Even when his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson is on the line, Scottie Scheffler claims he tries not to place too much stress on winning one tournament over another.
No secrets are being held by Ryan Palmer. Knowing that winning the Nelson would qualify him for next week’s PGA Championship, he has set out to accomplish this aim not far from his home in another Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.
“To be honest with you, if I win this competition, I could stay at home the next week. I value that more.” Palmer, who now resides in Colleyville but was born and raised in the West Texas city of Amarillo, stated.
Scheffler led Palmer and Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke after firing his second straight 7-under 64 on Friday. Hughes’ 64 and Palmer’s 65 brought them to 13 under par. Si Woo Kim was 11 under par with a 66.
Y. Noh, who opened with a 60 to tie the course record, birdied his first two holes before shooting a 5 over par in the final 16. The South Korean was six strokes down at 8 under after shooting a round of 74 and had three 6s.
K.H. Lee, the tournament’s two-time defending winner, made the cut at 4-under par, but his chance to become the first player in 12 years to win a tournament three times in a row is all but over.
Lee completed his final six holes with three birdies to reach the weekend. Jordan Spieth, a former Texas Longhorn colleague who had to withdraw from this year’s competition due to a wrist injury, and Scheffler shared the hometown spotlight the previous year.
Spieth is open about his desire to win the tournament, where he finished 13 years ago as a Sunday contender at age 16.
Scheffler, who was born and raised in Dallas, made his PGA TOUR debut at the Nelson four years after Spieth’s incredible run. He made the cut and shot a hole-in-one as a senior in high school.
“I hope to triumph in numerous competitions. With the fans supporting me this weekend and this one is in the hometown, it would undoubtedly be a lot of fun,” remarked Scheffler, who would reclaim the top spot in the world for the third time this year if he wins the AT and T Byron Nelson.
“But I don’t think about that stuff all that much. I don’t want to emphasize any one tournament excessively. I simply want to put up my best effort and see where it takes me.” Scheffler said.
There should be many more Nelsons in Scheffler and Spieth’s future. Palmer is 20 years older than Scheffler and practices with him frequently and under the same instructor.
Palmer made seven birdies and a bogey the day following eight birdies and a bogey. On this day he claimed he had the earliest wakeup time on the TOUR in 20 years.
When Spieth and Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion at the time, and three-time major winner Palmer were receiving all the attention last year, Palmer was tied for the 36-hole lead at 15 under. Palmer wondered at the time that he was the older, perhaps forgotten Texan.
Four years ago, Palmer and Jon Rahm won a team competition on the PGA TOUR. It’s been 13 years since he last achieved a solo victory.
“I just need to keep the gas pedal depressed. It could be a very patient weekend because I predict that this Saturday and possibly Sunday will be very rainy.” Palmer said.
The TOUR promptly set earlier tee times with threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10 for Saturday in an effort to avoid the predicted rain. Sunday’s forecast is also unchanged.
With a birdie on hole No. 3, his 12th hole of the day, Scheffler gained his first uncontested lead. The 26-year-old responded at the ninth par-5 hole with his eighth birdie of the day after going bogey-free up until his 17th hole on No. 8.
“Simply good golf. I didn’t really have any trouble getting pars out there, and I thought my putting was a little bit better today than it was yesterday,” claimed Scheffler who for the first time in his career opened with a pair of 64s or better.
Noh got a double bogey on the second par-4, his 11th hole, after passing up the opportunity to try for the 18th green in two during the first round when an eagle would have given him a 59. When his drive ended up in the trees, he had to take a penalty drop to finish a four-hole stretch at four over.
Hughes scored seven birdies in a second straight bogey-free round. His second TOUR victory came in a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October.
“A bump-and-run chip-in for a birdie on the 16th par-4, which is currently playing as the most challenging hole, was Hughes’ standout shot,” Hughes said.
The 2018 Byron Nelson champion Aaron Wise, who requested a break to work on his mental health, will be present for the weekend in his first competition in two months. With 4 under, Wise completed his round.
