(Nassau) Scottie Scheffler carded two eagles to post a 65 (under 7) on Saturday to give himself another opportunity to win the World Hero Challenge.
Tiger Woods will also be there until the end, but only to present the trophy.
Scheffler was never really put in a tough position until the end of his round. He saved a par on the 16th hole, but bogeyed the 18th to see his lead cut to three shots. He is ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick, who also shot 65.
Seeing Scheffler as a contender for Woods’ tournament in the Bahamas is nothing new: He’s finished second to Viktor Hovland in each of the last two years. Not seeing Woods in title contention is also not unusual, mainly because he is usually recovering from injuries.
This is his fifth appearance in the Bahamas, and only once has he finished within 10 strokes of the winner. This year will be no exception. Woods was over par on the back nine for a third straight round and had to settle for a 71 that left him 16 shots behind Scheffler.
Then again, it’s not just about golf. Woods is returning from another surgery that kept him out of action for nearly eight months. Sunday would be his first time playing a 72-hole tournament since Riviera in February.
He said he didn’t feel any pain in his ankle, only in other places on his body, and those recovered better than expected after each round.
“I still have some game,” Woods said. It’s a question of whether the body can do it or not. I am very pleasantly surprised at how much I recover each day. My gym activations have been good. »
Golf turned out to be a nice mix.
Woods started his round with two consecutive bogeys before making four birdies on the front nine. Then, he failed to take any other shots on the par-5s of the back nine.
He thought his score could have been in the high 60s, although he was happier with his health.
“To be able to shake off a little rust like I did this week and show myself that I can recover every day, it was kind of an unknown thing,” he said. I walked here. I participated in all my training, but adding in the game, the focus, the adrenaline and all these other factors that speed everything up, I’m very excited with how the week went. »
Scheffler has a cumulative score of minus-16. Fitzpatrick, who won the Dunhill Links Championship a week after the Ryder Cup, will accompany him in the final group.
Justin Thomas shot a 68 and was five shots behind. Jordan Spieth started the third round tied with Scheffler and quickly slipped due to a tee shot into the bushes on the par-5 third, forcing a penalty stroke and a three-shot gap.
Spieth shot a 71 and finished the third round six shots behind Scheffler.