Canada’s Nick Taylor tied for 2nd at Gamers Championship, 4 pictures behind Wyndham Clark

Scottie Scheffler had his twenty fifth consecutive spherical underneath par Friday in The Gamers Championship, and this was laborious work. He felt ache in his neck that required remedy on the course, and he struggled to swing and to remain inside vary of Wyndham Clark.

Feeling match or not, that turned out to be the purpose for everybody.

Clark was taking part in within the group behind, oblivious to Scheffler’s damage or anything. He ran off 4 straight birdies on the entrance 9 and completed with a 7-under 65, one shot in need of the 36-hole file on the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Seaside, Fla.

He had a four-shot lead over fellow American Xander Schauffele (69) and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., (68), who performed within the afternoon and had to deal with heat, breezy circumstances on greens that remained surprisingly tender on the Stadium Course.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is tied for sixth at 8 underneath.

WATCH l Taylor, Conners stay in hunt getting into weekend:

Scheffler was merely pleased to be executed. He felt one thing unsuitable on his fourth full swing of the day, a shot that went left on the par-5 eleventh that stored him from a superb have a look at birdie. He bought remedy earlier than his tee pictures on three straight holes and managed a 3-under 69.

“I felt a bit one thing in my neck, after which I attempted to hit my tee shot on 12, and that is after I might barely get the membership again,” Scheffler stated by a PGA Tour official.

Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., is tied for fifty fifth at 1 underneath, Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is tied for 82nd at 1 over, Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is tied for 106th at 3 over, Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford is tied for 114th at 4 over, and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is tied for one hundred and twenty fifth at 6 over.

The hope for Scheffler is he would have free vary by the weekend. The priority is that he already was No. 1 on the planet and showing to hit one other gear coming off his five-shot victory final week at Bay Hill till this damage interruption.

Clark is proving every week to be a critical challenger irrespective of Scheffler’s situation.

He bought by the again 9 on one other calm, sunny morning in 1 underneath after which began hitting all the pieces near excellent — a wedge to 18 inches on No. 1, a easy up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 second, a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third and a wedge to 4 toes on the fourth gap.

“I am simply tremendous excited that type of had a ho-hum entrance 9 after which turned and actually simply bought into a pleasant zone and felt actually good on the greens and shot an superior quantity,” Clark stated.

He closed with a birdie for a 30 on the entrance 9 and was at 14-under 130. The 36-hole file holder for The Gamers is Webb Simpson in 2018.

WATCH l Taylor shoots 66 in opening spherical:

Canada’s Taylor, Conners within the hunt at Gamers Championship

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. shoots 6-under 66 within the opening spherical on the Gamers Championship that was suspended by darkness and trails a trio of leaders by one stroke. Listowel, Ont., native Corey Conners is tied for thirteenth place at 4-under.

Schauffele has just one blunder by 36 holes, a hybrid he hit into the water on the par-5 eleventh that led to double bogey. He bought that again with a 7-iron into the par-5 sixteenth for eagle and not less than labored his method into the ultimate group.

He bought there with a 6-iron off the pine straw and underneath the timber onto the 18th inexperienced for par.

“I needed to be within the remaining group as typically as doable, particularly being 4 pictures again,” Schauffele stated.

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick had a double bogey on No. 4 that slowed his momentum. He needed to accept a 69 and was 5 pictures behind, together with Maverick McNealy, who completed with a 67 within the morning and adopted with a 68.

Scheffler was within the group at 8-under 136, and by the sound of it, he was pleased to be there.

“I did sufficient to maintain myself considerably within the event, and in order that’s actually all I might ask for,” Scheffler stated. “The best way I used to be getting across the course, the way in which my neck was feeling, I did not know if I used to be going to have the ability to proceed taking part in. So yeah, good combat on the market.”

Not less than he is nonetheless taking part in. Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Will Zalatoris had been amongst these set to overlook the reduce — Spieth for the sixth time in 10 appearances, Thomas for the primary time. The second spherical was to be accomplished Saturday morning due to darkness.

Rory McIlroy did not make a par till the seventh gap in a wild spherical of 73 that left him eight pictures behind Clark.

Scheffler transformed two of his 4 birdie possibilities firstly, however then he walked briskly up the hill towards the 14th tee together with his physio, Marnus Marais. He sat on a chair behind the 14th tee with Marais engaged on him.

Scheffler drilled his drive down the center and had a 20-foot birdie likelihood. Then he walked by the palmetto bushes, away from spectators, for extra work. Thomas and Rickie Fowler hit their tee pictures and waited on Scheffler. The identical scene performed out after the fifteenth.

Clark, in the meantime, seems to be to be a frightening goal. A yr in the past at The Gamers Championship, hardly anybody knew who he was. However the 29-year-old from Denver is working his method into the elite in golf as a lot together with his massive titles — two signature occasions and one main — as his No. 5 world rating.