Here We Go Again, Tommy

I honestly don’t know if my body can take another close call from Tommy Fleetwood this weekend. After what happened at the Travelers, after what happened in Memphis, I just don’t know if I can do this again emotionally.

But I’ll have to suck it up, because after rounds of 64-63 around East Lake Golf Club, the Englishman is once again in the driver’s seat, holding a share of a two-shot lead alongside Russell Henley with 36 holes to go. Cameron Young, thanks to a second-round 62, is the pair’s closest pursuer.

On Friday, Fleetwood leaned on both his iron play—second in Strokes Gained: Approach—and putting—fifth in SG: Putting, fourth in feet of putts made (nearly 108)—to post a round that included eight birdies, six of which came on the back nine, and just one bogey.

“I actually feel like I've played very, very well when I have led the tournaments and been in contention,” Fleetwood said. “It's just I might have not got things right right at the end. It's not like I've crashed and burned. It's just that I've not quite finished things off…the people that win the most are the guys that are in contention the most and then they keep winning of course. That's just what I want to do. That's where I want to be. I keep going. I love the buzz when I am in contention, and, yeah, I'm just excited for the opportunity again.”

Like I wrote heading into the weekend in Memphis, it’s time to slay those demons, Tommy.

Here are some other notes from round two of the TOUR Championship.

Cameron Young’s Ryder Cup Case

Young is making a pretty strong late-season push to make Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup team. Over his last three starts, he’s won the Wyndham Championship, grabbed fifth at the FedEx St. Jude, and 11th at the BMW.

After signing for a stellar 62, he was asked what his biggest selling point is to make Team USA.

“I think recent form is kind of a hard one to deny,” he said. “Aside from that, it's my home state, it's a golf course I love. It's almost exclusively a major championship venue, and my major record is pretty good.”

Young is up to 14th in the U.S. standings, and undoubtedly on Bradley’s radar. It’s tough to see a scenario where he doesn’t make the team, but we’ll have to wait until the 27th to see if he’s one of six captain’s picks.

Signs of Frustration from Scottie Scheffler

Even the world’s best have bad days—calling a 1-under “bad” feels, well, bad. I’d take that every day of the week. But for Scheffler, he started to show some signs of frustration at East Lake on Friday, including a sarcastic fist pump after a missed par save, and a club slam into a greenside bunker.

He ended his day on a high note, however, stuffing his third on the par-5 18th to 11 inches. At 8-under, he’ll tee off Saturday five shots back of Fleetwood and Henley.

Shot of the Day, Courtesy of Shane Lowry

There’s making a long putt, and there’s what the Irishman did on Friday at the par-4 14th. After playing his first 13 holes of the day in 3-under, Lowry jarred this one from nearly 100 feet!

Lowry made three more in his final four holes to post a back-nine 29 and second-round 7-under 63. He heads into the weekend six shots back of his buddy, Mr. Fleetwood, and Henley.