ST. LOUIS — Despite a rocky 27 opening holes at Bellerive, Scottie Scheffler believes he’s still in contention at the BMW Championship.
And that’s almost entirely because of what Scheffler did on the back nine of his second round Friday, which he opened with birdies on four of the first five holes.
He found another circle on the par-5 17th hole to get to clubhouse at 5-under 65 — all five strokes gained coming on the final nine holes following a rocky start that saw the world’s top-ranked player bogey the opening hole.
“About the only difference was probably the back nine,” said Scheffler when comparing the 65 to Thursday’s 72 where he bogeyed four of the first seven holes. “I didn’t get off to a good start today either, but did a good job of fighting back. I made a good bogey there on 6, nice birdie on 7, good par on 9, and was able to get some momentum on the back.”
Scheffler, who reportedly was sick Thursday, told reporters he “wasn’t feeling a 100 percent” while playing his opening round in St. Louis.
Because of those physical limitations, Scheffler’s post-round work Friday was cut short.
“I’m still not feeling a hundred percent today,” he admitted, “so I’ll go home, get some rest.”
‘Not out of it by any means’
The 2025 BMW Championship winner teed off Friday morning and said the biggest difference on his final nine holes was better opportunities on the green — and nailing down those easy putts.
“I had a couple nasty lip-outs and the greens were pretty chewed up late in the day,” said Scheffler when asked about his putting. “Today get out there a little earlier on fresh greens, see a couple go in early, and things just start to look a little simpler when there’s not a lot of stuff in your way.”
At 3 under the tournament, Scheffler sits T-23 heading into the weekend with less than 10 pairings left to finish their respective second rounds.
Despite another slow start leaving him seven shots off J.J. Spaun’s lead, Scheffler’s confidence is unwavering.
“I’m a ways back, but I’m not out of it by any means,” he said.
“I’m not where I would like to be. — I’ll probably have to have four nines like I did on the back nine today and that will give me a chance to win,” he added. “So hopefully do more what did I on the back over the course of the next 36.
