Hadwin tied for 2nd as Scheffler leads at Memorial entering weekend
Reigning Masters champion takes 3-shot lead over Abbotsford, B.C., native
Adam Hadwin played in the morning when the wind wasn't quite so strong, but it didn't take much.
The Canadian was at 8 under in the Memorial until he drove into a bunker on the 17th, could only advance it back to the fairway, found the deep bunker short of the green and wound up with a double bogey.
The Abbotsford, B.C., golfer is tied with Viktor Hovland at 6-under after shooting an even par 72 in the second round.
Asked how to gauge the wind, Hadwin said, "I'll be shocked if any other player said it was anything other than a guess."
"That's all we're doing. It's just educated guessing, really," he said. "You try and control the ball flight to limit the amount the wind will affect it. That's probably one of the biggest things that we can do out here."
WATCH | Abbotsford, B.C.'s Hadwin cards par 72, sits at 6-under after 2nd round:
And with a dry forecast to get the Muirfield Village course even firmer, it most likely will only get more difficult on the weekend.
Scheffler takes 3-shot lead
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is only making it look easy right now. It didn't feel that way Friday on a firm course in gusty wind, where he finished strong for a 4-under 68 to go from a tie to a three-shot lead.
Scheffler hit a 3-iron into the wind that narrowly cleared the bunker and rode the slope to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th, and he closed with two solid par saves and a shot from a fairway bunker to 12 feet for birdie on the last to build some separation.
He was at 9-under 135, three shots ahead of Hovland and Hadwin, chasing another $4 million US prize against a suddenly smaller field.
That sent home 22 players, a list that includes Jordan Spieth, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler, who had to play the final eight holes in even par to post an 82.
And then there was Scheffler, rarely getting into trouble until a rough patch early on the back nine when the wind was at his strongest, eventually regaining those lost strokes.
"I really just love competing out here, and I don't really think about whether or not it's easy or hard," Scheffler said. "And some days I play good and some days I don't. And outside of that, I'm just out here trying to compete."
It was telling, though, when asked the last time he walked off the course and told his caddie that he felt as though he didn't have his best stuff.
Scheffler was quick to jokingly point out, "That was another caddie so we'll blame him for that." His regular caddie, Ted Scott, missed that round because he had gone home to Louisiana for his daughter's high school graduation.
Hovland's confidence is building every round, and he played bogey-free on the back nine of Muirfield Village, no small feat. He finished with a shot from 181 yards into two feet for birdie.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa had the low round of the day at 67 and was four shots behind, along with Keegan Bradley (69). Ludvig Aberg, who spent two days watching Scheffler put on another clinic, shot 72 and was five back.
"He's playing very, very good golf and it doesn't look very difficult when he's playing," Aberg said. "But all I can do is try to keep up and make sure I'm not too far behind, I guess."
Aberg holed a bunker shot on the 17th, the ball smacking off the pin, coming back out and then dropping into the cup. He bogeyed the final hole.
PGA champion Xander Schauffele holed out a bunker shot for birdie after a wild 14th hole, one of the few bright spots in his 73 that put him six behind, along with Rory McIlroy (71).
It was a good two days for those on the U.S. Open alternate list. Lee Hodges, in a tie for 20th, was the only player from the top 28 on the leaderboard who is not already in Pinehurst No. 2 next week. Five U.S. Open spots are being held for late qualifiers.
Canadian Olympic crunch
For Hadwin, he is in a tight race with Corey Conners for the final Olympic spot for Canada. That will be decided after the U.S. Open. That's a lot to take in.
"I am going to do my best to try and win a golf tournament. That's it. That's my sole focus," Hadwin said.
That means making up ground on Scheffler, and that most certainly is not easy.
Conners (76) was tied for 20th at even par. Taylor Pendrith (71) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Svensson (73) of Surrey, B.C., were tied for 29th at 1 over. Nick Taylor (73) of Abbotsford was tied for 36th at 2 over and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., missed the cut.
With files from CBC Sports
