FedEx St. Jude Championship Round 2: Scottie Scheffler Fires a Record-Tying 61

Scottie Scheffler spent Thursday as a face in the crowd. By the middle of Friday's front nine, the crowd was looking up at him.

The world No. 1 birdied his first five holes, kept going in 100-degree heat and shot a 9-under 61 at TPC Southwind, tying the tournament course record, per the AP. That put Scheffler at 11-under 129 and three shots clear of Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im at the halfway point of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Ludvig Åberg is alone in fourth at 7 under, and a four-man group sits at 6 under.

Five for Five

The start was absurd even by Scheffler's standards. Birdies on Nos. 1 through 5, another at the 7th, and suddenly the five-way logjam from Thursday was a rearview-mirror problem. Scheffler said afterward he could not remember ever being lower that early in a round.

"Really just a dream start," Scheffler said, per the AP. "Probably one of the best starts I've had on tour, to be honest with you."

It was not flawless, which is part of what makes it scary. Scheffler dropped a shot at the 8th, birdied the 10th, then gave another back at the 12th. Most players spend the rest of the afternoon trying to protect what is left after two bogeys. Scheffler made four more birdies over the final six holes instead, per Field Level Media, finishing with 11 birdies against those two bogeys. The putter was the quiet engine: 13 one-putts on the card, according to Field Level Media.

"I wouldn't say golf's ever easy. I did some good things out there," Scheffler said, per the AP and Field Level Media, pointing to iron shots stuffed close and a few putts that dropped.

Hovland Finds Fairways, Im Finds Rhythm

Hovland was the other big mover. A 64 moved the Norwegian into a share of second at 8 under, and the formula was simple: fairways, which matter more at Southwind than at most stops.

"It was really nice, really solid," Hovland said, per the AP. "Hit a lot of fairways, and I think that's a big deal for my game, but also especially at this golf course."

Im has been the steadiest player in the field so far, with back-to-back 66s. Im framed the week in simple terms, acknowledging the pressure that comes with the Playoffs while keeping the focus on one shot at a time, per Field Level Media.

A 65 got Åberg to 7 under, alone in fourth and four back. For a player who can go deep in a hurry, four shots with 36 holes left is not much.

Spieth Holds His Ground

Spieth was one of five co-leaders after Thursday and remains the most interesting storyline outside the lead. Spieth shot 69 on Friday to reach 6 under, tied for fifth with Tommy Fleetwood, Nico Echavarria and Brian Harman, who matched Hovland's 64.

That number matters because Spieth started the week 54th in the FedExCup standings, outside the top 50 who advance to the BMW Championship. A strong weekend would change that math in a hurry, and Spieth is right there.

Not every Thursday leader kept pace. None of the five co-leaders repeated the opening 65, per Field Level Media, and Michael Thorbjornsen, who played through illness on Thursday, slid from a share of first to a tie for 38th after a 75.

McIlroy Scrambles, Fitzpatrick Hangs Around

Rory McIlroy spent two days in Scheffler's group and had the closest possible view of the gap between them. After an opening 74, McIlroy shot 70 and is tied for 60th at 4 over, a long way from the top and closer to the bottom of a 69-man field than anyone in that pairing wanted.

Matt Fitzpatrick, who came into the week second in the FedExCup, shot 67 to reach 3 under. Scheffler arrived with a 794-point cushion over Fitzpatrick in the standings, and Friday only made the No. 1 seed look more secure.

There is one more thread running through Scheffler's week. Scheffler has played TPC Southwind seven times without winning, more than at any other PGA TOUR course, according to the PGA TOUR. Halfway through visit No. 8, Scheffler is three clear.

Halfway Home

There is no cut in the Playoffs, so all 69 players will be back for the weekend, but the math is getting clearer. Scheffler is out front with a 61 in his pocket. Hovland and Im are the closest pursuers, Åberg is lurking, and the 6-under group includes a former FedExCup champion in Fleetwood and a bubble player in Spieth with everything to gain.

"The tournament is halfway over," Scheffler said, per the AP. "I had two good rounds to start and hopefully continue that over the weekend."

Saturday will show whether anyone can make him work for it.

Catch up on Thursday 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 and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.