Scottie Scheffler Ties Course Record as Putter Heats Up at Houston Open

Scottie Scheffler matched his own course record Friday at Memorial Park, firing an 8-under 62 to grab the lead at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

At 11 under par, Scheffler holds a one-shot advantage over Taylor Pendrith (65) and Nico Echavarria, who was through 16 holes when play was suspended after a two-hour, nine-minute weather delay earlier in the day.

This is just Scheffler’s sixth start of the season following hand surgery. While he hasn’t added to his incredible seven-win campaign from last year (plus that Olympic gold medal), he’s been remarkably consistent, finishing inside the top 25 in every start since returning.

He tied for 20th in his Players Championship title defense, admitting he felt slightly off with both his putting and ball-striking. But Friday in Houston was a different story.

“I felt like I was hitting so many good putts, especially at The Players, putts that were going around the edge. Today was a day where I felt like my ball-striking could have been a bit better and I was able to hole some putts,” he said.

That’s the thing about Scheffler’s standards – they’re astronomically high. He missed only one green and three fairways in Round 2 while gaining strokes in every major statistical category, including a field-leading 3.69 strokes gained putting.

“I hit a lot of greens but I felt like my irons were just barely off, and I felt like I could have been hitting them a little bit closer to the hole,” he said. “But overall kept it on the green, kept giving myself looks. The way I was putting, I didn’t feel I had to force ’em there by many pins if I wasn’t totally comfortable with the shot, so good results.”

Houston has been a near-miss for Scheffler in recent years. He shot 62 in the second round here in 2021 on his way to a T-2 finish. Last year, he had a 5-foot putt to force a playoff with eventual winner Stephan Jaeger but couldn’t convert, settling for another runner-up showing.

Scheffler now shares the Memorial Park course record with Tony Finau, who has twice shot 62 in second rounds (2022 and 2024).

This is Scheffler’s final tune-up before his Masters title defense in two weeks at Augusta National.