Rory McIlroy is eight strokes off the lead after picking up five birdies through 13 holes before play was suspended at TPC Scottsdale; Watch coverage of the WM Phoenix Open on Saturday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday 11 February 2023 19:19, UK
Defender champion Scottie Scheffler and Adam Hadwin lead by two strokes after round two of the WM Phoenix Open in Arizona, with Rory McIlroy eight shots behind.
American Scheffler followed up an opening-round 68 with an immaculate seven-under 64 on Friday to head into the weekend with a leading score of 10 under par.
Canada's Hadwin made it back-to-back rounds of 66 to enter round three level with Scheffler on 10-under, followed by Spain's Jon Rahm on eight-under after his round of 66.
Both Scheffler and Rahm are within range to overtake McIlroy for the world No 1 spot at the conclusion of the tournament.
After carding a first-round 73, the Northern Irishman was much improved on Friday, picking up five birdies through 13 holes before play was suspended due to darkness at 6.07pm local time. When play resumed on Saturday, McIIroy couldn't pick up where he left off and had to settle for four pars and a bogey in his final five holes.
Scheffler's bogey-free round included three birdies on the back nine, which he played first, and four on the front nine.
"I think around this place when you're hitting fairways and you're hitting it well, the golf course can kind of open up for you," Scheffler said.
"But the opposite can happen in a hurry because there's trouble lurking on basically every hole with there being desert close by. There's a lot of holes with water as well.
"When you're hitting it well, you have to take advantage of it like I did today. Hopefully, I'll keep putting the ball in position as the week goes on."
Rahm started the day by making his only bogey of the round on his second hole, the par-four 11th, but he quickly recovered to shoot a 66.
"I'm making a lot of good swings out there and I'm going to remember that," Rahm said. "Where they end up is to most of the extent out of my control."
Watch the WM Phoenix Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm.
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