Birdie putts bedevil Scheffler who settles for 69 at BMW on Friday

From tee to green, Scottie Scheffler looked like an absolute machine during the second round of the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields on Friday.

The World's No. 1 golfer hit fairway after fairway after fairway and sent laser beams at every pin.

So incredible was Scheffler's play that he had 8 birdie putts inside 15 feet on the first 11 holes. But the flat stick may as well have been a mallet in Scheffler's hands as he missed every one.

In one of the more bizarre rounds of the day, Scheffler finished with 17 pars and 1 birdie for a 1-under 69 that left him in a tie for fifth and 5 strokes behind leader Max Homa, who set the course record on Friday with a 62.

"I played really solid," said Scheffler, who hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. "Felt like I was putting from difficult places today, but I hit a lot of good putts. I felt like I could have done a lot better than 1-under, but no bogeys around this place is always pretty good."

Almost all of Scheffler's season stats are quite remarkable: He's in the top five in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained on approach shots to the green and strokes gained around the green.

But as far as strokes gained putting? Scheffler ranks 146th at -0.225.

For those not quite into the advanced stats, here's another way to look at it: Scheffler is 130th on putts inside 10 feet; 166th from 10-15 feet, 82nd from 15-20 feet; and 150th from 20-25 feet.

Friday's round could have truly been remarkable as Scheffler gave himself looks from 10, 10.5, 13 and

8 feet on the first four holes.

The putt on No. 3 "hammered a spike mark" about 18 inches off the club head, according the Scheffler, and the short one on No. 4 was a tricky one from above the hole.

"It's easier said than done when you're watching on TV," Scheffler said. "These greens have a lot of pitch. ...

"It's just hard to put the ball in the right spots to get uphill putts. I mean I think my strategy today was really good. I was just trying to hit as many greens as possible.

"Ball was just dodging the cup."

Scheffler's lone birdie came on a 21-footer on No. 5.

That could have provided a much-needed momentum boost, but Scheffler proceeded to blow chances on six (13 feet), eight (10.5 feet), ten (10.5 feet) and eleven (7.5 feet).

Scheffler could only look at his caddie and laugh when the putt on No. 10 missed by an inch to the high side. Then on No. 11, Scheffler flipped his putter skyward after the ball slid by the cup.

"When you're hitting a lot of greens, you can't make every putt," Scheffler said. "I'd love to be perfect, but that's not really an attainable thing in golf."

No, but if just a few of those fall, Scheffler is right on Homa's heels.

Instead, he'll have to hope the putts start falling on the weekend.

"We've got 36 holes left. I mean I'm not upset," Scheffler said. "Obviously I wish I was in first place. But I'm not out of the tournament. So I'm pleased with that part of it."

Rahm blows up:

Jon Rahm shot a 4-over 74 and did not record a birdie for just the third time in his professional career in a non-major. The 2020 BMW Championship winner dropped 23 places into a tie for 35th at 2-over for the tournament.

Rahm's best chance for birdie came on No. 9, but he rimmed out an uphill 6-footer. He also hit the lip of the cup on No. 11 on a 9.5-footer.