Austin Eckroat, Zecheng Dou and Ryan Palmer lead Scottie Scheffler and others by two.

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On 18 Saturday on the AT&T Byron Nelson, Scottie Scheffler, shockingly, appeared similar to the remainder of us for as soon as.

The World No. 2 put his tee ball on the par-5 right into a bunker and couldn’t get out along with his second shot. He wasn’t even going for the inexperienced, 250 yards and a big pond away, however his 8-iron launched too low and slammed the lip, caroming again just some ft to his left.

He switched to a 9-iron, superior his third 72 yards down the golf green, missed the inexperienced along with his fourth and navigated a fast chip for a deflating bogey six.

Why was a bogey on one gap on a Saturday, the week earlier than the PGA Championship so deflating?

Scheffler was wanting sturdy to gather his third win of the 12 months heading into the season’s second main because of back-to-back rounds of 64 to open his hometown occasion. However his one-shot lead was rapidly closed when he made two bogeys within the first 4 holes Saturday. Then he appeared to rebound, making three birdies over the following 5 and giving himself six ft for birdie on the lengthy par-4 twelfth.

He missed the putt and fell flat for the remainder of the spherical for a 71.

It’s not the top of the world, however as an alternative of tying the lead with a birdie on 18, the bogey despatched him two again of the lead at 14 below and out of the ultimate two threesomes for Sunday.

He’s nonetheless solely two pictures again of the trio of leaders, however a win would imply Scheffler enters the PGA Championship because the No. 1 Participant within the World for the second straight 12 months. BetMGM nonetheless lists him as a +280 favourite to get it executed.

Ryan Palmer nonetheless looking out

Enjoying within the last group with Scheffler was one other Dallas-area resident, Ryan Palmer. Palmer began the third spherical one again, only one place worse than a 12 months in the past when he was the 36-hole co-leader.

He ended up ending T5 that week and a 12 months later, he’s nonetheless looking for his first win since 2019 and first particular person title since 2010.

“It’s simply taking part in a strong Saturday spherical,” Palmer stated after a 68 Saturday put him a tie for the lead. “That’s the place I’ve damage myself. I’ve type of taken steps again taking part in Saturday. I haven’t performed as nicely on Saturday. At present was an enormous step, getting a pleasant strong spherical, taking pictures 3-under, and preserving me up there by the leaderboard and now I’m tied for the lead.”

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The Nelson final 12 months was Palmer’s final top-10 on Tour and he’s even missed 9 of 15 cuts coming into the week this season. But, at the same time as he appeared uneven halfway by way of his third spherical, he rallied with three birdies over his last 5, together with leaving an eagle putt on the entrance fringe of the cup on 18.

“It’s exhausting to win, and I’ll let you know what, profitable that first one, you by no means know if it can ever come,” Palmer stated. “I don’t know if I’ll ever win once more. It’s so exhausting to win. However I’ve beloved my experiences I’ve had once I’ve been on this place.”

Palmer isn’t the one veteran within the hunt. Jason Day, who hasn’t received since 2018, is among the many group with Scheffler at 14 below.

Rookies go low

Whereas Palmer seeks a return to the winner’s circle, he’ll be joined within the last group by two gamers who’ve by no means received earlier than. Rookies Austin Eckroat and Zecheng “Marty” Dou posted the 2 lowest rounds of the day with 63 and 64, respectively, to publish 16 below.

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Each rookies are Korn Ferry Tour graduates from a season in the past, however neither has recorded all that a lot success but this 12 months. Eckroat has made simply eight cuts in 18 begins whereas Dou has just one extra in 17 occasions.

Neither participant is at present within the discipline for the PGA subsequent week at Oak Hill, however the event does maintain a spot for this week’s winner.

For Dou, a win would even be a hometown victory as he lives simply seven minutes from TPC Craig Ranch and performs usually at this week’s host.

“Cameron[McCormick], my coach, he’s in Dallas,” Dou stated. “Then town is main as a result of taking part in on the Korn Ferry again then it was simple journey all over the place and it has direct flights to China, which I typically return. There’s nice Chinese language meals, so the whole lot type of matches me right here. It’s a fantastic metropolis.”

Jack Hirsh
Patacon.org Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf crew and nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but in addition producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He might be reached at [email protected].