ORLANDO, Fla. — Scottie Scheffler was 6 pictures behind, dropping floor and almost dropping his cool on one other robust day at Bay Hill. What saved him was his putter — sure, his putter — that allowed him to finish Saturday with a share of the lead with Shane Lowry on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scheffler, the No. 1 participant on the earth, one-putted his ultimate seven greens, 4 of them for birdie, for a 2-under 70. Lowry additionally bounced again with two late birdies, one from simply exterior 30 toes on the par-3 seventeenth, for a 70.
They have been at 9-under 207, 1 shot forward of U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, and so they all owe a small debt of gratitude to Will Zalatoris.
Zalatoris had a 5-shot lead over the sphere at one level, solely to make two double bogeys over the ultimate 5 holes that allowed everybody to catch up, and others — Rory McIlroy, for one — to remain alive.
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McIlroy helped himself immensely by profiting from sizzling climate, a robust breeze and no scarcity of expertise by turning into the primary participant to drive the par-4 tenth gap. The extreme dogleg proper measures 401 yards. McIlroy’s drive went 365 yards. It was the primary of his six birdies on the again 9 for a 30 that gave him a 68 and left him solely 4 again.
On one other steamy day, when the margin of error at Bay Hill shrinks by the hour, Zalatoris blistered the entrance 9 with a 32 and reached 5 beneath for the day with a 30-foot birdie putt on the eleventh. He was 5 pictures away from the sphere. Scheffler at that time was 6 behind.
However then Zalatoris ended 42 consecutive holes with out a bogey by failing to save lots of par from a bunker on the 14th. That was solely the beginning.
His drive on the fifteenth went right into a bunker, leaving a sketchy lie and blocked by bushes. He went into the tough, hit to 35 toes and three-putted for double bogey.
On the closing gap that had a entrance pin, Zalatoris caught a flier from the primary reduce and plugged right into a again bunker, leaving a downhill shot on greens with dying grass and no friction. He blasted out again into the golf green, pitched to five toes and missed the putt.
All these birdies early, the massive mess late, and it added to a 71. Even so, Zalatoris was nonetheless simply 2 pictures behind as he tries to make a outstanding return from again issues.
“Clearly, the end wasn’t what I wished. That is simply Bay Hill,” he mentioned. “I am nonetheless within the ballgame, as irritating as it’s to complete up that means.”
So is Clark, regardless of two double bogeys on the entrance 9, each from poor chips and dangerous putts. He atoned for that with 4 birdies and an eagle, and he was tied for the lead till lacking his tee shot to the correct on the 18th in grass so thick it coated the highest of his sneakers. That led to a bogey and 71.
Hideki Matsuyama had two late birdies and closed with an ideal save, going deep into the tough on the 18th, chopping again to the golf green and hitting a lob wedge that danced across the cup and arrange a brief par putt. He had a 72, as did Russell Henley. They joined Zalatoris at 209.
Harris English, who had an opportunity to win final yr and performs a few of his greatest golf on the U.S. Open, had a 68 after making a 40-foot birdie putt on the final gap. He was 3 behind.
That is what Bay Hill has come to resemble. The tropical climate looks like March. The demanding circumstances really feel like a U.S. Open in June.
Scheffler had 4 bogeys, essentially the most for him in his previous 22 rounds on the PGA Tour, courting to the third spherical of the Tour Championship.
“I wanted plenty of endurance,” Scheffler mentioned. “It is a robust place to play. It is robust to make putts, it is robust to get the ball near the outlet. I am happy with how I completed.”
His run started with a brief birdie putt on the par-3 twelfth, adopted by a 10-footer for birdie, simply inside 15 toes for par, 15 toes for birdie and three easy ones to shut. A placing stoop is all that has saved Scheffler from dominating the sport. He is by no means removed from the lead, and the Bay Hill winner from 2022 shall be within the pole place with Lowry on Sunday.
McIlroy has been listless since his win in Dubai in January, however he got here to life after apparently damaging the tee marker on the eighth gap after a foul tee shot.
After which got here the tenth gap.
“The tee shot onto the inexperienced there, that type of received me going slightly bit,” he mentioned. “I believed if I received it in one of many two entrance traps that might be go away to hit one thing up the inexperienced. I wasn’t attempting to hit it on the inexperienced, however it was good to stroll up and see it on there.”
