CROMWELL, Conn. โ Scotty Scheffler missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday at the Travelers Championship, narrowly missing out on joining Jim Furyk as the only players in PGA Tour history with two rounds under 60.
Scheffler had to settle for a 10-under 60 on the soft TPC River Highlands course, putting an early target on the scoreboard on a very low-scoring day in the final marquee event of the regular season.
โGoing out yesterday afternoon when the greens here get hard and the wind starts blowing, it can get rough pretty quickly,โ Scheffler said. โGoing out this morning you definitely felt like the conditions were going to be easier, so you have to go out there and try to take advantage of it.โ
Scheffler had a 16-under 124 and was two shots ahead of Viktor Hovland.
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โAt the end of the day, I was very focused just on my execution,โ Scheffler said. โWho knows what leadership will be like after today. This week I put myself in my place. Go home, get some rest and get ready for tomorrow.โ
Playing in three groups ahead of Scheffler, Hovland needed to birdie the final two holes for a 59. He settled for a pair of pars and a 61 to match his career-best on tour.
โCertainly it was more accessible today than even yesterday,โ Hovland said.
Akshay Bhatia had 62 to match first-round leader Eric Cole at 12-under.
โI know how to play this golf course,โ Bhatia said. โYou have to keep making birdies and try to limit your mistakes.โ
Cole parred the final eight holes of the game with a 65.
โMaybe just tired or something and tired of making swings,โ Cole said.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Bud Cauley and Ben Griffin tied for fifth at 10 under, each shooting 66s.
Scheffler shot 59 in his 2020 season debut in the second round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston, another rain-softened course that produced a poor showing. Dustin Johnson played 11 under 11 holes that day and had to settle for a 60.
โSome days they kind of hang on the edge and donโt make it, and other days they find the bottom of the cup,โ Scheffler said. โToday was definitely the day that most of them found the bottom of the cup.โ
Furyk shot his first round under 60 in the second round of the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms near Chicago for a 59 with a bogey on his card. Three years later, he set a PGA Tour record at the Travelers Championship with a final-round score of 58.
Furyk has not won a single tournament.
โIt was like, โIt would be cool to shoot 59, but someone here already shot 58, so itโs not even a course record,โโ Scheffler said.
Scheffler, who won the Travelers Championship two years ago, is tied for fourth at the U.S. Open when he played in the final round. His last win was the American Express race in the California desert, his first race of the year.
Scheffler bogeyed the par-4 at second, leaving the fairway wedge very short and missing an 8-foot par attempt.