Scottie Scheffler posted a fine six-under-par 64 on day three of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth on Saturday.
Scheffler still has an outside chance of winning the Charles Schwab Challenge, although that will very much be dependent on what the leaders do over their final nine holes or so.
It was great to see Scheffler commit to the Charles Schwab Challenge – he’s one of only two top-10 players in the world rankings in the field at Colonial Country Club this week, alongside Hideki Matsuyama.
The 28-year-old has been in fine form recently, having won his last two starts at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship.
And now he’s given himself an outside chance of joining the likes of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer on the wall of champions at Colonial Country Club.
Scheffler’s simple approach to the game is what makes him so good. However, his third round at Colonial was anything but serene.
Scottie Scheffler says what hurt him on day three of the Charles Schwab Challenge
Scheffler wasn’t entirely happy with his round at Colonial on Saturday, despite shooting six-under-par.
The Dallas native is a perfectionist, so that’s no surprise.
The world number one’s round was very un-Scheffler-like. He carded three bogeys, seven birdies and an eagle.
Scheffler spoke to reporters after the round, and admitted that he was slightly frustrated to finish in the manner that he did.
He said, “I got off to a good start. Made two good birdie putts on 1 and 2. I got lucky on No. 7 to have a shot. Good birdie on 9. 10, 11 obviously were good.
“You are always going to hope to go play a perfect round. It basically never happens. I mean, three bogeys definitely hurts, especially when you are trying to chase, but overall I did some good things today. I’m definitely going to need to do more of the same tomorrow. Gosh, I felt like the greens were going to be firmer today, but I also was out pretty early. I think as the afternoon goes on, you’ll see them continue to firm up. Then I’m sure you’ll see them pretty firm again tomorrow.”
It’s a mark of Scheffler as a competitor that he still wasn’t satisfied with a round of 64.
He’s only interested in winning, and he probably knows deep down that he’s too far back to make it 16 PGA Tour wins this week.
Scheffler admits to being mentally fatigued at the Charles Schwab Challenge
The last three weeks have been incredibly busy for Scheffler.
Winning takes a lot out of players mentally, and the 28-year-old admitted that his preparation has had to change this week as a result.
He said, “Well, I would say mentally I definitely am a bit tired. I’m definitely taking a lighter schedule this week than I normally would at a tournament, but overall my game, it feels like it’s in a good spot. I felt like I was able to get some good rest to start this week.
“I’m just out here battling. I had a good day today. The first two days definitely could have been a bit better, but we’ll see how things shake out during the course of the afternoon and see what I can do tomorrow.“
The grind doesn’t stop for the three-time major champion though.
He will be defending the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village next week up in Dublin, Ohio, before he attempts to win his first US Open two weeks later at Oakmont.
However, Scheffler is built perfectly to deal with a hectic schedule like that, and a strong finish to the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday will be the ideal tonic for him to battle the mental fatigue from which he is suffering.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
