World primary Scottie Scheffler stays on the right track to finish his exceptional season with the $25 million FedEx Cup title, heading into Sunday’s ultimate spherical of the season-ending Tour Championship with a five-stroke lead.
Fellow American Collin Morikawa failed to shut the hole on Scheffler in Saturday’s third spherical, making a 4-under par 67 at East Lake Golf Membership, Atlanta, whereas Scheffler posted a 5-under spherical of 66.
The Masters champion and Olympic gold medallist, Scheffler started the week on 10 under-par beneath the staggered scoring system used for the season finale which determines the FedEx Cup playoff winner.
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The system is designed to make sure a bonus for the chief within the Cup standings whereas nonetheless leaving alternative for challengers ought to the chief slip up within the ultimate of the three playoff tournaments.
However Scheffler, together with his eye on a seventh win on the PGA Tour this season, has proven no indicators of opening the door. Morikawa, who started the week six strokes behind the favorite, has managed to scale back the hole by only one shot over the three rounds.
Scheffler provided a glimmer of hope when he bogeyed the par-4 first gap, the place after driving into the tough to the precise, he missed a 12-foot par putt.
However that was the one blemish on the 28-year-old’s scorecard and the end to his spherical — with birdies on 4 of the final 5 holes, together with the final three — despatched a transparent sign of his intent for Sunday.
Scott begins effectively at Tour Championship | 00:59
“Hold doing what I’ve been doing, staying within the second, staying affected person on the market. I’ve bogeyed the primary gap two of the final three days and each instances I didn’t make any bogeys after that. In order that’s sort of good momentum for me,” mentioned Scheffler.
“I really feel like I’ve achieved a number of stuff effectively and performed strong, so I’m trying ahead to the problem of making an attempt to complete off the event tomorrow,” he mentioned.
Morikawa needed to wait till the par-5 sixth gap for his opening birdie however cancelled it out with a bogey on the following gap.
However he additionally completed strongly with three birdies from the fifteenth onwards together with the seventeenth and 18th.
“Stable. Not precisely the transferring day that I wanted, however I knew this complete week I used to be going to want one thing particular to come back out on high and I’m going to want one thing very particular,” mentioned Morikawa.
“It’s going to be very onerous, however I imagine in myself that I can do it. 5 pictures is rather a lot, however two-shot swings occur. I believe I’ve seen a pair over the previous few days,” he added.
“I’ve received to go low. I do know that. Hopefully I’ve received that in me right this moment. I’ve received 18 holes left to the season. I preserve speaking about that, however I’m going to place the whole lot I’ve into these subsequent 24 hours,” he added.
Sahith Theegala is within the third place however 9 pictures behind Scheffler and his bid wasn’t helped by a two stroke penalty on the par-4 third.
Scottie Scheffler opens 7-shot lead | 02:00
The American himself known as within the guidelines official after he noticed the sand transfer earlier than his shot from a fairway bunker.
“I felt like I moved a couple of grains of sand for positive. In my peripheral, I assumed I noticed a number of the sand transfer as I took my backswing,” mentioned Theegala, who didn’t really feel he gained any benefit from the sand motion which he described as “insignificant”.
“However sadly the rule is it doesn’t matter the intent. In the event you change the lie within the direct space across the ball that would have an effect on your swing, it’s a two-shot penalty,” he added.
Theegala did get well from that setback in some fashion nevertheless as he completed his spherical with 5 straight birdies.
Xander Schauffele, the British Open and PGA Championship winner this season, is in fourth place, ten pictures behind Scheffler after his even-par 71, whereas Wyndham Clark and Australian Adam Scott are 11 strokes off the lead.
Ought to Scott stay in fifth place, he’s in line for an enormous $7.38m AUD payday, with staggering prize cash on provide on this event.