Key facts
- Hovland (Norway) and Ryan Gerard (US) lead at -10 after 36 holes at East Lake
- Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup in second at -9
- Scottie Scheffler (world No. 1) at -8, two shots back; Cameron Young also -8
- Hovland carded 66 in round 2; Gerard posted 65 with a 78-foot birdie putt
- Cameron Young shot 62 with seven birdies and an eagle in round 2
- Half the field within five shots of the lead entering weekend play
Leaderboard and round 2 results
Viktor Hovland of Norway and Ryan Gerard of the United States are tied for the lead at 10-under par heading into the third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, shot a 66 in the second round, including a birdie on the final hole. Gerard posted a 65 and set the clubhouse lead with a memorable 78-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole that traveled the length of the green.
Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup share second place at 9-under. World number one Scottie Scheffler is at 8-under, two shots back, after a round of 67 that featured two early bogeys. Cameron Young, who won the Players Championship in March, also sits at 8-under after a 62 containing seven birdies and an eagle on the par-five 18th.
Notable performances and struggles
England’s Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are three strokes back at 7-under, with Rose delivering a bogey-free 65. Adam Scott of Australia and Ludvig Åberg of Sweden are also at 7-under. England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Wyndham Clark are at 4-under.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the Masters champion, has struggled at 3-under overall. In the second round, he opened with a birdie but reached two-over par after four holes. He recorded a double bogey on the third hole after missing the green with his approach and then failing twice to chip the ball onto the putting surface. McIlroy did make two birdies in the final three holes but remains tied for 23rd place.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre finished with difficulty, posting a 76 after three consecutive bogeys and a double bogey on the par-three 15th when his tee shot found the water. He is at 3-over par. According to the BBC, MacIntyre was one of only three players to finish the second round over par, alongside Min Woo Lee and Xander Schauffele.
Round 3 pairings and schedule
Hovland and Gerard will tee off in the final pairing at 2:55 p.m. ET on Saturday. Morikawa and Gotterup will play just ahead at 2:43 p.m., while Scheffler and Cameron Young will play the marquee pairing at 2:31 p.m. ET. Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are paired at 2:19 p.m., and Adam Scott and Ludvig Åberg go out at 2:07 p.m.
According to CBS Sports, approximately half the field at East Lake are within five shots of the lead heading into the weekend, setting up what CBS describes as the potential for significant movement on Saturday.
Tournament details
The Tour Championship is the season-ending event for the PGA Tour. The first-place prize is $10 million. CBS will televise round 3 on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. ET across CBS, CBSSports.com, Paramount+, and the CBS Sports App.
Sources
Featured photo: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)