Wyndham Clark seized the sole lead at the BMW Championship in St. Louis with another bogey-free 64 (-6), while Rory McIlroy is among the chasing pack – at the second event of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs.
One of five overnight co-leaders, Clark separated himself from the field with a birdie on the 17th, after narrowly missing a long uphill eagle putt at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, moments earlier. A confident par putt from a fairway bunker on the final hole sealed the 32-year-old's first-ever bogey-free 36-hole opening at a PGA Tour event.
“Even though I missed more fairways today, the misses were in good spots,” Clark said. “I feel like my putter hasn’t quite heated up yet; it would be nice if it fired up on the weekend. But I played really solid golf.” Clark holed a 21-foot putt on the 14th, after collecting birdies on the 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th with pinpoint approach play.
The American, who triumphed with his second US Open title in June, entered the second half at twelve under par, one stroke ahead of former US Open champion Gary Woodland. Woodland finished his round with two consecutive birdies, after previously sending some drives into the rough. “I kind of lost my way a little bit on the back nine, pulled a couple shots to the right, but I was able to adjust and take a step back,” Woodland said. “I checked my grip and then delivered four really strong shots on 17 and 18. I’m proud of that adjustment.”
Another co-leader from the previous day, JJ Spaun, had previously built a significant lead with four consecutive birdies on an impressive front nine. “I wasn’t thinking much. I was kind of in a good flow – mentally and technically with my game,” he said. Three bogeys after the turn gave the chasing group hope again, before Spaun finished his round with a birdie for a 66, securing third place, two strokes behind Clark. “That was a nice way to finish the day. Had a little dip on 14, 15 with a bad three-putt and a weak second shot on 14. But that’s golf, it happens.” “I’ve always thought that real monster courses suit my game… When fairways and greens (in regulation) are key, that’s when I perform at my best, like at a US Open,” Spaun added, who won this major last year.
McIlroy Stumbles, Scheffler Fights Back
Chris Gotterup was another stroke back, alongside South Korean Im Sung-jae, followed by Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Cantlay at 8-under par. And fellow overnight co-leader Rory McIlroy remained in contention, tied for eighth place and five strokes back with a round of 69. The Northern Irishman is trying to rebound after an alarming 66th-place finish last week at the St. Jude Championship in Mem
