It’s incredibly hard to imagine a hypothetical situation in which Scottie Scheffler (-1) or Xander Schauffele (-2), one of the two, would not be the winner of the FedEx Cup in nine days, in Atlanta. But it must be acknowledged that today, during the second round of the BMW Championship, such a scenario has peeked into the realm of possibility…
Just the day Hideki Matsuyama withdrew due to back discomfort and, therefore, no one could even displace Schauffele from the second position in the ranking, accentuating that feeling that this FedEx Cup was a two-man thing, it has happened that both, Texan and Californian, have faltered in all respects, have practically run out of victory options in the tournament and, in short, let’s say it like this, have shown themselves to be vulnerable. Their performance has not been a disaster (rounds of 73 strokes for Xander and 72 for Scottie), but in some way their performance has opened a debate, although we will have to see their ability to react in the 36 holes that are still in play at the Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado.
Schauffele, for example, has reminded us of the final crash at the Golf National, on the last day of the Olympic tournament, finishing with four bogeys in the last six holes, very erratic, and throwing very poor final statistical data from tee to green (in this second round he has been one of the worst in all areas: from the tee, second shots, around the green…). Scheffler has once again been seen desperate on the greens (he has been the worst with the putter in his hands), which is not new, but we should not consider it a habit either.
All this has coincided, moreover, with fabulous rounds of 63 strokes by Adam Scott (-13), the leader, and Ludvig Aberg (-9), as well as with a good defence of the lead by Keegan Bradley (-10, round of 68 strokes). The three are currently clear candidates, but there are too many holes left to play to not think that someone else could be added. We insist: it does not seem in any way that it could be Scheffler or Schauffele.
Let’s see, we should not take the part for the whole. Of course, the unforgettable season that Scottie and Xander have given us, continue to give us, weighs more than this dishevelled day of golf that they have starred in today. But in some way this damn sport has opened our eyes, once again, and has whispered in our ear the real possibility that a third candidate could sneak in through the back door with a superb performance at East Lake. Rory McIlroy (-3) or Viktor Hovland (-3) could well take advantage of the situation, but they have not taken advantage of today’s ‘gift’ from the Sche-Scha hurricane. What if it were Aberg, with that face of never having broken a dish, or Matsuyama himself, if he recovers from his discomfort, who could put them in a bind? It’s hard to believe, hard to believe. But today, August 24, a little less. Just a little bit less.
