Scottie Scheffler, who began the day at 5-over after barely making the reduce, may have shot a 67 or perhaps a 66 on Saturday on the U.S. Open.
He gave himself loads of birdie alternatives, enjoying significantly better from tee to inexperienced than the primary two days of the championship. However his putter let him down once more.
Scheffler misplaced nearly two strokes on the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday, as he ranks lifeless final amongst those who made the reduce in strokes gained placing. He finally shot a 1-over 71 for his third spherical, but when he had made a couple of extra putts, he may have climbed the leaderboard into relevancy.
As an alternative, he missed good take care of good look, leaving a pissed off Scheffler staring into the abyss extra instances than not. He appeared misplaced on the greens, one thing we’ve got not seen since earlier within the 12 months—earlier than he switched to a mallet putter forward of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“One other irritating day. At this time was a day the place I believed I performed lots higher than my rating,” Scheffler stated.
“I’m having loads of hassle studying these greens. I had loads of putts in the present day, and I felt like I hit it rather well. I appeared up, they usually weren’t going the best way I believed they had been going to go. I’ve hit it actually properly, however I simply haven’t been capable of hit it fairly shut sufficient, which is troublesome round this course. I haven’t been capable of gap putts.”
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His first strong likelihood got here on the par-5 fifth, the place Scheffler nearly obtained house in two. However he three-putted from off the entrance of the inexperienced, settling for par.
Three holes later, on the difficult par-4 eighth, Scheffler lastly made a birdie—his first in 26 holes, which marked the longest birdie-less streak of his profession. However he gave it proper again on the par-3 ninth, lacking a 3-footer for par.
Then, from 10 to 14, Scheffler put himself in a major place on each gap. He had an 8-footer for birdie on the par-5 tenth, and missed. On the following gap, a 9-footer for birdie lastly dropped, however that might be his final birdie of the day.
At 12, Scheffler’s try from eight toes agonizingly slid previous the outlet. Had that dropped, he would have had all kinds of momentum. Then, on 13, after hitting his drive simply wanting the inexperienced, Scheffler couldn’t get up-and-down for birdie, lacking one other putt from inside 10 toes to accept one other par.
A bogey on 15 adopted as Scheffler couldn’t save par from wanting the inexperienced. He missed one other nine-footer within the course of.
The World No. 1 completed with three straight pars to cap one other irritating day at Pinehurst No. 2. Maybe he can convert a few of these alternatives throughout Sunday’s remaining spherical, however at any fee, it should show too little too late. He is not going to win his first U.S. Open this time round, regardless of coming into the event with astonishingly low odds.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. You should definitely take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
