Sahith Theegala (-15) and Nick Taylor (-15) will go out to play (right now) the fourth round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a one-stroke advantage over Charley Hoffman, author of the best round of the moving day (64), and Andrew Novak and two over Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young.
Scheffler, with a round of 66 strokes, one of the best of the day, has put the third consecutive victory in this tournament within reach, something that no one has achieved since Arnold Palmer in the years 1961, 1962 and 1963.
The basis of his comeback has been in the five consecutive birdies he has achieved between holes 9 and 13. Moreover, at that moment he seemed launched, he even tied for the lead, although finally the ghosts with the putter have reappeared.
It was on hole 18. The world’s Number One has hunted the green in two from the right rough. It was a great shot from the position he was in and he has left a long birdie putt of about twelve meters. A long option to subtract one more stroke and tie again at the top of the leaderboard.
Well, Scheffler has overdone it and not only has he not made the putt but his ball has ended up in the bunker… It has rolled, rolled and rolled very slowly until it fell into the sand trap. From there, approach and putt for bogey. Instead of going out one stroke behind the leaders, he will do so by two.
In any case, Scheffler has left himself the option to win, although it will not be easy, since there are many and very good candidates in a final round that promises to be spectacular. Theegala and Taylor are holding up like troopers and nothing indicates that they are going to let go. In addition, Cameron Young is eager to achieve his first victory, Novak knows that he has nothing to lose and his hitting is a plus at the TPC Scottsdale and behind are Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Kurt Kitayama or the same Justin Thomas who still have something to say. Thomas, however, will need a sensational round, as he is six strokes behind.
The fourth day is already underway in Phoenix. The players have come out exactly as they did in the third, as the tournament is not overflowing with time to be completed before the light goes out. A tie could complicate everything a lot. The outcome will be set up with the Superbowl final. It’s what nobody wanted in Scottsdale, but to date, one of the few things that nobody can control, is the weather.
