BMW Championship Round 2: Wyndham Clark Stays Bogey-Free and Leads Gary Woodland by One

Thirty-six holes at Bellerive, zero bogeys for Wyndham Clark. Everything else on the board is chasing that.

Clark followed Thursday's 64 with another 6-under 64 on Friday to reach 12-under 128 and take a one-shot lead at the BMW Championship. Gary Woodland, the hometown-adjacent favorite, birdied his last two holes for a 65 and sits alone in second at 11 under. J.J. Spaun celebrated his 36th birthday with a 66 and is two back at 10 under. Sungjae Im (64) and Chris Gotterup (67) share fourth at 9 under, and Patrick Cantlay and Michael Thorbjornsen are another shot behind.

Clean Card, Sore Arm

Clark has made this golf course look simple. The only real sweat across two days came on the 10th hole Thursday, when he needed an 18-footer to save par. Friday brought more of the same tidy work, highlighted by a 21-foot birdie at the 14th, and nothing on his card that cost him a shot.

It is a long way from a strange stretch earlier this summer. After throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game, his arm was so sore that he missed the cut at the Rocket Classic.

"I woke up the next day and, oh my gosh, my arm was hurting," Clark said, per the AP.

The arm is fine now. Clark tied for fifth in the Playoffs opener at TPC Southwind, arrived here fifth in the FedExCup standings and has already won twice this season, at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open. East Lake is not the question for Clark. A third trophy is.

Woodland Is Running on Fumes and Feel

Woodland has been here before, literally. He was the 36-hole leader at Bellerive at the 2018 PGA Championship and faded on the weekend. This time he is one back, still dealing with side effects from his 2023 brain surgery, and openly managing his energy one day at a time.

His finish was terrific. Woodland ripped a 2-iron into the 608-yard 17th to set up a birdie, then stuffed a wedge to 8 feet at the last for another. Through two rounds, according to the PGA TOUR, nobody in the field has been better off the tee or with approach shots.

"I'm tired," Woodland said after the round with a grin. Then, more seriously: "My focus right now is one day at a time. I don't have that luxury to look ahead."

The crowd is helping. Woodland grew up less than four hours away, and the galleries have adopted him. "The fans have been amazing," Woodland said.

He started the week 31st in the FedExCup, one spot on the wrong side of the line for the TOUR Championship. The PGA TOUR's live projections now have Woodland 17th.

Spaun's Birthday Front Nine

Spaun's day started with family. "My girls got up early and they were so happy to tell me, Happy Birthday," Spaun said, per Golf Channel.

Then came a front nine of 30, built on four straight birdies from No. 3 through No. 6. Bogeys at 14 and 15 slowed things, but Spaun birdied the 18th, the hole that cost a bogey on Thursday, and closed at 10 under. Spaun is already safe for Atlanta. The bigger chase is the Presidents Cup, where Spaun projects just outside the six automatic spots that lock on Sunday night.

"I would love to just earn my way and not have to be on the chopping block," Spaun said of those picks, per the PGA TOUR.

Hovland's 63 and the Bubble Shuffle

The low round of the day belonged to Viktor Hovland, who posted a 63 after an opening 71 to jump to 6 under. That was the loudest number, but the most consequential ones came from players fighting for East Lake.

Im shot 64 and rocketed up the projections. Im started the week 40th, and the PGA TOUR now has Im 28th. Thorbjornsen, 41st coming in, shot 66 and projects 30th, right on the line. Cantlay, 43rd to start, shot 65 and is in the mix at 8 under, though the projections still have more work for Cantlay to do. Those moves are pushing Kurt Kitayama, Rickie Fowler and Bud Cauley out of the top 30 for now.

"What is in my control is to play as well as I can this week," Cantlay said, per the PGA TOUR.

McIlroy Stalls, Scheffler Climbs

Rory McIlroy could not recapture Thursday. After a back-nine 31 in the first round, he managed only two birdies on Friday, at the seventh and ninth, and gave one back with a bogey at the par-5 eighth, a hole he birdied a day earlier. A 69 left McIlroy five behind at 7 under, tied with Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley and Maverick McNealy.

Scottie Scheffler, still fighting an illness, went the other way. After Thursday's 72, the world No. 1 shot 65, highlighted by a 30-foot birdie at the 13th. It got Scheffler to 3 under, nine shots back. That is a big gap, but Scheffler is at least pointed in the right direction.

The Weekend Picture

Clark has the lead and the cleanest card in the field. Woodland has the crowd, the ball-striking numbers and the story. Spaun has the hot putter. Behind them, the race for the last few spots at East Lake and the Presidents Cup automatic places will make every hole on the weekend matter, even for players nowhere near the trophy.

Catch up on the opening day in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap, Signature Scroll and leaderboard), AP, Golf Channel. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.