Heading into The CJ CUP Byron Nelson, there was certainly a sizeable gulf between the world ranking of Scottie Scheffler and the large majority of the players in the field at TPC Craig Ranch.
Scottie Scheffler appeared to have a golden opportunity to get his first PGA Tour victory of the season this week. The world number one has played brilliantly without getting across the line in recent months.
With one round to go at TPC Craig Ranch, it appears that Scheffler is on the verge of winning The CJ CUP Byron Nelson for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old has an eight shot lead after finishing his third round in near darkness.
Scheffler has been outstanding thus far. He opened up with a 61 on Thursday, and then stamped his authority on the tournament by reaching 18 under par at the halfway stage. Scheffler posted one of the lowest scores after two rounds in PGA Tour history.
Erik van Rooyen suggests whether he believes he can catch Scottie Scheffler at The CJ CUP Byron Nelson
With that, spare a thought for the chasing pack. Scheffler is eight shots clear with 18 holes to play, with Erik van Rooyen, Adam Schenk and Ricky Castillo all on 15 under par.
Meanwhile, those tied for seventh are 10 shots back of the lead. It is a remarkable position Scheffler has put himself in.
Nevertheless, van Rooyen insisted that he will be going into the final round believing that he still has an opportunity of achieving something miraculous.
“I’m so competitive. I’m always going to back myself and give myself a chance. I know that I’m going up against, well, definitely the best player in the world, but there’s a lot of players behind me as well. It’s a mountain to climb, but I’m ready for it,” he said.
The biggest comebacks in PGA Tour history as Scottie Scheffler goes eight clear in Texas
There is definitely some history for the most incredible comebacks. Unfortunately for van Rooyen and those hoping for an exciting finish, it does not happen too often.
Paul Lawrie came from 10 shots behind to win the 1999 Open Championship, while Stewart Cink was nine shots adrift at Harbour Town five years later.
And there have been a number of events which have been won by players eight shots behind, including Justin Rose at the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2018, when he began the final round eight back of Dustin Johnson. Johnson shot 77 on the final day to throw away the tournament.
The problem is that Scheffler has made two bogeys all week. So it is hard to see where the slip up required is coming from.
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