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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Author
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Would possibly Scottie Scheffler’s neck decide whether or not or not the PGA Tour has one other runaway winner in certainly one of its high-profile signature occasions?
Scheffler, the world No. 1 golfer, is making an attempt to develop into the primary back-to-back winner of The Gamers Championship on the fiftieth version of the tour’s flagship occasion at TPC Sawgrass this week. However his hopes hit a bump Friday when he felt ache in his neck on the second gap of his spherical.
Scheffler requested a PGA Tour official for Biofreeze, a ache reliever, after which obtained a therapeutic massage from a bodily therapist on holes 14 and 16.
Scheffler gutted by means of a 3-under 69 for a 36-hole whole of 8 underneath, which stored him in competition, albeit in a tie for sixth and 6 strokes again of reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark and a pair of behind Xander Schauffele and Canada’s Nick Taylor.
Clark, who was ranked 163rd on this planet initially of 2023, is on the lookout for his fourth victory up to now 10 months. After capturing his first PGA Tour victory on the Wells Fargo Championship in Could, he added victories on the U.S. Open in June and the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am in February.
Clark appears poised so as to add one other one. His 4-stroke lead ties Jason Day (2016) for the second-largest in Gamers Championship historical past. Webb Simpson led by 5 on the midway level in 2018. He was up 7 strokes after 54 holes and received by 4.
Whereas Schauffele and Taylor utilized stress to Clark on Friday, Scheffler possesses the pedigree and nerves to chase him down, and the previous Masters champion was enjoying one of the best golf on this planet coming into the week.
“All you are attempting to do is put some stress on somebody,” Schauffele mentioned. “He is been enjoying unbelievable golf for fairly a couple of months now, and he is received the ability and precision and he is very assured proper now. So it is vital to be in that closing group simply to try to put some stress on him and try to get going.”
It would not be the primary time Scheffler trailed by 6 strokes or extra heading into the weekend and got here again to win. He was 9 strokes again after 36 holes on the 2022 WM Phoenix Open and beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to seize his first PGA Tour victory. On the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill three weeks later, Scheffler rallied from 8 strokes again over the ultimate 36 holes and received by 1.
If nothing else, Clark is aware of one of the best golfer on this planet goes to be chasing him over the ultimate 36 holes. It will likely be the fifth time Clark held the lead on the midway level; he received as soon as beforehand, on the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, his first PGA Tour victory.
“I’ve a lot respect for Scottie and his recreation and consistency, and he actually is form of the meter proper now of the place you wish to attempt to be,” Clark mentioned. “Scottie’s at all times in competition. He is pushed me to be higher and it is enjoyable to look at him, and so I am actually attempting to catch him. I actually owe loads to him [for] a few of my good golf of late.”
Because the tour turns
Golfweek, citing sources, reported Friday that participant administrators on the PGA Tour coverage board is perhaps nearing a gathering with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, presumably as early as Monday in Ponte Vedra Seashore.
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Golfweek mentioned particulars of the assembly are being carefully guarded, and it is “nonetheless unclear if the highly effective Saudi funding chief will decide to attending or cancel on the final minute.”
5 of the six participant administrators have been competing within the Gamers Championship — Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth. Tiger Woods was the one participant director who wasn’t competing this week.
On Tuesday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan informed reporters that he met with Al-Rumayyan in Saudi Arabia in January. He mentioned talks with the PIF have been “accelerating,” and that he believed forming an alliance with the Saudis, which may convey an funding price as a lot as $3 billion, was the tour’s greatest path ahead.
ESPN reported final week {that a} assembly between Al-Rumayyan and the participant administrators was the doubtless subsequent step within the negotiations, in accordance with sources.
After his spherical Friday, Spieth confirmed that the participant administrators have been “being inspired to probably meet” with PIF officers however declined to supply specifics.
“I feel there’s not an entire lot extra I can say about that, however we’re being inspired, clearly, which I feel might be a very good factor,” Spieth mentioned. “All the board ought to if there’s going to be any potential for a negotiation.”
Ready for the Masters
Wyndham Clark has labored exhausting to be extra assured, and a narrative he revealed Friday — that he turned down two invites to play at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership up to now — is perhaps one of the best proof of his new swagger.
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“I form of made a bit pact with myself that I would not go till I used to be eligible to play within the match,” Clark mentioned.
By profitable his first main championship at Los Angeles County Membership in June, Clark earned a five-year exemption into the Masters, PGA Championship and The Open, in addition to a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open.
Clark, 30, will make his Masters debut on April 11-14. So, final week, he took a scouting journey to Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership together with his father and brother.
“It was a very cool journey as a result of I went with my dad and brother, who’ve by no means been and so we went and had an superior form of Clark boys journey and it was very memorable,” Clark mentioned. “It is one thing we’ll bear in mind for the remainder of our lives.”
Who’s in and who’s out
Min Woo Lee performed within the closing group with Scheffler on Sunday final 12 months (he carded a 4-over 76 and tied for sixth), however wanted to get issues happening the again 9 Friday simply to make the reduce. After carding a 1-over 73 within the first spherical, Lee was 2 over making the flip, which was one worse than the projected reduce line.
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The Australian proceeded to card birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 15 and 17 to maneuver to 2 underneath. He made a 60-footer for birdie on the long-lasting seventeenth. It was the second-longest putt on the island-green gap since 2003; Jhonattan Vegas made a 69 ½-footer in 2019.
“I knew I wanted to make a pair birdies in direction of the top and made some on the again 9,” Lee mentioned. “Simply missed a brief putt on 16, so 17 was actual candy.”
There have been a handful of acquainted names who missed the reduce and will not be round for the weekend, together with Justin Thomas (1 over), Jordan Spieth (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over), Nick Dunlap (3 over), Will Zalatoris (4 over), Keegan Bradley (7 over) and Justin Rose (3 over).
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