Connecticut: CROMWELL At the Travelers Championship, Xander Schauffele fired his second consecutive 7-under 63 on Friday to establish a five-stroke lead.
At TPC River Highlands, the Olympic winner recorded a 31 on the front nine with four birdies, followed by a 32 on the back with birdies on 11, 14, and 17.
He is the only participant in the competition without a bogey and has made 33 of his 36 greens in regulation. The par-3 16th, where his tee shot landed in the rough behind a greenside bunker, was his closest call.
With the wind blowing through there, it plays incredibly interestingly, according to Schauffele. I was delighted to get up and down there and save par. It was my most small committed swing of the week.
At nine-under, Kevin Kisner (64), Nick Hardy (64), Harris English (65), Cam Davis (66), and Patrick Cantlay (67) shared second place. Rory McIlroy and J.T. Poston, who were in the lead after the first round, dropped six shots back after opening with 62s.
Cantlay, an amateur who in 2011 shot a 60 at TPC River Highlands, was in the same morning group as English.
Cantlay declared, "(I'm) still in this competition, and I'm looking forward to the weekend." Giving yourself as many chances as possible is all you can do in golf, and I like a challenge.
English, who triumphed in a playoff on the eighth hole a year ago, is participating in his third competition since recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured labrum in his right hip on Valentine's Day.
Walking and playing are the most difficult things, according to English. The hardest part is going up and down these hills and remaining on your feet for five or six hours. I feel like I can hit a bunch of balls on the range back home. It keeps getting better, and I have the impression that it will only get stronger as I play more competitive rounds here.
Starting on the back nine, Hardy made four straight birdies on holes 16, 17, 18, and 1. After injuring the tendon in his left wrist in April, he is also recovering from the injury.
Hardy claimed, "I was just in excellent rhythm. "Since I returned, that has essentially been the game's name for me. I just had a smooth rhythm. My mind is in a good place, and I believe I'm swinging the club nicely.
When Kisner's tee shot on hole 15 veered left and rolled toward the course's distinctive lake before tangled up on a microphone cable, inches from the water, it was good fortune for him. In the end, he was par.
Five shots are not impossible, but Schauffele needs to slow down a bit, Kisner remarked.
Before having problems on the par-4 12th hole, McIlroy, playing one group ahead of Schauffele, was still in the lead by one stroke at 13 under.
McIlroy's first shot from the tee went left and out of bounds into the trees, while his second shot struck the thick rough to the right. From there, he hit the ball into a greenside bunker, chipped out again into the rough short of the green, and then made a quadruple-bogey to complete the round.
He finished the hole in third place and ran into more difficulty on the par-4 fifteenth. He made a right turn on his tee shot and found high grass. He ran over the green, down the hill, and into the water on his third shot. He scored a six on that hole.
When his birdie putt on 18 rolled out, McIlroy finished with an even-par 70 after making a birdie on 16.
I ought to be nearer the front, he said. I think I disallowed a lot of guys from participating in the golf tournament as a result.
Adam Scott at the 2016 Honda Classic was the most recent golfer to make a quadruple bogey and win a PGA Tour competition. On the par-3 15th hole, Scott missed two shots into the water.
Jordan Spieth, the 2017 champion, dropped out along with Sam Burns (even par), Zach Johnson (4 over), and Jason Day as the cut was set at two-under (5 around).
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