Scottie Scheffler is just about back to normal after his hand, foot and mouth issue, and it’s showing.
Scheffler, after his quick bout with the illness last week in St. Louis, is now in the perfect position to make a run at the FedExCup and the $10 million prize that comes with it. The top-ranked golfer in the world fired a 3-under 67 on Friday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which has him at 8-under for the week.
That still, though, wasn’t enough to push him into the lead at the midpoint of the final event of the season. Instead, it was Ryan Gerard who had a near-perfect day and managed a two-shot lead when he hit the clubhouse thanks to a late birdie at the 18th. Gerard, who has just a single PGA Tour win to his name, carded a second straight 65 to get to 10-under and at one point sank a 78-footer. Viktor Hovland joined him after saving birdie at the 18th, too.
Just a casual 78-footer 🤯
Ryan Gerard rolls in a long-range birdie to pull within one of the lead pic.twitter.com/yQMJUtRcTf
Scheffler, who won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by an incredible eight shots to kick off the FedExCup Playoffs, posted a bogey-free 65 on Thursday to open the week. And after struggling through the second leg of the playoffs — he admitted on Sunday that a smarter version of himself would have withdrawn from the BMW Championship — Scheffler felt so much better.
“Hands are all good, totally back to normal,” Scheffler said on Thursday. “I have a couple ulcers still in my throat, but I feel way better than last week. I’m talking and eating and drinking normally.”
Scheffler entered the second round four shots back from Min Woo Lee, who took a two-shot advantage over the field on Thursday night.
Friday didn’t start out great for Scheffler, but he quickly made up for it. After making back-to-back bogeys in his first four holes, Scheffler flew into the back nine while making five birdies in a seven-hole span right around the turn.
🐥🐥🐥
Scottie Scheffler turns it around with three straight birdies pic.twitter.com/QvuaFzc2C9
And if it weren’t for a missed green at the 17th, where he settled for his lone bogey on the back nine, Scheffeler would have hit the clubhouse with a share of the lead. He had a 50-footer for eagle at the last, but ended up leaving it about three feet off for an easy birdie instead.
Hovland posted a 66 on Friday to join Gerard at 10-under. Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup each got to 9-under to share third. which dropped Scheffler into a tie for fifth with Young.
Young jumped way up the leaderboard on Friday after he opened the week with an even-par 70. He made seven birdies and an eagle while posting his 8-under 62 in the second round, which has him back in the mix. He eagled the 18th, too, and flew through his round after playing alone as the first one out.
Cameron Young buries a final eagle and keeps tradition alive after playing as a single 😂 pic.twitter.com/C8c8dLyHTT
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 28, 2026“You don't do anything that isn't at your own pace,” Young said of playing alone. “You're never waiting. You're never rushing. In that sense, it's pretty nice.”
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, has just about played himself out of it. He spent most of Friday trying to recover from an early double bogey-bogey combo, which started after he did perhaps the most relatable thing around the third green.
Rory McIlroy: One of us 😬 pic.twitter.com/LA57YDnlwE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 28, 2026Not great.
There is still a long way to go before the FedExCup is handed out. And Scheffler isn’t even in the lead just yet. But with the way he’s been playing in recent weeks, and with his illness now essentially behind him, it’s going to take a lot for the rest of the field to successfully fend him off over the next two days.
That is now Gerard’s task over the next 36 holes.
“Absolutely, love playing with the lead,” he said. “Way better than playing in last.”
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