Ryan Gerard Fires Second 65 to Share Tour Championship Lead

Ryan Gerard shot his second consecutive 5-under 65 on Friday at East Lake Golf Club to share the 36-hole lead at the Tour Championship with Viktor Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion.

How did Gerard build his lead?

Gerard opened with a bogey for the second straight day but answered with four front-nine birdies, added another at No. 10 and closed with a bunker save at the par-5 18th, where he holed out from a poor lie to set up a two-putt birdie look. The 27-year-old is playing in the Tour Championship field for the first time in his career.

What turned his putting around?

Putting had long been a strength for Gerard before slipping in recent seasons. He has climbed from No. 154 in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2025 to No. 27 this year after switching to a 35-inch Scotty Cameron Phantom 3 mid-mallet and working with coach Joey Farrow. He also credited a Grasp Technology practice device for improving his ability to start putts on line.

Ryan Gerard has gone from a player still chasing his card to one seeking a Presidents Cup pick, and his putting stats explain most of the gap.

Who else is in contention at East Lake?

Morikawa and Gotterup, both multiple winners this season, sit one shot back. Scheffler and Cameron Young, fresh off a second-round 62, are two back, and Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Ludvig Aberg are three back. Gerard has finished runner-up three times this season, including a playoff loss to J.T. Poston at the Memorial, without yet winning on Tour.

Gerard has also made clear he wants a spot on Brandt Snedeker's Presidents Cup team. "I want to play for my country," he said.