AUGUSTA, Ga. — The final time Scottie Scheffler slept on a lead going into the ultimate spherical of the Masters in 2022, he awoke Sunday morning and cried along with his spouse, Meredith, due to the strain.
Scheffler, who’s the No. 1-ranked golfer on the planet, is sleeping on one other lead heading into Sunday’s ultimate spherical of the 88th Masters. He overcame a few uncommon errors to submit a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s third spherical for a 54-hole complete of seven beneath.
Two-time main championship winner Collin Morikawa is 1 stroke again after carding a 3-under 69. Max Homa is 2 again at 5 beneath, adopted by Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg at 4 beneath and LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau at 3 beneath.
Two years in the past, Scheffler, then age 25, had captured his first three PGA Tour victories in six weeks and ascended to No. 1 on the planet. The Texan had a 3-stroke lead over Australia’s Cameron Smith and wasn’t certain he was prepared for the most important second of his profession at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership.
“I cried like a child this morning,” Scheffler stated then. “I used to be so stressed. I did not know what to do. I used to be sitting there telling Meredith, ‘I do not suppose I am prepared for this. I am not prepared. I do not really feel like I am prepared for this type of stuff, and I simply felt overwhelmed.'”
Scheffler’s spouse assured him that he was prepared, and that he did not have management of what was going to occur over the ultimate 18 holes at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. Scheffler carded a 1-under 71 within the ultimate spherical and beat Rory McIlroy by 3 photographs to win his first main championship.
Scheffler’s spouse will not be with him in Augusta on Sunday morning. She’s again at their house in Dallas, anticipating their first youngster someday later this month. Scheffler did not need to be alone in his home this weekend, so he invited pals over for breakfast earlier than the third spherical. He deliberate to be with them once more Saturday night time.
Two years in the past, Scheffler’s meteoric rise from a golfer who could not win to at least one who could not cease profitable took a toll on him.
“Going into Sunday, Meredith and I had been just a bit bit emotional about what was happening on the time as a result of our lives had been altering at a really speedy tempo,” Scheffler stated Saturday. “Now, I feel we’ve got settled extra into the place our lives are at, and proper now essentially the most thrilling factor isn’t profitable the Masters — it is a child coming fairly quickly. Issues are lots totally different now, and I really feel like we have each matured.”
Scheffler’s maturity as a golfer was on show at Augusta Nationwide on Saturday. After beginning the third spherical as a co-leader with DeChambeau and Homa, Scheffler took the solo lead when he chipped in for birdie on No. 1 after which made a 32-foot birdie putt on No. 3 to maneuver to eight beneath.
After making a bogey on No. 4, Scheffler made the flip at 1-under 35 and had a 1-stroke lead over Morikawa, Homa and Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard.
Issues started to unravel for Scheffler on the par-4 tenth. His method shot bounced off the inexperienced and into bushes behind it. He chipped out 63 toes previous the opening. He practically made the birdie putt coming again, however then inexplicably missed a 4-foot par putt. The double-bogey dropped him to five beneath.
On the par-4 eleventh, Scheffler chipped to five toes and missed the par putt. He was 4 beneath and two strokes behind Morikawa, Homa and Hojgaard.
Scheffler turned issues round with an eagle on the par-5 thirteenth after reaching the inexperienced in two photographs and sinking a 31-foot downhill putt to get again to six beneath. He made one other birdie with an 11-footer on the fifteenth. He made a bogey on the seventeenth, however rebounded with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th to keep up the solo lead.
The opposite golfers on the prime of the leaderboard had their probabilities after Scheffler faltered. Morikawa had birdies on the primary three holes to maneuver to six beneath. He made pars on his ultimate 10 holes. Morikawa can seize the third leg of the profession Grand Slam after profitable the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship.
Homa, who’s in search of his first main championship victory after profitable six occasions all over the world since February 2021, had a bogey on the par-3 twelfth and 17 pars on Saturday. Homa hasn’t made a birdie in his final 32 holes.
Aberg, who was taking part in golf at Texas Tech a 12 months in the past, had a birdie on No. 13 to maneuver to six beneath and seize a share of the lead, however then had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old is in competition in his first begin in a serious championship.
Aberg could be the third golfer to win a serious championship in his debut because the Masters was first performed in 1934 — Ben Curtis (2003 Open Championship) and Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA Championship) had been the others.
“I take into consideration [winning a major] on a regular basis,” Aberg stated. “I am okay occupied with it. Clearly, I am a competitor and I need to win tournaments. I really feel very lucky to be on this place and to be right here taking part in golf.
“Sure, I do not suppose you must shrink back from it. I do not suppose you must attempt to push it away. I attempt to embrace it, and I attempt to be okay with all that comes with it, I suppose.”
Hojgaard, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour and a member of the European workforce that received the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, was 7 beneath and the solo chief after making three straight birdies on Nos. 8, 9 and 10. However then he made 5 straight bogeys-he hit his ball into the water on Nos. 13 and 15.
“It is simply tough,” Hojgaard stated. “The course is taking part in tough. I used to be in all probability in a interval of my recreation the place it was a little bit bit tough and little bit out of place, however typically it is powerful to show it round.”
DeChambeau, the previous PGA Tour star who left for LIV Golf in June 2022, was 6 beneath after making a birdie on No. 10. However then he had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12. On the par-5 fifteenth, after taking aid, DeChambeau chunked a pitch shot from 45 yards into the water. He made double-bogey, adopted by a bogey on the sixteenth.
DeChambeau regained momentum by making a hole-out birdie from 77 yards on the 18th.
“It is very tough to chase, however I’ll take what I can on this golf course the place I can, and I’ve obtained to make some putts,” DeChambeau stated. “If I could make some putts tomorrow, I feel I can have an excellent alternative.”
