Ben Griffin (-16) remains the sole leader at the Procore Championship with 18 holes to go. That’s where the good news ends for the brave golfer from North Carolina. Looming beside him is a worrying and lengthy shadow named Scottie Scheffler (-14). Always Scottie Scheffler. The World Number One started the third day outside the top 10 and eight shots behind Griffin, and has gone to bed just two shots back, as the favourite to win at Silverado Resort. The sixth victory of the season is within reach. With Scheffler breathing down his neck, Griffin signed off with an ugly bogey on the 18th hole, a par 5.
All of this is the result of the stellar round of golf completed by Scheffler this Saturday in Napa Valley. He shot 64, including a double bogey. That is, he made ten birdies. Off the tee, he was quite acceptable, with the irons he put on yet another exhibition, and he managed to sink a couple of putts. Don’t think he was holing everything, but he did manage to make the most of his great shots. It’s the Scheffler manual. As soon as he putts reasonably well, he delivers a great scorecard. This Saturday, he was the fourth best on the greens. The strokes gained in the approaches are simply phenomenal. He has gained more than seven strokes on the tournament average in this area.
Remember, he shot eight under par with a double bogey. It came at the 14th. His drive wasn’t bad, but he lacked a bit of luck. It just slipped into the right rough at the last metre and ended up in a bad spot. From less than 90 metres, he couldn’t get it to the green. He then missed again from the fairway. He had an approach shot from about 50 metres. It was a half shank and ended up in the bunker. Scheffler explained that he wanted to be too ambitious and overdid it. That could be it. It was an unusual shot in any case that ended in the bunker. Out and three putts.
Up to that point, he was seven under for the day and seemed to be slipping out of the tournament’s winning equation. Ha! In the last four holes, he made three birdies, all textbook, the so-called ‘easy’ ones, and finished with 64 shots. He is aiming for his 19th victory in 150 tournaments on the PGA Tour.
But Scheffler isn’t the only star of Saturday. A young amateur has stolen some of the spotlight and has slipped in between Griffin and Scheffler. It’s Jackson Koivun (-15), who is already one of the most interesting prospects in American golf. He will play in the final group with Griffin this Sunday, and it seems the pressure doesn’t affect him. Today, he shot 68, responding brilliantly to Scheffler’s powerful attack. He started with two bogeys in the first four holes but turned it around with six under in the last ten.
As for the rest of Keegan Bradley’s guys, it wasn’t the best day of golf. Something similar to what happened in the afternoon at Wentworth. Russell Henley (-9) played over par and fell out of the title battle, JJ Spaun (-9) did the same with a PAR card, and Cameron Young (-7) closes the ‘Ryders’ chapter in the top 20 with a round of 70 today. Among the rest, Sam Burns (-5) stands out with a 68 to climb the leaderboard, although he’s far from the hot zone.
