Charlotte (AFP) – Scottie Scheffler charged into the lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship, making an eagle and three birdies in the last five holes to seize command after a shootout at Quail Hollow. Top-ranked Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, fired a six-under par 65 to stand on 11-under 202 after 54 holes with a three-stroke lead over second-place Alex Noren of Sweden.
“I hung in there really well,” said Scheffler. “I just battled really hard out there. It was hard. Did a good job of staying patient and hitting some nice shots.” Americans Davis Riley and J.T. Poston shared third on 206 with Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas, the 36-hole leader, shooting 73 to share fifth on 207 with Spain’s Jon Rahm and South Korean Kim Si-woo.
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Two weeks after winning his first PGA Tour title of the year and tying the lowest 72-hole score in tour history, Scheffler delivered a masterpiece round to put himself in position to win his first major crown beyond famed Augusta National. “I have some great players chasing me on the leaderboard and it’s going to take me another really great round,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler opened with a bogey but answered with a tap-in birdie at the par-three fourth hole, an 18-foot birdie putt at the fifth, and an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-five seventh. The 28-year-old American stumbled with a bogey at 11 but answered with a birdie at the 12th and followed a bogey at 13 with an eagle at the driveable par-four 14th, landing his tee shot within three feet of the hole and making the putt.
At the par-five 15th, Scheffler sank a birdie putt from just inside five feet, then dropped his tee shot just inside 18 feet at the par-three 17th and made the putt before closing with a nine-foot birdie putt at the 18th. “It was an important time in the round,” Scheffler said of his late run. “I wanted to gain some momentum in the round and I was able to hit some good golf shots. I definitely struck the ball a lot better than I had the past couple days.”
Noren, 42, hadn’t played since last October until last week due to neck, hamstring, and glute injuries, but he shot 66 to leap into contention, closing with four birdies in the last five holes. After making a birdie putt from inside three feet at 14, Noren holed out from 32 feet from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-five 15th, added another from just inside nine feet at the par-three 17th, and closed with a 16-foot birdie putt at 18.
“I just tried to get back to where I was before I was injured,” Noren said. “Today was probably the best scoring day I’ve ever had. So many bunker shots that kept me in the game and great shots at 17 and 18. It’s good to take a break, spend some time with the family… but it’s also nice to be back in the life again with a purpose.”
Vegas, without a top-20 major finish, squandered his overnight lead with back-to-back opening bogeys. After finding pine straw near the right trees at the first hole and missing a 24-foot par putt, Vegas was near a left cart path off the second tee and missed a 21-foot par putt. But the 40-year-old South American grinded through the rest of the round at par to stay in the hunt.
Riley won his only solo PGA title last May at Colonial while Poston’s most recent of three tour wins came last October in Las Vegas. Rahm reeled off birdies at the 14th, par-five 15th, and 16th holes but a bogey at 17 dropped him back. “Hard to express how hungry I may be for a major, about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation,” Rahm said.
Reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was in a pack six adrift after a bogey at 16 and double bogey after finding water at 17. World number two Rory McIlroy, who won last month’s Masters to complete a career Grand Slam, and defending champion Xander Schauffele each fired a 72 to stand on two-over.
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