Schauffele fires 64, takes CJ Cup lead

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Xander Schauffele began his second round by missing a 4-foot birdie putt. That was hardly a sign of what was to follow Friday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek.

Schauffele made putts as short as 3 feet and as long as 35 feet. He chipped in from 20 feet. He seemingly couldn’t miss during a two-hour stretch when he made seven birdies over eight holes, including six in a row, for a careerbest 29 on the back nine.

His momentum slowed with the pace of play, and he settled an 8-under 64 for a two-round total of 14-under 130 and three-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton.

Schauffele now has the course record at Shadow Creek, which is hosting the CJ Cup for this year only because the COVID-19 pandemic made travel to South Korea impractical.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: In Richmond, Va., the first round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic was postponed Friday because of rain. The tour planned to play two rounds Saturday and complete the tournament by Sunday evening. The 54-hole tournament at the Country Club of Virginia was to be Phil Mickelson’s second start on the PGA Tour Champions. He won his debut on the over-50 tour at Ozarks National in August.