A beautiful tournament is being played at Hilton Head. After the Masters of Augusta, one might think that this tournament, although designated, could catch the big figures feeling the decompression of the first Major of the season. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, as far as the main protagonists are concerned, there are not a few players who maintain the level shown in Georgia last week.
Collin Morikawa (leader at -11), Ludvig Aberg (-10) and Scottie Scheffler (-8) are very much in the thick of the tournament. Of the big contenders for the Green Jacket last Sunday, only Max Homa (-1) seems to be feeling the fatigue. Between Morikawa and Åberg, they only add up to two bogeys in the first 36 holes. Both are back in the limelight in a similar position to last week. They will be looking for the final script to be different. Who said that sequels were never good.
Without wanting to seem tiresome or repetitive, once again it is necessary to praise what Scottie Scheffler is doing. Yesterday he admitted to being tired, but once the tournament had started he explained that he had been regaining his strength. If Samson drew strength from his hair, Scheffler feeds on competition. Scottie is a competitive animal, in other words, but he confessed as much a few days ago in Augusta. The fact that Tiger was the last to win the week after a Major (2006) is in the air. Scottie does not feel the need to prove that he is the best in the world, but it is very likely that he has this kind of statistics in mind.
Today, Scheffler has signed an immaculate round of six under par in which he has not made any bogey. The feeling is that the round could have been even better. He has not struggled to save par almost at any time and has had medium-distance opportunities that could have even put him close to the lead.
At the moment, the tournament is led by JT Poston, Tom Hoge, Collin Morikawa and Sepp Strak tied at eleven under par. Tom Hoge has signed the best round of the day (-7) with an excellent first nine holes in which he has scratched five birdies from the course. For his part, Morikawa admitted not having been so accurate with the irons today, but he has managed to fine-tune the recoveries and has handed in a card of 66 strokes without any blot on the way. Poston seems to be still enjoying the best of luck with the presence of his newborn daughter.
Just one stroke behind are Mackenzie Hughes, Patrick Rodgers, Ludvig Aberg (-10) and closely followed by Patrick Cantlay Sahith Theegala (-9). The top 10 is rounded off by Scheffler himself and Byeong Hun An. A beautiful and tight pack that is closely followed by Rory McIlroy in 12th place and with all options intact for the weekend.
