Scottie Scheffler equalled the Memorial Park course file he set in 2021 to take a one-shot lead at weather-affected Houston Open.
It was essentially the most full spherical of the 12 months for Scheffler, who missed the primary month of the season recovering from a freak glass puncture wound sustained at Christmas.
Scheffler opened his spherical with two birdies, the second of which noticed him gap in from simply inside 30 ft after the one missed inexperienced of his eight-under 62.
“Yesterday I felt like I made a pair key par saves, and right this moment I felt like for essentially the most half I saved the golf course in entrance of me and I had quite a lot of seems for birdie,” Scheffler mentioned.
“I did not really feel like I used to be struggling for par an excessive amount of, and that was principally as a result of I used to be within the fairway.”
It was the eighth time Scheffler shot 62 or decrease – a type of was a 59 within the FedEx Cup playoffs at TPC Boston in 2020 – and his first since he shot 62 within the last spherical at Le Golf Nationwide to win the Olympic gold medal on the 2024 Paris Video games.
He led by one shot over Canada’s Taylor Pendrith whereas Jackson Suber, who ended the primary spherical with a four-putt double bogey, was three behind.
Climate wreaks havoc on McIlroy spherical
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Rory McIlroy performed within the afternoon and began out 11 photographs behind Scheffler. He carded back-to-back birdies and bogeyed the seventh gap earlier than play was suspended as a result of lightning.
“It was quite a bit completely different than we thought it was going to be,” Scheffler mentioned. “As we speak appeared like – checking the forecast this morning – it was going to be a type of days the place we will be enjoying on and off, taking a look at a number of delays on the market.”
As a substitute, he was on from the beginning with a 10-foot birdie putt on the tenth gap and a 25-footer on the eleventh. Scheffler performed bogey-free for the second straight spherical.
Scheffler felt his iron play was not as sharp as he needed however knew he had an excellent really feel on the greens and did not should assault pins if there was no want.
It led to a stress-free spherical that featured eight birdies and left Scheffler in pole place going into the weekend of his last begin earlier than The Masters, dwell on Sky Sports activities.
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