ATLANTA — Tommy Fleetwood is a well-recognized story hopeful of a special ending, posting eight birdies in his spherical of 7-under 63 to share the lead Friday on the Tour Championship with Russell Henley in what was shaping up as a good race for the $10 million prize.
Fleetwood, more and more fashionable for his grace in dealing with so many robust losses , is trying to find his first PGA Tour win to go together with a set of sturdy European tour titles. However he has been down this highway earlier than, very often this 12 months. The questions are getting previous.
Possibly it ends with the Englishman successful two trophies for his first win — the FedExCup and the “Calamity Jane” duplicate putter that serves because the Tour Championship trophy.
“All I can do is continue learning,” Fleetwood stated. “I really really feel like I’ve performed very, very effectively when I’ve led the tournaments and been in competition. It’s simply I may need not acquired issues proper proper on the finish. It’s not like I’ve crashed and burned. It’s simply that I’ve not fairly completed issues off. The those that win essentially the most are the blokes which are in competition essentially the most.
“That’s the place I need to be,” he stated. “I preserve going. I really like the excitement when I’m in competition, and I’m simply excited for the chance once more.”
The one buzz he acquired mistaken was the setting on his clippers when he went to trim his beard, prompting questions on whether or not he shaved. It beats the choice query of when he’ll win or whether or not this would be the week.
However it received’t be simple. Russell Henley had one other birdie-birdie end for a 66 to affix him in a share of the lead at 13-under 127, terribly low scoring apart from spells of heavy rain the earlier two days at East Lake and extra anticipated Friday — they moved the tee instances ahead to keep away from a stoppage in play. Greens are mushy, they run true and most popular lies are in place.
It’s a recipe for low scoring and that’s what the Tour Championship has supplied. Add to that the brand new format the place the highest 30 gamers begin at even, as a substitute of the highest seed getting a two-shot lead and the underside 5 gamers beginning 10 pictures behind.
Cameron Younger bolstered his Ryder Cup hopes with a 62, which included a par save from the seventeenth fairway when he properly pitched out from a most awkward lie. He was two pictures behind.
Patrick Cantlay, the FedExCup champion from 2021, was on the verge of taking himself out of the event till he shot 30 on the again 9, capped off by a birdie-birdie-eagle end, the final one a 7-wood from 249 yards to six ft. He shot 66 and was three behind, together with BMW Championship runner-up Robert MacIntyre.
Scheffler is 5 pictures behind co-leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley, which is one shot worse than he was after 36 holes final week on the BMW Championship. He received that occasion by two strokes.
Scottie Scheffler hit a wedge to a foot on the ultimate gap for a 69, not his cleanest spherical however extending his streak of 19 consecutive rounds beneath par. He was 5 again.
“Simply a type of days the place it appeared like I wasn’t getting rewarded for the stuff that I used to be doing,” Scheffler stated. “Only a spark off all day.”
Henley opened the spherical by holing out from a bunker for birdie, and he performed the slope on the inexperienced from the bunker on the 18th for a closing birdie.
The course is enjoying to a median rating of 67 by means of two rounds.
“When situations are mushy and there’s been rain, I feel that results in a bunched leaderboard, so no shock there,” Cantlay stated. “These 30 guys have performed effectively all 12 months, so not a shock to see them enjoying effectively right here this week.”
That’s very true for Fleetwood. He was gutted when he took a one-shot lead into the ultimate gap on the Vacationers Championship, solely to take three putts from 50 ft from wanting the inexperienced and lose by one shot to a Keegan Bradley birdie.
Tee instances and TV instances for the third spherical of the FedExCup playoff finale, the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Membership.
Two weeks in the past in Memphis, he was two forward with three to play when he performed one chip too agency, didn’t get up-and-down on the seventeenth and wound up one shot out of a playoff.
There’s nonetheless loads of work forward, with 13 gamers at 7-under 133 or decrease.
“I do know this weekend scoring is clearly going to be superb,” Fleetwood stated. “The scoring is basically good, however the course really isn’t simple. You’ve acquired to play effectively. I do know that I want to only exit for the following 36 holes — I imply, I’m not even occupied with 36, I’ve acquired to begin tomorrow first — preserve committing to my golf pictures, preserve hitting them, and hopefully play effectively.
“However the extra you’re there, the extra you might be snug in these conditions and comfy in that state of affairs. I’m simply actually excited to go once more.”
