Despite being four shots adrift of the lead at the BMW Championship, Scottie Scheffler will still be the man many will be expecting to go on and triumph at Caves Valley.
Scottie Scheffler has got plenty of work to do if he is going to catch Robert MacIntyre at the BMW Championship. The world number one actually posted his worst score of the week on Saturday, with a 67 seeing him knock just one shot off the gap between himself and the Scot.
It felt as though Scheffler had several more gears to go through. He made four birdies and one bogey during the third round in Maryland.
It also appeared that Scheffler was knocked off his stride by his group being put on the clock.
What cost Scottie Scheffler the chance to go low in the third round at the BMW Championship
He bemoaned his sharpness with his irons after his round on Saturday. Scheffler’s approach play has been poor by his incredible standards this week. But it seems that there was another issue which cost the 29-year-old the chance to put even more pressure on the leader.
Speaking on Golf Channel, Paige Mackenzie suggested that Scheffler overlooked a very underwhelming day on the greens, particularly before the turn, when assessing his round.
“I almost disagree a little bit with what he had to say. I think there’s a little recency bias in what he was talking about. He felt like he didn’t have the sharpest iron play – I would say towards the second-half of the day. Because I really felt like he gave himself opportunities early that he was not able to capitalise on,” she said.
“It looked like he didn’t get the most out of his round. And it started really at the first hole. MacIntyre was in trouble after bogeying the hole. This could’ve been a two shot swing if Scottie had got the ball to the hole. And then he was fairway green, fairway green, fairway green for the next three holes. And then you get to the fifth hole which is that reachable par four where he drove it into this greenside bunker. Again, MacIntyre’s in the bushes, and he had this opportunity to try and put a little more pressure on him.
“I get it, not an easy bunker shot, down the hill towards that really small circle near the hole. But it could have been a little bit more pressure on the fifth. Then on the sixth – again, the longest putt he made on the front nine was five feet. He was making nothing. He gave himself some opportunities and nothing went in.”
Scottie Scheffler’s statistics on Saturday at the BMW Championship
Scheffler remains a work in progress with the putter. The two weeks at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship arguably showcased the best and worst of his form on the greens. Scheffler made several key putts for par at Royal Portrush on his way to winning his fourth major title.
Ultimately, his iron game is what tends to separate him from the rest of the field. Scheffler was so far ahead with his approach play last year, so it is probably not surprising that that seemed more alarming to him after his round.
But the statistics do suggest that the putting was more costly as he looks to catch MacIntyre.
| Category | Strokes gained | Scottie Scheffler’s field rank (Round three) |
| Off the tee | 1.207 | 3rd |
| Approach | 1.961 | 9th |
| Around the green | 0.575 | 16th |
| Putting | 0.011 | 28th |
| Total | 3.755 | T4th |
He is definitely going to be looking for a much faster start on Sunday. If he can fly out of the blocks in the manner he did on Thursday – when he made three birdies in his first four holes – MacIntyre will certainly be feeling the heat.
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