The first 36 holes at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, are in the books and we’re headed to the weekend at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Maybe the least surprising development of the week is Scottie Scheffler owning the two-day lead at 14 under. The Texan posted back-to-back rounds of 64 and leads Ryan Palmer and Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke.
Seung Yul Noh, who opened with a 60 on Thursday, shot 3-over 75 on Friday, and that happened after carding birdies on his first two holes.
If you missed any of Friday’s action, no worries, we have you covered. Here’s everything you need to know from the second round of the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Scheffler leading in hometown event
Scheffler is the fourth golfer on the PGA Tour this season to open up with consecutive rounds of 64 or better. Two of the first three (Jon Rahm, Russell Henley) went on to win. Davis Thompson did it at The American Express, but so did Rahm, who won that week.
However, Scheffler will have to battle to claim his third victory of the season.
In the final pairing with him Saturday will be Mackenzie Hughes, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship in the fall. Si Woo Kim is in the penultimate group, and he won the Sony Open in January.
Scheffler is the top dog, no doubt, in his hometown event, but he knows he can’t take it easy for the final 36 holes.
“I want to win a lot of tournaments,” Scheffler said. “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.”
Scheffler’s Friday 64 was much cleaner than Thursday’s. He carded eight birdies to only one bogey, coming on his penultimate hole. However, he bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 ninth to close his round.
“Just solid golf,” he said. “I didn’t really struggle for too many pars out there, and I felt like I putted a little bit better today than yesterday.”
Palmer rounding into form
Ryan Palmer is starting to figure it out.
He finished T-35 at the Wells Fargo Championship last week, but before that, he had missed the cut in five of his past six starts. He also is searching for his first victory since the 2019 Zurich Classic.
It’s also a homecoming for Palmer, who was born in Amarillo and lives in Colleyville, a suburb of Dallas. However, his play this week feels like a culmination of working through the struggles and reaping the rewards.
“It’s been frustrating for me personally,” Palmer said. “But I’ve been working at it. I’ve been very, very patient. I keep telling myself, it’s a very patient season right now.
“The work I’ve been putting into it, it showed last week for the first time in a long time. It wasn’t the finish you’d want, but when I look back at 35th last week, OK, it’s a start and we’re getting closer, and it’s carried over and is showing right now.”
Palmer went birdie-bogey to start, but he bounced back with consecutive birdies on the fourth and fifth holes. Then he birdied four of the final 10 holes to post a 6-under 65 and sits tied for second with Hughes.
“It’s nice to be in a position I hadn’t been here in a while, and it feels great.”
Aaron Wise on to the weekend in return
In March, Aaron Wise announced he was withdrawing from the Masters to focus on his mental health.
“Regretfully I am withdrawing from The Masters. Golf is just as much a mental game as it is one of physical skill, and the mental piece of it has been a struggle for me recently. I don’t take the significance of playing at Augusta lightly, but know that I need to take some time away to focus on my mental health so I can get back to competing at a level I am proud of,” he wrote in a post.
This week, Wise made his return, and he has made the weekend at TPC Craig Ranch.
Wise sits at 4 under, right above the cutline, but earned a weekend tee time after rounds of 68-70. On Friday, he had four birdies and three bogeys.
Nevertheless, it’s impressive to see him return and make the cut after taking time to focus on his mental health. Here’s to hoping the 26-year-old can continue to find his stride again.
Shot of the day
Everyone loves a good flop shot. Jason Day used this one to make a birdie at the par-5 18th (his ninth of the day).
BIG flop from @JDayGolf
He gets up-and-down for birdie to move to -9 pic.twitter.com/RKrY1SSu1i
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2023
Saturday's weather forecast
According to Windy.com, there’s a chance of rain in the afternoon with the temperature expected to reach 80 degrees. The wind is projected to hover around 10 MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH possible.
Tee times for the third round have been moved up due to the forecast. Groups of three will go off the first and 10th holes.
Due to anticipated inclement weather Saturday, third-round tee times for the AT&T Byron Nelson will be approximately 9:15 – 11:30 a.m. CT in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) May 12, 2023
