SCHEFFLER TAKES LEAD AT NELSON
Scottie Scheffler says he tries not to put too much emphasis on winning one tournament over another, even when his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson is in play. Ryan Palmer isn’t keeping any secrets. Win the Nelson not far from his home in another DallasFort Worth suburb, knowing it would qualify the 46-yearold Texan for next week’s PGA Championship?
“I’d win this tournament and stay home next week, to be honest with you,” said Palmer, who lives in Colleyville but was born and raised in Amarillo in West Texas. “That means more to me.”
Scheffler shot his second consecutive 7under 64 on Friday for a one-shot lead over Palmer and Mackenzie Hughes. Palmer’s 65 and a 64 from Hughes put them at 13under 129. Si Woo Kim shot 66 and was 11 under.
S.Y. Noh, who tied the course record with an opening-round 60, birdied his first two holes before playing the final 16 in 5 over. The South Korean had three 6s in a round of 74 and was 8 under, six shots back.
Two-time defending champion K.H. Lee made the cut on the number at 4 under, but the South Korean’s bid to become the first player in 12 years to win a tournament three consecutive times is all but gone. Lee birdied three of his final six holes just to make the weekend.
“I want to win a lot of tournaments,” said Scheffler, who would return to No. 1 in the world for the third time this year with a victory. “This one being in the hometown, it would definitely be a lot of fun with the crowd behind me this weekend. But that’s not stuff that occupies too many of my thoughts. I don’t want to place too much emphasis on one tournament. I just want to go out and do my best and see where that puts me.”
Els takes lead with 66
Ernie Els birdied the final two holes to cap off a 6-under 66 and take a one-stroke lead over Paul Broadhurst in the second round of the Regions Tradition at Birmingham, Ala., the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.
Els birdied three of the final four holes, marred by his lone bogey of the day on No. 16, to move to 10-under 134 on the Founders Course at Greystone.
A grinning Els mimicked sheathing a sword with his club after his final putt, the familiar celebration of playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was four shots back after a 68.
Defending champion Steve Stricker is two shots back after his second straight 68, tied with first-round co-leader Timothy O’Neal, who had a 69. Stricker, the Charles Schwab Cup points leader, is chasing his fifth PGA Tour Champions major and third Tradition title.
Elsewhere
Two-time LPGA Tour player of the year
Jin Young Ko shot her second straight 4under 68 in the Founders Cup at Clifton, N.J., and shared the halfway lead with 37year-old non-winner Sarah Kemp. Kemp, whose best finish on tour is a tie for second in 2019, had a one-stroke lead with three holes to play but pulled her drive on the par 4 16th at Upper Montclair Country Club. The Australian was short of the elevated green on her second shot and missed a long par putt after a chip from a tough stance. She had a 65 to match Ko at 8-under 136.
Branden Grace couldn’t miss with his irons or his putter on his way to a 9-under 61 to build a two-shot lead after one round of LIV Golf Tulsa at Broken Arrow, Okla. Grace finished with three straight birdies at Cedar Ridge. He needed them to hold off
Dustin Johnson, who showed signs of shaking off some rust by finishing with five straight birdies. Johnson and Brendan Steele each shot a 63.
Unheralded Swedish golfer Simon Forsstrom maintained his one-stroke lead in the Soudal Open on the European tour by posting a 4-under 67 in the second round at Antwerp, Belguim.