AUGUSTA, Ga. — He’s there again.
Starring Scottie Scheffler.
in a major championship.
At the Masters.
Scheffler, the world No. 1 and 2022 Masters champion, will advance to the final round with a one-stroke lead on Sunday at Augusta National as he looks to win his second green jacket in three years.
Scheffler, who shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday, is now 7 under.
Two-time major champion Colin Moriwaka shot a 69 on Saturday, one of only two rounds in the 60s for the entire third round, and is at 6 under par, one stroke behind the leader. ing.
The past 27 Masters winners have advanced to the final round within four strokes.
Max Homa is two strokes shy of 5 under as he seeks his first major win of his career.
Young Swedish player Ludwig Aberg is playing in his first major tournament and is 4 under, with a three-stroke lead.
And then there’s Bryson DeChambeau, a polarizing player who you can’t take your eyes off of. He shared the lead at 6 under par and 3 under par, going into the day with a one-stroke lead and a four-stroke lead. That day saw him play like he was going to win the tournament with a solid back nine.
Until he holed out from 80 yards on his third shot on the 18th hole for birdie.
DeChambeau, who was forced to punch out after his tee shot hit a tree on the right, appeared distraught at having thrown away his chance before hitting his third shot.
He then shook it, sending waves of electricity around the 18th green.
Suddenly, he still has a chance.
The day rumors spread that Taylor Swift would be on the field (she was not seen), Tiger Woods shot an 82, his highest score in 99 rounds at the Masters.
And on Sunday, the important final episode of the drama, which is filled with fascinating stories, will be held.
If Scheffler wins, he will establish a level of competitive dominance that no one has shown since Woods’ heyday.
If Morikawa wins, he will be vaulted into position to compete in June’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, with all four majors on his resume and the chance to become only the sixth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam. .
If Homa wins, it would be one of the most popular wins by the most popular player in the sport.
If DeChambeau wins, it would be a big win not only for the 2020 U.S. Open champion, but also for LIV Golf.
Controversial LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has been on the field all week, having purchased a special aftermarket badge to gain entry.
Can you imagine what the scene would be like if DeChambeau won and the first hug on the 18th green was the Shark?
Xander Schauffele is one of the best players to never win a major yet, but he’s still out of the standings at 2 under.
Since 2014, all but one Masters winner has advanced from Sunday’s final draw.
The only exception was Danny Willett in 2016, when Jordan Spieth blew up on the back nine of the final round and lost a significant lead.
This statistical fact would suggest that either Scheffler or Moriwaka will win on Sunday.
Asked how a win in 2022 would affect his chances of winning a second green jacket, Scheffler said: But yeah, I’m proud of how I played today. It was a good fight there.
“The golf course was very difficult. The greens were very hard, very fast, and it was very difficult today as well. So we’ll probably be looking for more of the same tomorrow.”
Scheffler doesn’t often show his emotions publicly, but there were two moments Saturday that made you realize what he meant to him.
He hit a double bogey on the 10th hole, dropping from 7 under to 5 under, and then hit a bogey on the 11th, dropping him to 4 under, two strokes behind the leader.
But Scheffler did a few fist pumps when he made the eagle on the par-5 13th hole.
Then, when he made a nice approach shot for birdie on the 18th hole, he pumped his fist again, confident he would be in Sunday’s final group.
A place where everyone wants to go.
The only thing that seems to be stopping Scheffler from winning again at this point is his wife, Meredith, who is back home in Dallas expecting the couple’s first child.
Scheffler said he was prepared to withdraw from the tournament at any time if his girlfriend called and told him she was in labor.
“There’s definitely a way to get home quickly,” he said. “There are people here who have access to their cell phones. We’ll make sure they can get you home whenever you need them.”
Asked if he thought she would call because she knew she was about to win the Masters, Scheffler said, “She should call.”
