Adam Scott shot an impressive nine-under 63 to extend his lead over Keegan Bradley by three strokes after the second round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines.
The 44-year-old Australian, searching for his first TOUR win since February 2020, had a strong second round that put him in pole position at 13 under par and made him the unlikely leader in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
The 2013 Masters champion fired nine birdies in a bogey-free round to win by three strokes over first-round leader Bradley, who shot a 68 in the second round to fall one hole shy of consecutive bogey-free rounds.
“It’s been a while. I can’t remember the last time I shot a 63 here,” Scott told pgatour.com. “But it feels good to shoot a low score and know I’ve still got it in me. Hopefully I’ll have one more this week.”
Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg had eight birdies, one bogey and one eagle to tie Scott’s 63 and move into contention, four strokes behind the leader, with Sweden’s Alex Noren one stroke further back.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who sits atop the FedExCup standings ahead of next week’s Tour Championship final at East Lake, appeared frustrated after shooting only an even-par 72 to enter the weekend tied for 29th.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood are tied for 15th at three under par.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rory McIlroy showed his frustration at the BMW Championship when his tee shot on the 17th hole landed in the rough and he threw his club into the water.
Matsuyama withdrew due to injury
Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the opening round on Friday with a back injury, a day after shooting 67 to fall to one stroke behind the leader.
The tour announced Matsuyama’s withdrawal just before his morning tee time and later released a statement from the 32-year-old Japanese player, ranked sixth in the world.
“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship as I experienced pain in my lower back whilst warming up this morning which has rendered me unable to play,” he said.
“Thank you BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience at Castle Pines.”
Matsuyama won the PGA Tour’s opening playoff tournament in Memphis last week. He sits third in the FedExCup standings and is certainly in a favored position to qualify for the tournament, which starts with next week’s Tour Championship and comes with a $25 million bonus for the winner.
The 2021 Masters champion has 10 wins on the PGA Tour, including two this season.
How can I watch the FedExCup Playoffs?
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Here’s how to use Sky Sports+: Sky Sports customers will have access to over 50% more live sport this year at no extra cost.
All events will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with early coverage of round three of the BMW Championship on Sky Sports+ 5.15pm. Following the conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open on Saturday, action will be shown on Sky Sports Golf from 7pm.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched Sky TVstreaming services now The Sky Sports app will also allow Sky Sports customers to watch over 50% more live sport this year, at no extra cost. Find out more here.
