DUBLIN, Ohio — Scottie Scheffler was at his finest on a tricky day at Muirfield Village, opening with 13 straight pars after which pouring it on on the finish for a 4-under 68 that gave him a one-shot lead Saturday over Ben Griffin on the Memorial.
Scheffler birdied 4 of his final 5 holes, ending with a birdie from simply inside 15 toes. He took the lead when Griffin missed a 3-foot par putt on the ultimate gap.
At stake for Scheffler is an opportunity to win for the third time in his final 4 tournaments and be a part of Tiger Woods as the one back-to-back winners on the Memorial.
“I do not know what the scoring common was as we speak, however I used to be positively pleased with the best way I completed and it was actually difficult,” Scheffler mentioned. “By means of 13 holes, I felt like I used to be taking part in actually good and I used to be solely even par. Only a exhausting course.”
The scoring common for the 57 gamers who made the minimize was 73.9, and three gamers failed to interrupt 80. Scheffler, the one participant to interrupt par all three rounds, was at 8-under 208.
Griffin, who received final week at Colonial, made 5 birdies and 5 bogeys over his final 13 holes.
Scheffler was six pictures behind Griffin at one level within the cool, blustery climate. After which all of it modified so shortly.
Griffin, who grew to become the one participant this week to achieve 10-under par when he ran off three straight birdies, gave all of it again with 4 straight bogeys. He was within the fairway or on the tee when he made three of these bogeys.
Scheffler was lurking, as all the time. The world’s No. 1 participant has an uncanny knack of hanging round and winding up with the low rating by the top of the day. This was no exception.
“I did see that Ben acquired to 10 beneath, but it surely’s not going to vary my play in the course of a Saturday,” Scheffler mentioned. “This golf course is basically difficult and no lead’s protected round this place. I knew if I stored going and performed a good spherical, I’d be in considerably of a place to chase him down tomorrow.”
He holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th — his first of the day — and adopted that by getting on the collar of the inexperienced on the par-5 fifteenth for a easy birdie. He hit 7-iron into the wind to eight toes for birdie and closed with the final one which gave him the lead.
He is now not chasing, and he is a tricky buyer to trace down. Scheffler has received the final eight instances when he held the 54-hole lead.
Jordan Spieth additionally was within the chase, tied with Scheffler in second place at one level, till he failed to save lots of par from a bunker on the seventeenth and drove into the creek on the 18th for a closing bogey and a 72. He was 5 pictures behind, feeling higher about his sport.
There was only one downside. Spieth talked in regards to the enjoyable of being within the combine, of constructing six birdies on a tricky course, of needing to maintain transferring in that path. After which he paused.
“The bummer for me is Scottie’s at 7 or 8 (beneath) and he simply … you’ll be able to’t rely on him taking pictures even tomorrow,” Spieth mentioned. “So it will take one thing particular. However all in all, simply attempting to shoot just a few beneath every day trip right here.”
Nick Taylor of Canada wound up three pictures behind after a 74, and for that he was grateful on the finish. Taylor went into the water and made double bogey on the diabolical par-3 twelfth, adopted that with a bogey and was sliding out of competition. After which he holed out from fairway for eagle on the 14th, birdied the subsequent gap and performed that four-stretch in even par.
One of the best spherical belonged to Sepp Straka, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this yr. He posted a 66 because the leaders had been simply getting began and was within the group at 3-under 213 that included Spieth and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68).
Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler every shot 69 and joined Shane Lowry (73) at 214. It is a good distance off, and it could actually really feel even longer with Scheffler the one they’re chasing.
“It is a robust golf course. I will be attempting to chase him down,” Taylor mentioned. “He is clearly taking part in phenomenal, so I will must play a few of my finest golf to be within the hunt there with the previous couple of holes to go. However it’s taking part in so tough that being just a few beneath early will get me again in there.”