(Atlanta) A bad move in practice led Collin Morikawa to search for solutions for two hours. Now he holds a record at the East Lake course that previously belonged to Tiger Woods.
Morikawa followed his round of 61 with a 64-under-6 card on Friday at the PGA Tour Championship.
The American has the lowest score after 36 holes at East Lake and shares the lead with Viktor Hovland in the final weekend of FedEx Cup playoffs.
“Sometimes it’s just being there when you don’t realize you’ve been there a long time, but you find a solution and hope it works,” said Morikawa, who hasn’t won since the end of 2021. I’ve been doing this for the past few years, hoping to find this thing that works and currently I’m going to keep it. »
Scores can look high at Tour Championship because players start with a score determined by their position in the FedEx Cup standings.
Morikawa was 24th in the standings and started the tournament at 1 under. Hovland, who has been on a hot streak since the final round of the BMW Championship last week, was the second seed and started the event at 8 under.
Both golfers now have a combined score of minus-16, two strokes ahead of tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler. The world number one rebounded after a round of 71 and he shot 65.
“I was six shots better. I did not put my ball in the water and I made three putts on the same hole three times less. Here it is,” Scheffler analyzed.
It’s the only simple math at the FedEx Cup. That, and the $18 million awarded to the winner.
Woods had played two more strokes than Morikawa after 36 holes at the 2007 Tour Championship. Back then, all players started at the same starting point.
Keegan Bradley, who is doing everything he can to make it difficult for United States captain Zach Johnson to compete for the Ryder Cup, has three birdies on his last five holes. He brought back a card of 67 and shows a cumulative score of minus-13.
Masters champion Jon Rahm (65) and Xander Schauffele (64) are four strokes behind the leaders.
“I look at the board and I’m gaining very little ground,” Schauffele said. There is still a lot of work to do. »
Rory McIlroy, who has been struggling with back spasms since Tuesday, felt much better on Friday. He went 67 for a cumulative score of minus-10, six strokes behind.
“I’m limited in what I can do, but I’m here to fight,” McIlroy said. I’m glad I got through 36 holes. »
