One of the first-round co-leaders shot the second round’s second-worst round. The other first-round co-leader wasn’t much better. The Tour Championship is being played Friday through Monday, but moving day stuck to its Saturday slot. Here are three things you should know after Saturday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the final event in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Dustin Johnson holds onto his lead
Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm led by two strokes after the first round. Johnson maintained his spot atop the leaderboard after the second round. Barely.
Johnson was 2-under through six holes and was 3-over for his next 11 before making birdie on the 18th on his way to an even-par 70, a 13-under total and a one-shot lead over Sungjae Im.
“It was a tough day on the course, but managed to scrape it around pretty good,” Johnson said. “Golf course is two different golf courses if you’re playing from the fairway or playing from the rough. Playing from the fairway you can attack the course. You can shoot a good score. Playing from where I did, it’s not so much fun.”
Sungjae Im and Xander Schauffele move up
Im and Xander Schauffele were among those who moved up.
Im shot a 6-under 64, the day’s low round, and is at 12-under. He was 3-under through his first 14 holes, then played the last four at 4-under.
The 64 tied Im’s low round of the year.
“I honestly wasn’t feeling very confident the last few weeks,” Im said. “I feel like it’s all coming back to me now. I’m having a lot of good momentum, and I hope to keep it going for the next two days.”
Schauffele shot a 5-under 65, tied for the day’s second, and is at 11-under. Justin Thomas is at 10-under, while Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Tyrrell Hatton are at 9-under.
Jon Rahm falls down
Rahm moved down the leaderboard.
He played the front nine at even-par, then shot 4-over on the back for a 4-over 74. Rahm’s double-bogey on the par-3 15th, after he hit his tee shot in the water, was disastrous.
“Unlike yesterday, I hit it really good off the tee, and a few that I missed really penalized me,” Rahm said. “Yesterday was the opposite. The few that I hit in the fairway I capitalized. Today I couldn’t get the ball close enough or make any putts at all.”