Scheffler within 1 of Hovland in chase for No. 1

NASSAU, Bahamas -- The grade Masters champion Scottie Scheffler earned from the McCombs School of Business astatine Texas did not equip him with the skills to fig retired the caller look for the Official World Golf Ranking.

He is No. 2 successful the world. He tin spell backmost to No. 1 if helium wins the Hero World Challenge, elemental arsenic that.

"I don't similar being No. 2," helium said. "I don't similar finishing second."

Scheffler took a measurement successful that absorption successful the relentless upwind astatine Albany. He ran disconnected 4 birdies successful a five-hole agelong connected the backmost 9 for a 4-under 68, leaving him successful the radical 1 changeable down defending champion Viktor Hovland.

Hovland knows a small astir wind. The Norwegian saw capable of it during his amateur days crossed Europe, and past helium starred astatine Oklahoma State.

Hovland made eagle for the 2nd consecutive time - the different 19 players person combined for 1 eagle this week -- had 3 consecutive birdies connected the backmost 9 and had a 70. He was astatine 5-under 139.

Scores typically are overmuch little successful the vacation lawsuit Tiger Woods hosts for a 20-man tract of elite players successful the Bahamas. The people was soaked and played agelong connected Thursday. It dried retired successful 30 mph upwind connected Friday.

Xander Schauffele leaned connected exquisite wedge play for a 68 and joined Scheffler, Cameron Young (69) and Collin Morikawa (71) successful the radical 1 changeable behind.

Tom Kim dropped 2 shots connected the last 3 holes and that gave him a 72, leaving him 2 shots behind. That's not the crushed the 20-year-old South Korean raised some arms aft helium had signed his card. Scrolling done his phone, helium learned South Korea had precocious to the knockout signifier successful the World Cup.

"Goose bumps," Kim said arsenic helium stretched retired his arms.

Scheffler spent much weeks astatine No. 1 than anyone this year, which earns him the Mark H. McCormack Award. That was a merchandise of 4 wins against beardown fields successful the spring, including his archetypal major. The Masters was his past win.

Rory McIlroy replaced him with a triumph successful South Carolina successful October, and present Scheffler has a accidental to drawback it back, adjacent if for a abbreviated time. McIlroy is expected to beryllium No. 1 erstwhile the twelvemonth ends careless of what happens successful the Bahamas.

The exemplary went from standing the apical 200 players successful a tract based connected their satellite ranking to standing everyone successful the tract utilizing the "strokes gained" formula, which measurement existent scores and adjusts for comparative trouble of each round.

It favors deeper fields, careless of however galore of the apical players are there. And it won't beryllium afloat integrated until adjacent August.

But determination has been nary shortage of complaints, with adjacent Woods weighing successful this week that it's a flawed system. Some of the disapproval stems from the caller look not giving arsenic overmuch recognition to smaller fields compared with afloat fields.

"I deliberation present I would accidental the apical players are not bringing arsenic overmuch value to events arsenic they should," Scheffler said.

The Hero World Challenge has 15 of the apical 20 successful the world. It besides has lone 20 players, and truthful the victor volition get somewhat less points than the victor of the Dunhill Links Championship successful Scotland.

"But it's besides truly pugnacious to fertile golfers erstwhile they're not playing the aforesaid schedule," Scheffler said. "So I deliberation arsenic we each commencement to play unneurotic much often and you get the champion players playing unneurotic much often, it's going to beryllium overmuch easier to fertile those guys.

"It's a pugnacious system. It's not thing that's casual to get right," helium said. "In different sports, you person a grounds and play is not needfully a record. It's a challenging system. I deliberation they went from 1 utmost to the other, and we'll conscionable successful the middle, hopefully, and find thing that's a small spot better."

The eventual measurement remains the debased score, and that belongs to Hovland. Woods, who is not playing this week due to the fact that of plantar fasciitis successful his close foot, is the lone subordinate to person won the World Challenge successful consecutive years.

He's not definite however he's getting it done, particularly successful this wind.

"It's benignant of strange, similar I knew it was windy and I consciousness similar I missed truthful galore putts," Hovland said. "And I inactive don't consciousness similar I'm hitting it precise good. I'm not comfy implicit the ball, but the ball's going consecutive and I'm giving myself looks."