Scottie Scheffler had quite the Saturday at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio. Despite a series of setbacks, he managed to post a 1-under 71 and increased his lead to four shots, moving ever closer to his fifth PGA Tour victory this year.
Scheffler had his fair share of challenges on the tough Muirfield Village course. He hit out of a bunker, sending the ball over the green and into the water. He also hit a tee shot over a boundary fence, resulting in a triple bogey, and then three-putted his last hole. But somehow, he not only stayed in the game but extended his lead.
Scheffler answered his penalties with birdies and never fell out of the lead, even after a difficult triple bogey. “Did a good job resetting and bouncing back,” Scheffler said. “Had the nice birdie on 10 and 12 and did a good job kind of staying in the round today.”
Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin trailed behind, both facing their own challenges on the course. Morikawa, who played bogey-free for a 68, commented, “I’m still going to have to go out and shoot a really good score tomorrow. But this course bites. You might look at some of these holes as birdie opportunities, but you miss the fairway, you’re going to try to save par.”
Scheffler started the day strong with two quick birdies, but his second shot on the par-5 fifth strayed into a bunker, then into a creek, leading to a bogey. “Just caught it a little thin,” he explained. Despite these setbacks, he pulled off a birdie on the next hole and a couple more on the back nine, securing his lead.
Adam Hadwin, meanwhile, saw his chances slip with a double bogey on the 14th and another bogey on the 18th. Defending champion Viktor Hovland also struggled, especially on the back nine where he hit several bogeys and a triple bogey on the par-3 16th, leaving him nine shots off the lead.
Rory McIlroy had a 73 and found himself eight shots back after spending more than four hours on a Zoom call related to the PGA Tour Enterprises’ meeting with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.
Scheffler noted that despite the challenging course conditions getting drier, windier, and harder, he remains focused. “I’m going to go out tomorrow and try and have a good round of golf, keep my head down and stay in my own little world out there,” Scheffler said. “I’m not going to really pay attention to what anybody else is doing. I’m just going to try and do my best.”
With a four-shot lead going into the final round, Scottie Scheffler is in a solid position, but the Memorial’s challenging course and the competition will keep him on his toes.
Source: Espn
