Scottie Scheffler shoots a front nine under 30 in the second round of the Hero World Challenge
Scottie Scheffler stormed to the top of the Hero World Challenge leaderboard in the second round. He did so by firing a bogey-free, 8-birdie round that included an under 30 front nine.
The World No. 1 golfer birdied the first four holes in a row, parred the 5th, made two more consecutive bogeys, parred the 8th, and closed out the front nine with a birdie on the 9th. His score to that point (7-under 29) is the lowest Hero World Challenge score since 2017 (Rickie Fowler, 8-under 28).
Scottie Scheffler was unable to maintain a similar pace on the back nine, but it was enough to give him a two-shot lead over the players tied for second (pending the completion of the round).
The reigning Masters champion parred the first four holes of the back nine and made his eighth birdie of the day on the 14th. Scheffler then closed out his round with pars on the final four holes.
A day earlier, Scheffler had carded six birdies and one bogey to move into a share of third place, three shots behind 18-hole leader Cameron Young.
Scottie Scheffler arrived at Albany Golf Club for the Hero World Challenge with a new putting grip. So far, it has worked very well for him, as he is averaging 1.54 putts per green in regulation through the first 36 holes, which is the second best in the tournament.
Scottie Scheffler's Hero World Challenge record at a glance
Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion of the Hero World Challenge. He won a year ago with a 20-under-par 268, just days before the start of his historic 2024 season.
In his three appearances at the Tiger Woods-hosted event in Albany, Bahamas, Scheffler has one victory (2023) and two runner-up finishes (2021, 2022). He lost to Viktor Hovland both times.
Today's 8-under 64 is the best round Scheffler has ever shot at the Hero World Challenge. His previous best was 7-under 65 in the second round of the 2023 edition.
His worst round at the event was an even-par 72. He shot it on the first day of the 2022 edition.
Scheffler played 19 tournaments on the PGA Tour's regular schedule this year. He had a historic seven wins, two runner-up finishes and seven other top-10s.
Among his victories was his second Masters title. He also won the Players Championship, three Signature events (the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, and the Memorial Tournament), and the TOUR Championship, which gave him his first FedEx Cup victory.
Scheffler capped off his season by winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He also played in the Presidents Cup as part of the American team that won the title.
In a few days, Scheffler will close out his competitive year by playing in The Showdown, where he will team up with Rory McIlroy against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.