Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer, began the third round of the Memorial Tournament with a three-shot lead and ended it with a four-shot advantage, despite a series of challenging moments. Scheffler's 1-under 71 on a tough day at Muirfield Village highlighted his resilience and skill.
Scheffler's round was far from smooth. He encountered difficulties, such as hitting a bunker shot over the green and into a creek, and a tee shot on the ninth hole that went left, hit a tree, and went out of bounds. He capped the day with a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole. Despite these setbacks, Scheffler remained unfazed, extending his lead to 10-under 206, the largest 54-hole lead of his career. Collin Morikawa (68) and Canada's Adam Hadwin (72) were tied at 210.
Reflecting on his performance, Scheffler remained positive. "I played good," he remarked. "Just got a couple bad breaks and it’s going to happen around this golf course. The course is really challenging. You’re not always going to get good breaks or lies, so yeah. I feel like I played solid today." Even after penalty shots, Scheffler responded with birdies and never relinquished the lead.
Morikawa, who will join Scheffler in the final group, acknowledged the challenge ahead.
"I’m still going to have to go out and shoot a really good score tomorrow," he said. "But this course bites. You might look at some of these holes as birdie opportunities, but you miss the fairway, you’re going to try to save par."
Scheffler's day included two quick birdies that seemed to set him up for a dominant round until a misstep on the par-5 fifth led to a bogey, reducing his lead momentarily. On the ninth, a misfired tee shot resulted in a triple bogey. Yet, he rebounded with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes, regaining his composure and lead.
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Hadwin remained within striking distance until a double bogey on the 14th. Viktor Hovland also contended until a series of bogeys and a triple bogey on the back nine derailed his round. Rory McIlroy, who had a 73, was eight shots behind after a lengthy call regarding the PGA Tour's discussions with LIV Golf backers.
Scheffler, who has a perfect record when leading after 54 holes, remains focused. "I’m going to go out tomorrow and try and have a good round of golf, keep my head down and stay in my own little world out there," he said. "I’m not going to really pay attention to what anybody else is doing. I’m just going to try and do my best."
Despite the obstacles, Scheffler's steady play has him poised for another PGA Tour victory, with his focus firmly set on the final round.
