Flawless Scheffler surges into lead at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — Scottie Scheffler felt he was hitting all the best pictures and solely had 13 straight pars to point out for it Saturday on a troublesome day on the Memorial. As normal, he had a robust ending kick, and the world’s No. 1 participant wound up in a well-known spot.

Scheffler, six pictures behind when he made the flip, had 4 birdies over the past 5 holes for a 4-under 68 at Muirfield Village, giving him a one-shot lead when Ben Griffin missed a 3-foot par putt on the ultimate gap.

“I do not know what the scoring common was in the present day, however I used to be positively pleased with the best way I completed and it was actually difficult,” Scheffler mentioned. “By means of 13 holes, I felt like I used to be enjoying actually good and I used to be solely even par. Only a laborious course.”

And it turned a tough process for everybody chasing him. Scheffler has gained the previous eight occasions when he had the 54-hole lead, together with two weeks in the past on the PGA Championship. He goes after his third win in his previous 4 begins.

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Nobody is dropping by the wayside, not with 5 gamers inside 5 pictures of the lead when a lot can occur so rapidly at Muirfield Village, as Saturday confirmed.

And that begins with Griffin, who gained his first particular person PGA Tour title at Colonial final week and did not sound in the least bothered that Scheffler was the man he was chasing.

“Clearly, Scottie Scheffler’s the perfect participant on the earth, however No. 1 will be beat,” Griffin mentioned. “I really feel like proper now … you understand, I beat him final week. Clearly, he is coming off a significant win. However, yeah, I really feel like he clearly will be overwhelmed, and I’ve simply bought to maintain the pedal down and make numerous birdies as a result of I do know he’ll, as effectively.”

The scoring common for the 57 gamers who made the reduce was 73.9, and three gamers failed to interrupt 80. Scheffler, the one participant to interrupt par all three rounds, was at 8-under 208.

Griffin turned the one participant this week to achieve 10-under par when he ran off three straight birdies beginning at No. 6. After which he gave all of it again with 4 straight bogeys, three of these bogeys from both the golf green or the tee field.

Scheffler was lurking, as at all times. He has an uncanny knack of hanging round and winding up with the low rating by the tip of the day. This was no exception.

“I did see that Ben bought to 10 beneath, nevertheless it’s not going to alter my play in the midst of a Saturday,” Scheffler mentioned. “This golf course is absolutely difficult and no lead’s protected round this place. I knew if I saved going and performed a good spherical, I might be in considerably of a place to chase him down tomorrow.”

He holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th — his first of the day — adopted getting on the collar of the inexperienced on the par-5 fifteenth for a easy birdie. He hit 7-iron into the wind to eight toes for birdie and closed with one final birdie from simply inside 15 toes that in the end gave him the lead.

He is not chasing, and he is a troublesome buyer to trace down.

Jordan Spieth additionally was within the chase, tied with Scheffler in second place at one level, till he failed to avoid wasting par from a bunker on the seventeenth and drove into the creek on the 18th for a closing bogey and a 72. He was 5 pictures behind, feeling higher about his sport.

There was only one downside. Spieth talked concerning the enjoyable of being within the combine, of creating six birdies on a troublesome course, of needing to maintain transferring in that route. After which he paused.

“The bummer for me is Scottie’s at 7 or 8 [under] and he simply … you possibly can’t depend on him taking pictures even tomorrow,” Spieth mentioned. “So it might take one thing particular. However all in all, simply making an attempt to shoot a couple of beneath every day trip right here.”

Nick Taylor of Canada wound up three pictures behind after a 74, and for that he was grateful on the finish. Taylor went into the water and made double bogey on the diabolical par-3 twelfth, adopted that with a bogey and was sliding out of competition. After which he holed out from fairway for eagle on the 14th, birdied the subsequent gap and performed that four-stretch in even par.

One of the best spherical belonged to Sepp Straka, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this 12 months. He posted a 66 because the leaders have been simply getting began and was within the group at 3-under 213 that included Spieth and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68).

Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler every shot 69 and joined Shane Lowry (73) at 214. It is a great distance off, and it may well really feel even longer with Scheffler the one they’re chasing.

“It is a robust golf course. I will be making an attempt to chase him down,” Taylor mentioned. “He is clearly enjoying phenomenal, so I will must play a few of my finest golf to be within the hunt there with the previous couple of holes to go. However it’s enjoying so troublesome that being a couple of beneath early will get me again in there.”