The RSM Classic, Round 2: Leaderboard, tee times, TV schedule

LAS VEGAS - Collin Morikawa wasn't about to let Xander Schauffele have all the fun, even if it went somewhat unnoticed. After a relatively benign opening 1-under 71 on Thursday, Morikawa slotted seven birdies in a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the second round of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK to find his way into a tie for fifth. Amazingly it was a round that went a little under the radar as he was paired with Schauffele who set the course alight early and ultimately went one better with a 64. RELATED: Full leaderboard | What the pros are playing at Shadow Creek Schauffele birdied seven of his opening nine holes to shoot 29 on the back side and added one more birdie on the front to move to 14 under and three shots clear at the top of the leaderboard. But while he has set up a substantial and impressive lead, Morikawa's effort ensured Schauffele won't be able to take his foot off the gas on the weekend. The 23-year-old flashed one of his now trademark cheeky grins when he was met with a question about Schauffele's birdie blitz, reminding those in attendance that he also had gone low and so to had the third member of the threesome in Viktor Hovland (66). "It wasn’t just him. Viktor was making a bunch of birdies in that stretch, I had a couple myself. It’s enjoyable," he quipped. "When you have momentum like that, you just want to keep it going, you don’t want to kind of stall out mid round. "All of us just kept making birdies… I knew it wasn’t going to stop. I knew there was birdie chances on the front nine and we just had to keep it going. As long as I kept giving myself good looks, hitting the fairway, I knew a few would drop by 18." Morikawa credited the blemish free round to a new putter he's using this week. He's made a switch to a mallet style from the blade type he used to win the Workday Charity Open and PGA Championship last season. He needed 28 putts on Thursday and just 26 Friday and has gained 1.545 shots over the field on the greens to go with his usual ball-striking clinic. His approach game has yielded 4.077 strokes against the field so far. "I had a long neck in the blade and the way it was stroking from lag putts, it was never consistent, like the ball didn’t roll as well," he said. "If you look at the best putters, obviously their putts roll really well and their speed’s really consistent. The blade, when I found it outside 30 feet, some I’d hit past and then I’d adjust and then the next one it would be maybe six feet short. I was just looking for something to roll a lot cleaner through the putt."

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Three years ago, Sam Burns came to Muirfield Village to accept the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s top NCAA Division I golfer from the man himself. His return visits haven’t been as fruitful, though. Burns finished dead last at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide in 2018 and had to withdraw after shooting 81 the following year. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Morikawa builds on lead But the former LSU standout, who turned pro after his junior year, is trending up this week after a 66 on Friday left him at 9 under and four strokes off Collin Morikawa’s lead at the end of a muggy stop-and-start afternoon in the inaugural Workday Charity Open. Morikawa, who shot 5 under on his final nine holes, matched Burns’ 66 on Friday. Burns has known the leader, who played at Cal, since “way back in the day” and he looks forward to having a chance to do battle again this weekend. “He’s an incredible talent,” said the 23-year-old Burns, who is seven months older than Morikawa. “Great player, incredible guy. Really good friend, and so it’s great to see him playing well. I hope he continues to play well this weekend, and hopefully I can give him my best and see what that is.” Morikawa, whose impressive streak of 22 straight cuts made ended last week, will be seeking the second win of his young PGA TOUR career. Burns, on the other hand, is still looking for his breakthrough victory and has just one top-10 in this COVID-19 abbreviated season. Burns grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was also good friends with former PGA champion David Toms’ son Carter. The two played baseball together, then golf. Burns vacationed with family and the two buddies followed in Toms’ footsteps to LSU. Burns and his dad even drove to Fort Worth to see Toms win the 2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational the week after losing a heartbreaker in sudden death at THE PLAYERS Championship. He considers Toms a mentor and his advice invaluable. “You can’t put a price on that,” Burns told PGATOUR.COM last year. One of the bigger hitters on the PGA TOUR, Burns came to Muirfield Village ranked No. 13 in driving distance. He started on the back nine Friday and put that talent on full display at the par-5 11th with a 342-yard poke on the way to a 10-footer for birdie. Burns made two more birdies before he made the turn. But it was a flurry at the finish that enabled him to close the gap on Morikawa, starting with a 14-foot birdie putt at the par-5 seventh. Shortly after the ball snaked into the hole, the horn sounded to suspend play for the second time on Friday. Burns went inside the clubhouse and talked with friends, maintaining social distance, he was quick to point out, then came back and made birdie putts of 5 and 8 feet on the next two holes. “It’s a great way to end off a round, no matter if it’s after a rain delay or whenever it is,” Burns said. “Hopefully it’ll give me some momentum going into tomorrow, and we’ll see what happens.” Burns thinks his game is in better shape overall than it was in his previous starts at Muirfield Village. He credits the work he and his caddie Travis Perkins have been doing with the turnaround. “Travis and I have really focused on just trying to get better every day, whatever aspect of the game that is,” Burns said. “We’re just trying to find little ways to get better here and there. We’ll kind of go over the round today and see where we can improve on tomorrow.”

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Stricker’s victory at Firestone on Sunday is his second this year.

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