Scottie Scheffler is on another level.
The world No. 1tied the course record with a score of 61 in the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Friday, Aug. 14 at TPC Southwind in Memphis. He had 11 birdies to card an 11-under score and boost to the top of the leaderboard in the first tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Heading into the competition, Scheffler led the field with 4,124 FedExCup points. He finished the first round in the top third of the pack, carding a 2-under 68.
After the first day, there was a five-way tie for first place. Jordan Spieth, Jake Knapp, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Thorbjornsen and Michael Kim all carded a score of 5-under par. On the second day, Kitayama shot four bogeys and a double bogey to plummet to 2 under,
tied for 27th in the field. Thorbjornsen fared a bogey worse and found himself at even par.
Along with Scheffler's surge, Sungjae Im maintained his solid play and is tied in second place with a score of 8 under with Viktor Hovland, who had six birdies in the second round.
Here are the golfers who have the best chance of catching Scheffler in the FedEx St. Jude Championship:
Ludvig Aberg (-7)
The 26-year-old Swedish golfer has the star power with the perfect profile to make things interesting. He is currently alone in fourth place after shooting seven birdies in the second round. A double bogey on the 11th hole tripped him up, but he had back-to-back birdies toward the end of his round to pick up some positive momentum.
Viktor Hovland (-8)
Hovland has the best blend of upside and ability, and is only three shots back after a 6-under second round. The Norway native won this year's Travelers Championship by beating Scheffler in a playoff, so he knows what it takes to dethrone the king.
Sungjae Im (-8)
Im was only one stroke behind the tie at the top after the first round. Carding back-to-back 66s shows the consistency he's capable of. He had two incredible putts for birdies in the first round to make the statement that he's locked in.
Tommy Fleetwood (-6)
Being five back from the leader isn't ideal, but Fleetwood, last year's FedExCup winner, is more steady than many ahead of him. The Englishman's second round featured two birdies and he did not have a hole over par.
Brian Harman (-6)
The 39-year-old American golfer is the dark horse candidate after shooting 6-under on Friday. He's not the splashiest name, but the 2023 Open Championship winner could rise up simply by hanging around.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who can stop Scottie Scheffler? Ranking the top contenders at St. Jude Championship
