J.J. Spaun BMW Championship: 66 Puts Him Near Lead

The J.J. Spaun BMW Championship story on Friday was a birthday, four straight birdies, and a 66 that kept him in the fight at Bellerive. Golf Channel's Steve Coulter reported that Spaun turned 36, opened the front nine in 30, and signed for a 4-under 66 that, at one point, put him alone on top of a crowded FedExCup Playoffs board. Combined with Thursday's 64, he is 10 under through 36 holes. Round 2 was still on the course Friday afternoon.

That matters. Do not freeze a final leaderboard. ESPN's live board Friday afternoon still had Round 2 in progress: Spaun third at 10 under after 66, Gary Woodland 11 under in the clubhouse after a bogey-free 65, and Wyndham Clark 12 under through 17. Golf Channel had already logged Woodland's 65 as the round that seized the clubhouse lead at 11 under. Clark was still out there making it a three-man argument.

J.J. Spaun BMW Championship round: birdies 3 through 6, then a grind

Coulter's sequence is the one to keep. Spaun circled Nos. 3 through 6. He had stacked three straight birdies before the turn on Thursday; Friday he did one better. Then the back nine bit. Bogeys at 14 and 15 — a poor second shot, a three-putt — before a birdie at 18 out of a fairway bunker, 5 or 6 feet, that Golf Channel said moved him into the solo lead at 10 under when he finished. "That was a nice way to end the day," Spaun told Golf Channel. "Kind of hit a little rough patch on 14, 15."

The day started in a hotel, not a fairway. "My girls got up early and they were so happy to tell me, Happy Birthday. They blew up a bunch of balloons," Spaun said. He joked to his daughter about a Toy Story-themed birthday. Then he went out and posted 66 with the Oakmont putter back in the bag, the same one Golf Channel noted he discussed with Kira K. Dixon after the round. The 2025 U.S. Open winner is not sneaking up on this field. PGA Tour's player profile also lists a 2026 Valero Texas Open title on his sheet. This is his second straight week of being the name on the first page.

Who is actually ahead of Spaun — and who is chasing East Lake

Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open winner, birdied his first hole, stacked 7 and 8, then birdied his last two for that bogey-free 65, Golf Channel reported. Chris Gotterup and Sungjae Im were 9 under in the clubhouse on ESPN's board (67 and 64). Patrick Cantlay (65) and Michael Thorbjornsen (66) sat 8 under. Coulter flagged the FedExCup math: Thorbjornsen entered the week 41st in points, Cantlay 43rd. Both were projected on the East Lake bubble if the tournament ended right then — Thorbjornsen 30th, Cantlay 31st, last man out.

Rory McIlroy's opening 64 did not hold. Golf Channel said the world's No. 2 signed for a 1-under 69 on Friday. ESPN had him 7 under, tied for eighth, when Spaun was already in. The BMW Championship still feeds the Tour Championship field at East Lake. Spaun is not on that bubble. He is trying to win the golf tournament. A 66 on your birthday at Bellerive is how you stay in that conversation while Clark and Woodland finish the day.

J.J. Spaun BMW Championship FAQ

What did J.J. Spaun shoot in Round 2 of the BMW Championship? A 4-under 66, Golf Channel reported. He opened 64 on Thursday and sits 10 under through 36 holes. Four straight birdies came on Nos. 3 through 6.

Is J.J. Spaun leading the BMW Championship? Not by the time Round 2 was winding down Friday. ESPN's live board had him third at 10 under, behind Clark (12 under through 17) and Woodland (11 under, finished). Golf Channel said Spaun held the solo lead at 10 under when he holed out.

Why is the J.J. Spaun BMW Championship round a birthday story? Friday was his 36th birthday. Golf Channel said his daughters woke him with balloons, and he answered with a front-nine 30 and a closing birdie at 18.