Round 2 of the PGA Tour Championship saw players try and take what they learned from Thursday’s first round and improve their place on the leaderboard. As the second round progressed, players continued to adapt to the new course compared to what it has been over the last handful of years.
There was an hour and 33-minute weather delay on Friday that stalled play for the final four groups on the course. Nevertheless, we are now halfway through the Tour Championship and only 36 holes remain to determine who will be the 2024 FedEx Cup Champion.
With that in mind, here are 10 winners and losers from the second round of the Tour Championship.
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler entered the day with a seven-stroke lead. However, his only blemish on Friday was a bogey on the par-4 13th. But he responded with two birdies over his final three holes. The key thing for Scheffler was his putting to limit any more damage on the course.
That has been the only question mark all season long and the difference in being the best player in the game right now. Despite only having a four-shot lead entering the weekend, he looks to maintain the lead that he has held since before he has teed off.
Also read: 2024 Tour Championship: The 10 biggest winners and losers from Round 1
Loser: Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland struggled as well on Friday, shooting even par. Hovland was 25th in strokes gained off the tee. The reigning FedEx Cup champion was also 26th with -0.968 strokes gained around the green. It showed in his driving, only finding 6-of-14 fairways on the day. Even on the greens, he was 29th with 1.9 putts on 10-of-18 greens in regulation.
Also read: 10 underperforming PGA Tour stars in 2024
Winner: Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa had a second straight strong day at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The reason Scheffler’s lead is down to four is because of Morikawa. Morikawa, who was tied with Schauffele at 9-under par to begin the day, shot 8-under 63, the best round of the week.
Morikawa made four birdies on the front and tied for the best back nine score of the day with a 4-under 32. His round of 63 also ties his round of the season, matching the 63 in the second round of the Travelers in June.
Also read: How does the FedEx Cup Playoffs work?
Loser: Hideki Matsuyama
It was not quite the second round for Hideki Matsuyama, who has had a crazy month of August. He won bronze at the Olympics, his team got robbed on their way back to the U.S., he won the FedEx St. Jude, and withdrew due to a back injury last week at the BMW Championship.
Matsuyama was unable to gain any ground on the leaders, shooting even par. He made three straight bogeys on holes No. 4-6. He has two 1-under 70 rounds to begin his trip at East Lake.
Winner: Xander Schauffele
After not having the best of rounds on Thursday, he came back on Friday, looking to bounce back, and did. He shot 7-over 64 to get within a few strokes of the lead. It was the only bogey-free round of the day despite having to wait around the 90-minute weather delay. Schauffele was making putts, ranking third on the day with 2.743 strokes gained putting. He was fourth in strokes gained approach despite hitting 7-of-14 fairways.
Also read: 10 best winners and losers from the 2024 major season, including Xander Schauffele
Loser: Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley was looking to build momentum following his 2-under-par round yesterday. However, he ultimately went in the opposite direction, shooting 3-over par on the day. Bradley made two bogeys on his first three holes. Then on the back nine, Bradley bogeyed the par-4 13th and the par-5 14th.
Although Bradley birdied the par-3 15th on the island green, he gave that stroke back on the ensuing hole. However, he salvaged his round with a birdie-par finish. Being in the conversation to be a Captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup, he needs to finish strong.
Winner: Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala had one of the best rounds of the day at 5-under par. Theegala, who entered the tournament at 3-under par, shot 4-under 67 in the first round. Despite two straight bogeys to begin his back nine, he finished both nines strong. He made three birdies over his final five holes on the front nine.
On the back nine, Theegala made four birdies over his final five holes. He is looking to build off of that momentum heading into the weekend.
Also read: Top 10 courses on the PGA Tour in 2024, including where East Lake Golf Club stands
Loser: Chris Kirk
Chris Kirk was the other player to shoot over par Friday with a 3-over 74. Kirk, who drops to 2-over par, made a double bogey on the par-4 13th and the par-4 16th to stall his round. He also had two bogeys for a 3-over back nine. He goes into the weekend looking to turn things around playing in his hometown and being a Georgia Bulldog alum.
Winner: Tony Finau
Tony Finau, who seems to be a lock as a Presidents Cup pick by Jim Furyk for Team USA, had a bounce-back day after a 1-under 70 on Thursday. Finau shot 5-under 66 to get to 9-under par for the tournament and inside the top 10 heading into the weekend. The 34-year-old Finau made a bogey on the second hole of the day but shot bogey-free 6-under over the final 16 holes. Because of how vital this event is, moving up 12 spots on a Friday is crucial going into the final 36 holes.
Winner: Wyndham Clark
Coming off a week where he was like Captain America playing in his home state of Colorado, Wyndham Clark has had two good days in Atlanta. He has back-to-back 5-under 67s to get to 12-under par for the tournament. On Friday, he bookended bogeys on the front nine with four birdies in a five-hole stretch.
On the back nine, he was one of three eagles on the day at the pat-5 14th. Clark is tied for fourth with Theegala entering the weekend.
Also read: World Golf Rankings: Breaking down this week’s top 15 ahead of the Tour Championship