A Testy Scottie Scheffler Now Within Striking Distance at the Masters

When Scottie Scheffler’s head hit his pillow Friday night, he was 12 strokes back of 36-hole leader and defending champion Rory McIlroy.

But things changed quickly at Augusta National.

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McIlroy scraped together a round of 73, and Cameron Young fired a 65 to catch him. All of a sudden, the Northern Irishman’s halfway lead of six shots was gone—leaving the door open for others to make a run.

Enter Scheffler.

A day after admittedly not getting much out of his game during the second round and settling for a 2-over 74, the two-time Masters champion came alive. He started with an eagle at two, and added birdies at Nos. 7, 8, and 9 before making the turn. On his way back to the clubhouse, he birdied 11 and 16 to sign for a 7-under 65, tied with Young for the low round of the tournament.

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Still, he wasn’t satisfied.

“Feel like I left a few shots out there, but overall it was a good day,” Scheffler told Amanda Balionis. “We’ll see what happens this afternoon, but I don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament.”

Not out of it, indeed.

And to his credit, without changing much, it could have been a few shots better.

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He failed to capitalize on a number of quality birdie looks, including an eight-footer on 17, a 13-footer on 14, an earlier eight-footer on 10, and a seven-footer on three.

But again, his round also included an eagle, plus a 128-yard up-and-down par save on five, and a 101-yard up-and-down par save at the last.

Golf has a tendency to find its level—even if Scheffler doesn’t want to hear it. His frustration(?) from his 65(!) carried over into his chat with the media. A few of his responses were a bit on the testy side.

When asked what color he would use to describe Augusta’s greens, Scheffler simply said, “Grass.” Then, he was asked what his round of 65 could or should have been. He replied, “That’s just a terrible question. Next question.”

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Very Belichick-ian stuff from the World No. 1.

If Scheffler wants a third Green Jacket, he still has work to do. Every player knows it’s hard to follow up one low round with another—but that rule may not apply to him.

Going out a few groups ahead of McIlroy and Young, who he trails by four, Scheffler will have the opportunity to send some early roars ringing through the Georgia Pines.