McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth share a strong desire to win their hometown event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The top-ranked player has a great chance to do it first.
Playing with his good friend who is also a fellow Dallas resident and Texas alum, Scheffler padded his lead on Friday, shooting an 8-under 63 to reach 18 under through 36 holes as one of the early finishers in a weather-delayed second round.
About half the field didn't get to complete the round after a six-hour delay, the last of the players not teeing off until about 15 minutes before sunset at soggy TPC Craig Ranch in a Dallas suburb.
They all figure to be chasing Scheffler on the weekend, with Spieth probably too far back to be among the contenders.
Play was suspended for darkness with Scheffler leading Sam Stevens by six shots. Stevens shot 65 on Friday.
“This tournament definitely means a lot to me,” said Scheffler, who made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson in 2014 — four years after Spieth made himself an instant hometown favorite by contending on Sunday as a 16-year-old high school junior. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to play here and have a chance to win.”
TPC Craig Ranch, which yields low scores even without pillow-soft conditions, was no match for Scheffler. He on Thursday, and his total of 124 beat the previous 36-hole best at the Nelson by two shots. The two-time Masters champion missed Justin Thomas' 36-hole PGA Tour record from 2017 by one stroke.
Spieth couldn't keep up, although he figures to be safely inside the cut line following a 67 that put him at 6 under.
Jhonattan Vegas, a Venezuelan who also played for the Longhorns, finished his 69 and was eight shots behind Scheffler after starting the day two back. Ricky Castillo was 10 under in the 18th fairway when play was suspended.
Scheffler, bogey-free through two rounds, started on the back nine and parred his first eight holes before an eagle at the par-5 18th just before play was suspended.
Lightning started the delay, and several hours of rain followed — for the second time in three days. When the players returned, water sprayed from most of the shots in the fairway.
None of it bothered Scheffler, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and had six birdies over his final nine holes.
“There were some fairways that were pretty wet, but other than that, I think the golf course held up pretty well,” Scheffler said.
Defending champion Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., shot 71 and was 4 under, possibly in danger of missing the cut.
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., hadn't completed their second rounds when play was suspended.
The weather forecast had Scheffler believing a long delay was coming before his round even started. Once it came, he spent most of the time in the clubhouse, eating and chatting with players.
“The food is just sitting there,” Scheffler said. “So we enjoyed some food, sat there, kind of hung out with some of the guys and didn’t do too much.”
The delay didn't stop the momentum from the eagle that beat the weather. All six of his birdie putts were inside 15 feet.
“We’re on a golf course where you’ve got to make some birdies, and the conditions today were changing a good amount,” Scheffler said. “Obviously with the huge rain delay, that was a challenge as well. Getting back out and playing in some wind and some pretty wet fairways, but overall, it’s great to be playing at home.”
Stevens birdied four his last six holes, including two par 3s, and played the first two rounds without a bogey. The 28-year-old seeking his first PGA Tour victory was second at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
“There’s so many birdies out here and there’s so much golf to be played, I need to keep my head down,” Stevens said. “And if I get in a situation where I’m in contention with nine holes to go, then I have some memories to draw on.”
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