BMW Championship: At the halfway point of the BMW Championship, Adam Scott has a slim lead over the field, which also includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
Following a 65 in the first round, Scott shot a two-under 69 at Wilmington Country Club to go to eight under and lead a crowded leaderboard in Delaware.
The Australian made birdies on three of his first six holes and added another one at the par-five 12th, but he missed a five-foot putt on the next hole and then made a double-bogey to close the gap on the pack of players pursuing him.
“I felt really in control today,” Scott said. “When you’re playing that way, it always could be a couple better, and a poor shot on 17 was quite costly. But I’m in great shape going into the weekend. I don’t even know when the last time I led a tournament was.”
Jordan Spieth momentarily shared the lead with Scott before a last bogey dropped him back into a four-way tie for second. Scheffler started with three straight birdies, and Corey Conners birdied the last to match the second-round 67 of the three-time major champion.
“I feel like I’m doing everything good, nothing spectacular, but I feel like in every facet of my game, it’s trending and improving,” Spieth said. “I know what to do to get it better and better. Coming into the weekend, it’s a good opportunity to just have a lot of trust, focus on trying to win this golf tournament, not think about next week.”
In addition to the current FedExCup winner Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Scott Stallings, and Cam Davis, McIlroy sits within two strokes of the halfway lead after shooting his second consecutive 68. Cameron Young rounds out the group at seven under.
McIlroy failed to save par at the par-three after missing a 10-foot birdie opportunity there and failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker, but he took advantage of the par-five third and followed up a 15-foot birdie at the sixth with a 20-foot birdie at the eighth.
The Northern Irishman made a comeback birdie at the following hole and pitched from just outside the penultimate green to go to six under after nailing a 12-footer to save par at the 12th then three-putting the par-five 14th to record his second bogey of the day.
“I probably didn’t play quite as well today as I did yesterday but ended up shooting the same score,” McIlroy said. “I’m probably coming off the golf course a lot happier than I was last night after dropping a feBMW Championshipw those last few holes and today picking a couple up.”
