AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler, like Rory McIlroy, has been chasing historical past this week.
He’s attempting to hitch Jack Nicklaus as the one gamers in Masters historical past to win the match in three of 4 years and the primary to defend the title since Tiger Woods in 2002.
However the defending champion, who’s 5-under par, may have a tall hill to climb in Sunday’s remaining spherical at Augusta Nationwide, coming into the day seven pictures behind McIlroy, who’s 12-under.
Scheffler, who gained seven occasions final season and has but to win this 12 months, hasn’t seemed like himself this week.
“At occasions I felt good, at occasions I felt dangerous,’’ he stated. “I simply couldn’t actually get something going. Right this moment and yesterday have been days the place I might have shot myself out of the match, [but] I battled actually arduous each days.
“Going into tomorrow, have a superb entrance 9 and begin transferring my means up the leaderboard and also you by no means know what can occur on the again 9. I can’t management what anyone else is doing on the market. I’ll concentrate, but it surely’s not going to vary how I play the golf course, finally.’’
Jon Rahm’s Masters frustrations continued on Saturday. He made the reduce on the quantity at 2-under par on Friday.
After which on Saturday, simply when it appeared he would possibly get on a roll, getting it to 4-under for the day with two holes to play, he gave two pictures again on 17 and 18 to complete with a 70.
“Simply as simply as [birdies] they arrive, you will get a little bit unlucky and begin struggling a little bit bit,’’ Rahm stated. “I made a superb variety of par putts at the moment to publish that beneath par. There’s nonetheless a whole lot of errors to hopefully clear up.’’
Requested what he hopes for Sunday, he stated, “See if I can go on the market and shoot some 6- or 7-under or decrease and hope for the perfect.’’
Rahm, who gained the Masters in 2023, joined LIV Golf and completed 76th final 12 months.
Zach Johnson, who was paired with Rahm on Saturday, praised Rahm’s kind.
“His scorecard was not indicative of how he really performed, for my part,’’ stated Johnson, who fired a formidable third-round 66 and stands at 4-under. “That man is admittedly shut. He’s nonetheless actually, actually spectacular and an incredible man.’’
