Hovland, Gerard tied heading into third round of Tour Championship

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gerard-ryan/Wh01wlMn/"]Gerard[/a], who has one PGA Tour victory to date and is playing in his first Tour Championship, made six birdies, including an epic 78-foot putt that rolled the length of the seventh green.[/p][p]He seized the clubhouse lead with a five-under-par 65, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hovland-viktor/lWxyqX2t/"]Hovland[/a] - playing in the day's final pair - birdied the 18th hole for a 66 to share the overnight lead.[/p][p]The pair finished on 10-under at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, a stroke clear of American duo [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/morikawa-collin/0UlRrMgE/"]Collin Morikawa[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gotterup-christopher/nVwVk9Kf/"]Chris Gotterup[/a].[/p][embed guid="f152bafa-d906-4aa3-8c13-33009634681c" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVg0R2v9s5k" social-type="youtube" /][p]A further shot back were world number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheffler-scottie/bXfIuBYu/"]Scottie Scheffler[/a] and third-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/young-cameron/WAjf7EFq/"]Cameron Young[/a], who catapulted from rock bottom to tied-fifth with a day's best round of 62.[/p][p][b]"Solid so far. Just got to keep it rolling,"[/b] said Gerard, who insisted the pressure of entering the weekend in first place would not be an issue. [b]"Love playing with the lead. Way better than playing in last."[/b][/p][p]After two early bogeys, Hovland had rolled in a 27-foot putt on the par-three 15th, and saved par on 16 despite smashing a putt from off the green ten feet past the hole.[/p][embed guid="55137fcf-b8ae-4941-9802-107b59ee6458" url="https://x.com/GolfChannel/status/2093447744031424828?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Despite his position, the Norwegian expressed frustration that he was struggling to find the consistency that propelled him to win the 2023 Tour Championship.[/p][p][b]"It almost pisses me off more because I know that, 'oh, I used to be able to do that,' and now it feels a lot more difficult to do that,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"It's not so much that I'm hitting those crazy wayward shots right now; it's just that I know when I'm swinging, it doesn't feel quite right."[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lee-min-woo/IwMMLluD/"]Min Woo Lee[/a] had entered Friday with a two-shot cushion, but had a nightmare round.[/p][p]The Australian made a triple bogey on five, needing two attempts to hack out of the rough, laying up then three-putting. He shanked his tee shot on eight into the water for bogey.[/p][p]His round of 73 was the second-worst of the tournament so far.[/p][p]Lee had scored 62 a day earlier, playing solo due to his partner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spaun-j-j/6oUJlkde/"]JJ Spaun[/a]'s withdrawal with a shoulder injury.[/p][p]On Friday, with 29 players remaining, it was Cameron Young's turn to play alone, and remarkably he scored 62 too.[/p][p][b]"It seems to be a strong pattern. It's a bit strange,"[/b] admitted Young, who said it had felt like he was [b]"playing a practice round."[/b][/p][p][b]"You don't have to wait for anybody else. Nothing weird happens. Just got in a really nice rhythm and kept going."[/b][/p][embed guid="5ff315af-6601-488f-8867-8a70e8950867" url="https://x.com/GolfDigest/status/2093466913477197950?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Young made seven birdies in his first 11 holes, and ended with an eagle.[/p][p]Scheffler had a productive if inconsistent day.[/p][p]The world number one recovered from back-to-back bogeys to pull within a shot of the lead, then bogeyed 17 as winds picked up to make conditions trickier in the closing stages.[/p][p][b]"I watched it get in the jet stream up there and fly... it felt like any moment they could blow the horn,"[/b] said Scheffler.[b] "Yeah, just bad gusts."[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a] suffered an embarrassing double bogey, twice chipping the ball 45 feet from the uphill third green, only for the ball to roll back to his feet each time.[/p][p]The six-time Major winner managed two late birdies for a round of 69, but sits tied for 23rd at three-under par, seven shots off the pace.[/p]