Sir Nick Faldo claims Scottie Scheffler did something ‘better than a hole in one’ on day three at The Open

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The Open produced one of the best days of golf in the whole of 2024 and Scottie Scheffler is well in the mix to win come Sunday.

In brutal weather conditions around Royal Troon that started gently and gradually got worse as the day went on, the best golfers in the world had to battle along through the elements.

Some did better than others.

Overnight leader Shane Lowry had a nightmare of a round as he shot a six over, while the likes of Billy Horschel, Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley shot under par scores to put themselves very much in contention to win.

Of course, another man in contention is world number one, Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler carded an even par round to remain two under and just a couple shy of the leaders.

For Scheffler, it was a completely different challenge to that he faces regularly over in America but one he faced head on and with aplomb.

Indeed, coming down the final two holes, Scheffler produced the sort of shot that makes him the very best around and it was something that blew Nick Faldo away.

Sir Nick Faldo seriously impressed by something Scottie Scheffler did in round three of The Open

• READ MORE: Justin Thomas delivers his verdict on Royal Troon after three days of The Open

Teeing off on the par three 17th hole, Scheffler was faced with a nightmare situation of hitting into strong winds and rain and needing to hold the green to keep his round going.

And what he did next simply stunned everyone.

Scheffler pulled a 3-wood from his bag and played a low stinger into the wind which landed shy of the flag before rolling past and leaving him with just a foot or two for the birdie.

It was a stunning shot and one Sky commentary at the time, Sir Nick Faldo remarked that Scheffler had produced something ‘better than a hole in one’ given the circumstances.

Of course, a hole in one would have been even better and it nearly happened.

But Faldo’s point was a good one in that Scheffler producing such a high level shot in the worst of conditions was really something extraordinary.

Scheffler impressed a number of pundits in his round today and rightly so.

The world’s best player has overcome a lot this year but if he can come out on top at Royal Troon then it will just about cap the lot for what has been an amazing 2024.