Related items

• Scheffler swinging with confidence at Tour Championship despite seeing lead cut to four

  Scottie Scheffler insists his swing is "in a good spot" despite seeing his lead at the top of the Tour Championship standings cut to four shots on the second day.

  Scheffler, who is aiming to win his first FedEx Cup title, carded 65 in his opening round and entered the second round with a 10-shot lead.

  However, the world number one saw American duo Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele close the gap during a weather-disrupted second round on Friday.

  Scheffler carded a round of 66 to take himself to 21 under par, aided by two birdies in the final three holes to keep the chasing back at bay. 

  "I feel like my swing is in a good spot, and I've hit it nice the last couple of days," he said. "A lot of quality stuff out there, and in a good spot going into the weekend."

  Morikawa is four shots off the pace after producing a superb eight-under 63, which was the best round of the day, and has surged up the standings to second place.

  In an impressive round, he dropped just one shot on the 11th hole, but made amends on the back nine before closing with back-to-back birdies. 

  "He's going to continue to make birdies," Morikawa said about the possibility of catching Scheffler. "He's driving it really, really well here, and you're giving yourself enough wedges to make some scoring opportunities out there.

  "For me, it's just about bringing energy and just staying alive out there."

  Schauffele is in third, one shot behind compatriot Morikawa, after shooting an impressive second-round 64 to remain in the hunt for the $25million prize money. 

  There is then a four-shot gap until a group of three players, including Adam Scott, are tied for fourth place at 12 under, while Rory McIlroy is tied for 10th place on eight under.

• 'Still feel like I've got a chance', says McIlroy as Scheffler takes Tour Championship lead

  Scottie Scheffler is in prime position to win his first FedEx Cup title after storming into a seven-shot lead at the Tour Championship.

  The world number one, who started on 10 under due to the FedEx Cup's staggered structure, carded a superb 65 in the first round of the PGA Tour's season-ending tournament, after recovering from an early bogey at East Lake.

  Scheffler's haul included seven birdies, with five of those coming from his last seven holes, as he bids to win a seventh PGA Tour event of the season.

  His main FedEx Cup challenger Xander Schauffele is tied for second on nine under par, along with Collin Morikawa, while Rory McIlroy is three shots back in T10.

  However, the Northern Irishman has not given up hope of applying pressure to Scheffler as the tournament goes on.

  "I'm happy with how I hung in there and had a good finish," McIlroy told Sky Sports.

  "When I saw Scottie had gotten to 14, I was like, 'Oh, got to try to just hang on to the coattails a little bit'.

  "Still feel like I've got a chance, and it was nice to finish the way I did."

  Scheffler, also speaking to Sky Sports, said: "Yeah, I'm pleased with the day.

  "I tried not to think about any sort of lead or anything like that, my job was to go out there and execute and I felt like I did a really good job of that. I felt like I was doing some good stuff to start the day.

  "I had the bogey on one but after that I felt like I played some really good golf."

• Fairfield United retain SDC National Community T20 Cricket title in low scoring final

  Defending champions Fairfield United retained the SDC National Community T20 Cricket title in a low scoring final against Links United at Chedwin Park on Sunday, August 25th. 

  After losing the toss and being invited to bat, Fairfield United managed only 147 runs when their innings came to an end with 3 balls remaining in the innings. However, the reigning champions were not prepared to go down without a fight and managed to restrict Links United to 117 all out to win by 30 runs and take the trophy back to Manchester for the third time overall. 

  Leighton Leslie, player and manager of Fairfield United said that his team was never worried about retaining their title despite putting less than their targeted total on the board.

  “We had a target in mind of 180, however we fell short. But as usual, we back our bowling. We have one of the better bowling (attacks) in this complete competition and after getting the 147, we knew that we were going to defend it. If they were going to get it, they would have to go to the last ball. So, at no point we were fretting or worried about the total that we got,” he said. 

  Leslie noted that the team had to overcome early season difficulties from which they learned as the season progressed. 

  “We had a rough start in this competition. We almost didn’t make it to the parish stages, but we got a lifeline and from there on, we have just been playing more disciplined cricket,” he noted. 

  Leslie hinted at continued success for Fairfield United based on the composition of his squad.

  “We have a lot of youngsters in our programme. We have a good crop of youngsters coming up.”

  He was also impressed with the preparation of the grounds for the finals, thanks in part to sponsors such as Wray & Nephew. 

  “When I came to the cricket ground and looked at it closely, I must say it is at international standard. I must say this competition is well put together and it’s a joy to win it back-to-back. 

  During their time at bat, Jamaine Morgan got Fairfield off to a flier but fell to the penultimate ball of the second over with the score at 20/1, amassing 15 runs off 10 deliveries. 

  A second wicket stand of 37 runs between Javed Williams and Zidane Gordon pushed the score along to 57 in the 8th over before Gordon departed for a quick fire 25 off 20 deliveries. Williams was next to go at 65/3 in the 9th over as the Links United skipper captured two wickets for 35 runs from his spell of four overs. 

  Fairfield tried to push the score along, but Tevin Gilzene stymied the run chase as the chief wicket taker for Links United put the brakes on the defending champions when he snapped up the next five wickets to fall in the middle overs to end with figures of 5 for 19 off his 4 overs. 

  Roshawn McKenzie was the only batsman of the last four wickets to get into double figures as he made 16 runs from 13 deliveries before he went caught off the bowling of Amoi Campbell. 

  Links United got off to the worst possible start in their quest for 148 runs to win when they lost their first wicket off the third ball of the innings with the score at 4/1. Damion Bryce returned to the pavilion, caught by Jamaine Morgan off the bowling of Romario Marshall.

  Tevin Gilzene, who had been magical with the ball, tried to replicate the performance with the bat, but he went for 19 runs, of 8 deliveries at 39/2 in the 4th over. 

  Things were still within reach for Links at that stage, but a steady stream of wickets from the 4th to the 7th over, saw them slip from 39/2 to 64/6 due to injudicious shots from the batsmen coupled with good fielding from the defending champions. 

  A brief recovery saw Links get beyond the 100-run mark for the loss of just one more wicket, but two wickets in two balls to end the 13th over and start the 14th over saw them reduced to 106/9 which left the defending champions on the verge of a repeat victory.

  Roshawn McKenzie then completed the final rites when he bowled Nashawn Campbell for 4 runs with the second ball of the 16th over to leave Links United all out for 117 runs. McKenzie ended with figures of 2 wickets for 10 runs from 2.2 overs while Richard Thomas with 4 for 17 from 4 overs was the pick of the bowlers for Fairfield. 

  Kerry-Ann Bryan, Brand Manager of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum could not hide her excitement after watching an engaging and exciting final.

  “It’s been a pleasure to be here with you at Chedwin Park, where we come together to celebrate not just a game but a tradition that runs deep in the heart of our nation. Cricket, like Wray & Nephew, has a longstanding tradition in Jamaica and it is synonymous with passion. It’s not just a sport; it’s a way of life. A good cricketer plays with heart, not just skill, bringing a level of energy and enthusiasm that inspires everyone around them,” Bryan remarked.

  “The game isn’t for individual glory; it’s about teamwork and community. A good cricketer knows that the success of the team comes first. They play for something bigger than themselves, representing their community, their culture, and their shared values,” she continued.

  Earlier in the afternoon, Angel’s defeated Bushy Park by eight wickets to win the Masters title.