After the second day at The Sentry, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holds a one-shot lead. He shot a 9-under 64 and remained at 16 under after 36 holes.
At this point, you can expect to see Scheffler aiming for the top in almost every tournament he plays. However, this lead is not secure. Many other players within reach could snatch the title.
There are three players on 15 under, including Brendon Todd, Sung Jae Im and Tyrrell Hatton, who shot an incredible 11 under on Friday. With players like Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth entering the weekend with a two- or three-shot lead, it's a game for anyone to see.
The former Texas Longhorn will need to maintain a steady offensive streak over the next two days if he is to win.
“The scoring here is pretty low, but it's one of those places where if you go out there and play well, you'll be rewarded,” he said after Friday's round. “If you don't hit it in the right place, you can have problems. You have to keep the pedal down here.”
Keeping his foot firmly on the pedal seems to have been his mindset for more than a year.
In Schaeffler's last start, he won the Hero World Challenge. He put his foot on the gas in the Bahamas and tried not to wobble on Sunday like he did the year before.
This victory earned him back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards and a great season. He recorded two certified wins, two runner-up finishes, 13 top-fives, and 17 top-10s in 2023.
Scheffler, 27, didn't miss the cut and only had two starts outside the top 25. Not to mention, Scheffler earned $21,014,342 last season.
This week marks his third trip to Hawaii and he is aiming for his seventh PGA Tour victory. Last year, he posted a T7 following his T13 finish the year before.
Scheffler will need to keep his foot on the pedal if he wants this win. Too many of the world's top athletes are currently unable to ease off the accelerator.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
