NASSAU, Bahamas — The world No. 1 is reminding us at the end of the year just how good he can be.
On Friday, Scottie Scheffler made eight birdies en route to shooting 6-under 66 at Albany Club to share the lead with Jordan Spieth at 9-under 135 at the halfway point of the Hero World Challenge. Brian Harman was alone in third a stroke back and Tiger Woods, who is making his first start since the Masters, roared to an opening-nine 32 before his round stalled and he settled for a 2-under 70.
There was a lot to like about Scheffler’s round —the low one of the day by the 20-man field — but when asked to name what he did best, he said, “I drove it well, gave myself a lot of chances. Yeah, that’s probably the thing I did best.”
Scheffler, who opened in 69, made birdie on three of his first seven holes before making a bogey on No. 8 after getting what he called a bad break. He heated up on the back nine with four birdies in a five-hole stretch beginning at No. 11.
“Kind of got into a nice groove there,” he said. Hit a good iron shot into 10, two good shots into 11, good iron shot on 12 and then I just hit a lot of quality shots and got some looks. That’s really just what I did best.”
Scheffler is trying to end the year on a high note. He’s a candidate for Player of the Year after notching two wins but hasn’t hoisted a trophy since the Players Championship in March.
Here are four more things to know from the second round of the Hero World Challenge.
Jordan Spieth of the United States plays his shot from the 18th fairway during the second round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 01, 2023 in Nassau, . (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images,)
His game may feel rusty after an extended layoff since the Ryder Cup, but Jordan Spieth managed to keep a clean card on Friday. He followed up a 68 in the opening round with a 5-under 67 on Friday.
“For a day where I didn’t have the putter really going and/or didn’t really have any – I had a few kind of makeable ones that I missed, it’s really nice to see the rest of the game there,” he said. “And I felt like I hit good putts and some days they go in, some days they don’t, but I felt like I stroked it better today, and that’s a good sign.”
That could be a bad sign for the rest of the field. Spieth won this tournament in 2014 when it was played at Isleworth but hasn’t done better than a T-3 at Albany. He’s also seeking his first win…
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