scottie scheffler (64 for 132, 10 under par), Adam Hadwin (66 for 132, -10), Jon Rahm (66 for 134, -8), Jordan Spieth (63 for 134, -8) and xander schauffele (67 for 134, -8) occupies the top five positions in Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, Arizonaafter the end of the second day, where the world no.1, Rory McIlroy, playing on Friday afternoon shift, this Saturday morning (very cold) local time he completed the five remaining holes. He reacted a bit but his 67 shots put him at 140 (-2), 8 back of the head. The Northern Irishman sees his OGWR lead at risk if Scheffler or Rahm wins the tournament.
Looking at the ‘leaderboard’, four big names light up this first tournament of the so-called specials, with 20 million dollars in prizes and 18 of the top 20 world rankings in contention. Three are ‘major’ winners and one is the current Olympic champion, in a unique setting defined by Rahm, who lives five minutes by car from the course.
All tickets are on sale for this Saturday and the 16th hole, a par 3 of nearly 150 metres, is a sight to behold, with a hole-stadium configuration, and grandstands on either side from end to end, in behind the tee and behind the green. . A pure American showtime.
Canadian Hadwin joins Scheffler this Saturday at the top of the table at -10. Scheffler and Rahm are world numbers 2 and 3, respectively. Rahm, 28 years old, and with a 5th place as a rookie in 2015 as the best result in his seven participations in Scottsdale, has been outstanding this 2023: he won the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express and returned to compete with Farmers ( 7th tied). He has never finished worse than a tied 16th here.
What surprised him on Friday was meeting his mother and grandmother on the rowdy 16th hole. “Unexpected,” he said. “Very unexpected. I’m glad I didn’t know until I hit it, honestly.” Surprise or not, it went well: Rahm dropped the ball eight feet from the pin and holed the birdie putt. Then he put his hand to his right ear and asked the public to shout more because by gesticulating he didn’t seem to hear them.
Scheffler picked up his first win at last year’s WM Phoenix Open, starting a four-match winning streak from six tournaments that earned him the world number 1 ranking. His only surprise on Friday came on the same hole, the 16th, where he was about to hit a ‘hole in one’ but the ball landed on the green.
Classification on day 2 (par 71):
132 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 68 64
Adam Hadwin (Can) 66 66
134 Jon Rahm (ESP) 68 66
Xander Schauffele (USA) 67 67
Jordan Spieth (USA) 71 63
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
