Dear scriptwriter of the PGA Tour, it seems you were reviewing last week’s notes and got your papers mixed up when writing this week’s script. It was something that was palpable in yesterday’s round, but what is happening at the RBC Heritage is a very authentic reproduction of what happened at the Augusta Masters. It is by no means pejorative, the tournament is to be watched with popcorn. Tit for tat, action and reaction, I accelerate and let’s see if you can keep up with me.
Just like in Georgia, after 54 holes, three of the top four are called Scottie Scheffler (-16) Collin Morikawa (-14), and Ludvig Åberg (-13). For more similarities, the Scandinavian will start three strokes behind the World Number One just like seven days ago in Augusta. In the last gasp of the day, Sepp Straka (-15) has sneaked into the stellar match on Sunday with a birdie that was literally on the last stroke of the day and has prevented the Scheffler-Morikawa from Augusta from being repeated. The only blot is that in the leading positions instead of Homa, tomorrow comes fourth Hoge (-13). They have changed two letters, dear scriptwriter.
To spice up this week’s designated tournament a bit more, tomorrow there will be more players with real chances of victory, Scheffler permitting: Patrick Rodgers (-13) and Sahith Theegala (-13) and completing the top 10 will start four strokes behind the leader JT Poston, Patrick Cantlay and Seamus Power (-12).
The best result of the third day has been… attention! surprise at Hilton Head: Scottie Scheffler. Round of eight under par that catapults him to the tournament lead with a one-stroke lead over his immediate pursuers. He is going straight for Tiger in an attempt to lift a title the week after winning a Major. The one from Cypress did it in 2006 and no one has repeated it so far. Then some will say that it is the journalists who are bent on establishing the relative and momentary comparison. The only one who constantly insists and insists on this comparison is Scottie Scheffler himself, and not with words, but with an excellent game. This Sunday he will seek his fourth victory in his last five tournaments. With today’s round, it is the 39th consecutive round he plays at par or under par. It is already the second best streak of recent times. I won’t tell you who is next on the list with 52… I think you already know.
Justin Thomas at the end of his round today highlighted that Scottie Scheffler’s game was becoming boring. What could sound like criticism was nothing but the highest praise. He is predictable in his perfection. He simply does nothing wrong and if something slips out of the script, he brings it back to the scene impeccably. Error is something he does not seem to contemplate right now.
In the last 51 holes, the World Number One has not made any bogey, but the reality is that he has given the impression that he has not even been close to making one. Since hole 12 of the first day of the tournament, he has not had any putt that reached two meters to save par. He constantly creates attacking situations. The most difficult moment he has lived was on hole 8 today with a 1.8 meter putt for par that went right in the middle. That’s all. It is true that the playing conditions have been almost perfect, but they are the same for everyone and no one has been able to respond to him today.
Åberg and Scheffler, Scheffler and Åberg. Get used to this duo because it will be rare if they are not many weekends of the coming years fighting for victories. The Swede was keeping up with Scheffler’s pace until hole 12 when he lost the Scandinavian precision he was showing and made his first mistake since Thursday. Just like in the fourth round of Augusta, he deflated a bit and from that moment on, he went from attacking every flag to defending par. Finally, a round of three under par and a cumulative of -13. If he plays tomorrow like the first two thirds of today’s round, he will give Scottie a run for his money.
He is not grabbing too many headlines, but the best Collin Morikawa is definitely back to fight for the best tournaments of the year. The form he showed in Augusta was no fluke. His second bogey of the week fell on hole 15 and has moved him a bit away from Scheffler, but it is undeniable that he is playing with enviable precision.
Rory McIlroy (-10) is on the doorstep of the top 10, but with a round in the purest Northern Irish style, six birdies and three bogeys. Only Tom Kim has made as many mistakes as him within the top 20 of the tournament. It’s not a matter of trying to change Rory’s essence now, but he needs to start minimizing mistakes if he wants to reconnect with the version that allows him to fight for victories.
‘Samson Scheffler’ continues to charge the battery as the competition progresses and is getting more and more tuned in with each passing hole. It doesn’t seem like anyone is going to be able to beat him, but if you have doubts you can ask the PGA scriptwriter if tomorrow’s outcome will be the same as Augusta National.
