Xander Schauffele hasn’t played his best since winning the Tour Championship last year, but he seems to be back on track.
The 24-year-old Schauffele, the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year last season, carded a 6-under-par 64 to take a two-stroke lead over Justin Rose of England in the BMW Championship at http://Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.
Schauffele, who opened with a 63, is making a last-ditch effort to become Jim Furyk’s final Captain’s Pick for the United States in the Ryder Cup in Paris at the end of the month.
“One shot worse than yesterday and that’s probably making one less putt,” said Schauffele, who also won the Greenbrier Classic last year. “I played well again and I’m going to the range now to work on my driving and get ready for tomorrow. … I’m going to try to win and make it as tough on Jim as I can.
“After a great finish last season, I felt like I had a good game plan for this year, but I simply didn’t execute. But it’s not like I haven’t played well, I just haven’t won. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Schauffele, from La Jolla and San Diego State, made four birdies in his first seven holes and added three more plus his lone bogey on the back nine to post a 36-hole score of 13-under 127 in the third event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
The fourth-ranked Rose recorded a bogey-free 63, while ninth-ranked Rickie Fowler of Murrieta shot a second straight 65 with three birdies on the last five holes and is three shots back in a tie for fourth with Keegan Bradley, who totaled 64; Alex Noren of Sweden, who chipped in for birdie from 61 yards on the ninth hole while capping a 66, and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who birdied four of his first seven holes in a 64.
Third-ranked Justin Thomas finished at 67 and is four down in a tie for seventh with eighth-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who shot 69 after an opening 62; Jason Day of Australia, who had a bogey-free 64; Charles Howell III, who sank a seven-foot eagle putt at No. 16 in a bogey-free 63, and Billy Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, who birdied four of his last five holes in a 67.
Tiger Woods, who shared the first-round lead with McIlroy, is tied for 12th after a 70; sixth-ranked Francesco Molinari of Italy had a 63 and is tied for 20th, and fifth-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain is tied for 31st after a 69.
Second-ranked Brooks Koepka posted a 68 and is tied for 38th with seventh-ranked Bryson DeChambeau, who had a 70, while top-ranked Dustin Johnson shot 68 and is tied for 48th with 10th-ranked Jordan Spieth, who wound up at 71.
Phil Mickelson is 69th and dead last in the field following a 72.
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