To the surprise of no one, Scottie Scheffler holds a two-shot lead at the midway point of the Hero World Challenge. He arrived in the Bahamas as the defending champion and as a massive favorite, a position he has grown accustomed to in recent years.
But how he got to his perch atop the leaderboard is a little bit of a surprise. This week, he has employed a new putting grip, opting to use ‘the claw’ on putts from within 15 feet. It worked well on Friday, as Scheffler birdied six of his first seven holes and went out with a 7-under 29. He ultimately carded an 8-under 64, making just one birdie on the back nine, but Scheffler leads Akshay Bhatia and Justin Thomas, who has a new driver this week, by two shots.
Another player lurking is 2025 Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who posted a 5-under 67 on Friday. Bradley is four back of Scheffler and in the penultimate pairing with Thomas.
Meanwhile, first-round leader Cameron Young could not get anything going on day two. He signed for a round 11 strokes higher than the 64 he posted on Thursday, as his struggles on Friday came thanks to a cold putter. He also hit a couple of poor approaches and a few wayward tee shots that stymied his momentum.
Everything you need to know for Round 3 is below:
Tournament Leaderboard
1. Scottie Scheffler -13 — 67-64
T2. Akshay Bhatia – 11 — 67-66
T2. Justin Thomas -11 — 66-67
4. Keegan Bradley -9 — 68-67
T5. Sepp Straka -7 — 69-68
T5. Sungjae Im -7 — 69-68
T5. Ludvig Åberg -7 — 67-70
T8. Sahith Theegala -6 — 67-71
T8. Patrick Cantlay -6 — 67-71
T10. Tom Kim -5 — 74-65
T10. Robert MacIntyre -5 — 68-71
T10. Cameron Young -5 — 64-75
T13. Russell Henley -4 — 69-71
T13. Sam Burns -4 — 69-71
15. Nick Dunlap -3 — 68-73
T16. Brian Harman -2 — 70-72
T16. Aaron Rau -2 — 71-71
18. Wyndham Clark -1 — 73-70
19. Jason Day +1 — 75-70
20. Matthieu Pavon +3 — 74-73
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Odds for players to win provided by FanDuel:
Scottie Scheffler: -230
Justin Thomas: +500
Akshay Bhatia: +1100
Keegan Bradley: +2500
Ludvig Åberg: +3000
Sungjae Im: +3500
Patrick Cantlay: +5500
Sepp Straka: +7500
Sahith Theegala: +10000
Robert MacIntyre: +15000
Sam Burns: +15000
Cameron Young: +17000
Russell Henley: +17000
Tom Kim: +17000
Nick Dunlap: +100000
Jason Day: +100000
Aaron Rai: +100000
Wyndham Clark: +100000
Tom Kim: +100000
Jason Day: +100000
Matthieu Pavon: +100000
How to Watch
NBC and Golf Channel will provide live television coverage, meaning you can stream on Peacock too.
All times Eastern:
Saturday, December 7: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, December 8: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (NBC)
Round 3 Tee Times
All times Eastern:
11:10 a.m. — Jason Day, Matthieu Pavon
11:21 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Wyndham Clark
11:32 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Brian Harman
11:43 a.m. — Russell Henley, Sam Burns
11:54 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim
12:05 p.m. — Nick Dunlap, Sam Burns
12:16 p.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala
12:27 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im
12:38 p.m. — Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley
12:49 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
