Viktor Hovland and Ryan Gerard share the lead at 10 under par after the second round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta, setting up a closely contested weekend in the PGA Tour’s season-ending event.
Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, birdied the final hole to complete a four-under-par 66. Gerard had earlier set the clubhouse target with a five-under 65.
Hovland’s putting once again played a key role, while Gerard responded with one of the round’s most memorable moments by holing a spectacular 78-foot birdie putt that travelled the length of the seventh green.
Morikawa and Gotterup remain in contention
Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup are joint third at nine under. World number one Scottie Scheffler recovered from two early bogeys with a 67 and is two shots off the lead.
Cameron Young, winner of the Players Championship in March, is also on eight under after a scintillating 62 featuring seven birdies and an eagle on the par-five 18th.
England’s Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are three strokes behind the leaders at seven under and remain firmly in contention for Sunday’s $10m (£7.4m) prize.
Rose produced a bogey-free 65, but Rory McIlroy endured another mixed day. The Northern Irishman opened with a birdie but was two over par after four holes.
McIlroy’s frustration was clear on the third hole. After missing the green with his approach, he twice failed to chip onto the putting surface from the same spot and eventually made a double bogey.
He recovered with two birdies over the final three holes, but the Masters champion will need to make significant progress on Saturday from his current position, tied for 23rd at three under.
MacIntyre struggles after the turn
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre also had a difficult second round, particularly on the back nine.
The 30-year-old made three consecutive bogeys before adding a double bogey on the par-three 15th after finding water off the tee. He signed for a six-over 76 and, alongside Min Woo Lee and Xander Schauffele, was one of only three players to finish the second round over par.
MacIntyre’s route to a bogey on the 18th was unusual, but not as unusual as Jacob Bridgeman’s. Bridgeman’s wayward tee shot landed inside a stall selling pizza.
Tour Championship leaderboard after round two
- -10: Ryan Gerard (US), Viktor Hovland (Nor)
- -9: Collin Morikawa (US), Chris Gotterup (US)
- -8: Scottie Scheffler (US), Cameron Young (US)
- -7: Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng), Justin Rose (Eng), Adam Scott (Aus), Ludvig Aberg (Swe)
- -6: Ryan Fox (NZ)
- -4: Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Alex Fitzpatrick (Eng), Wyndham Clark (US)
- -3: Rory McIlroy (NI)
- +3: Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
Source: www.bbc.com
