Schauffele ahead by three

Xander Schauffele made putts as short as 3 feet and as long as 35 feet Friday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. 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 career-best 29 on the back nine. His momentum slowed with the pace of play, and he settled an 8-under 64 for a three-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton. Schauffele was at 14-under 130 and 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. Hatton, among six players who were in England last week for the European Tour’s flagship event, was headed for a rocky finish when he laid up into the rough on the par-5 16th that led to a second consecutive bogey. He rallied to close with a pair of birdies for a 68. Russell Henley (68) was another shot back at 10-under 134. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) is tied for 15th and stands at 4-under.