the end: the game had not differed much from Thursday, but his putt today was on fire. McCarthy’s, and this is not news at all, was also hot. The Maryland native has sunk up to six putts of more than three meters today. Not to mention Matsuyama, the best putter of the tournament in these first 36 holes.
On that radar tracking the candidates, Scottie Scheffler (-9) often appears at all times, whether he putts very well, well or just average. And there is the Texan (today, round of 65 strokes), appearing in the leaders’ rear-view mirror, and trying to prove to himself and, incidentally, to all of us, that he can also claim victory on this course, or at least fight for it until the end, something he had never achieved before, neither one thing nor the other.
Scheffler has once again created a thick bunch of options, has plugged in a few and, to top it off, has recovered around the greens like the angels themselves (5/5). This Saturday he will go out in the penultimate match, as the schedules have been brought forward and the groups are going out three by three and from both tees. It could be really fun if this guy is able to get back in the victory frame on movement day, in search of his eighth win (the eighth!).
By his side today, Xander Schauffele (-5, round of 69) faltered, but let’s not write him off for this week, as very low rounds are being seen on the Memphis course.
It can already be anticipated that McIlroy (+1) will not be in the fight. If the Northern Irishman has not been the most erratic player from the tee today, he will not have been far off. And the TPC Southwind is going to give you a lot if you go the right way, but it can do a lot of damage if you go from one side to the other, without control. On the first par 5 of the day, the 3rd hole, he missed the tee shot badly to the left and then went into the water (double bogey); and on the 18th he went into the water again, this time off the tee, but ended up saving a crazy par. The things that happen in Roryland.
From tomorrow, we will have to start making more serious calculations of how the Fedex Cup ranking is moving, mainly to confirm, for example, that Jordan Spieth (+3) may miss out on the second play off (he has currently dropped to 67th place in the projection and the top 50 get in, as is well known. Or that Justin Rose (-8), on the other hand, is going to get in (he arrived in Memphis 55th and the projection now places him 32nd).
