Looking for a remarkable fourth win in his last six events, Scheffler shot a stunning second-round 67 to post a midpoint total of eight under par at August National.
It gave the 25-year-old American a five-stroke lead over the defending champion Hideki Matsuyamawinner 2011 Charles Schwartzelireland Shane Lowry and first-round leader Sungjae Im.
Four of the previous five players to hold such a halfway lead went on to win the green jacket, with Jordan Spieth the most recent to do so in 2015.
“I feel like my game is in a good place,” Scheffler said with considerable understatement.
“Once I saw that I had taken the lead, my first thought was to keep trying to build it just because I feel like I’m playing well.
“That will be the focus on Saturday, just to keep getting myself in good positions, executing shots and as long as I’m committed to everything, everything should be fine. The rest is really not up to me.
quote of the day
Tyrrell Hatton makes his feelings about his putt clear.
Blow of the day
Former Open champion Stewart Cink used the slope of 16 to perfection to hit a hole-in-one.
Tweet of the day
Former player and TV commentator Tony Johnstone sums up Tiger Woods’ achievement in making the cut after his car accident last year.
round of the day
Scheffler and Justin Thomas both shot 67, but Scheffler gave him a record five-shot lead.
Today’s statistics
The omens look good for Scheffler fans.
Easiest hole
The par-five second took over the eighth hole as the easiest, a generous pin position helping to produce three eagles and 37 birdies for an average of 4.573.
most difficult hole
The par four 11th was the toughest hole for the second straight day, with just two birdies, eight double bogeys and two even worse. This all added up to a scoring average of 4.629.
Weather forecast
Saturday will be a cool day, struggling to warm into the upper 50s during the afternoon. Cloud cover thickens again in the afternoon with another slight chance for a brief downpour. Winds will be gusty again but not as strong as Friday, becoming sustained at nearly 15mph and gusting to 20-25mph at times.
Key departure times (all TSBs)
1750 Robert MacIntyre, Lee Westwood1800 Kevin Kisner, Tiger Woods1850 Danny Willett, Joaquin Niemann1940 Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry1950 Scottie Scheffler, Charl Schwartzel
The story of Scottie Scheffler’s side ahead of day three of the 86th Masters
