Scottie Scheffler is finally ruffled at the PGA Championship

At 7:28am on Friday morning, Scottie Scheffler was in a Louisville jail cell, anxiously watching the clock tick down to his tee time. The World No. 1 golfer found himself in an unexpected predicament, which would soon be followed by another upheaval in the form of his caddie’s absence. Ted Scott, Scheffler’s usual caddie, had to leave to attend his daughter’s high school graduation in Louisiana on Saturday, leaving Scheffler without his trusted bagman for the third round of the PGA Championship.

In Scott’s place, Scheffler was accompanied by Brad Payne, a close friend and the PGA chaplain. Scheffler, known for his devout faith and composed demeanor, might have found comfort in having Payne by his side after his distressing Friday morning.

Despite the turbulence, Scheffler’s game began to falter early in the third round. He started with a double-bogey on the second hole, followed by a bogey on the third after an errant tee shot led to a penalty drop. Another bogey on the fourth hole added to his woes. However, Scheffler managed to stabilize his round somewhat, finishing with five birdies and three additional bogeys, ending the day two-over par and seven-under for the tournament, eight strokes behind the leaders.

Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa battled for the lead. Schauffele, who had experienced a recent collapse at the Wells Fargo Championship, was tested again as Morikawa’s birdie on the 15th hole pushed him to the top of the leaderboard. Schauffele’s short game faltered, resulting in a double bogey.

Despite Morikawa briefly taking the lead, Schauffele managed to regain his composure. The two traded birdies over the final two holes, finishing the day tied at 15-under, one shot ahead of Sahith Theegala.

Shane Lowry emerged as a new contender, matching Schauffele’s opening round score of 62 to climb into a tie for fourth place at 13-under, alongside Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau finished his round with an eagle on the 18th hole, bolstering the American charge. Meanwhile, local favorite Justin Thomas gave the Louisville crowd something to cheer about, shooting a four-under 67 to break into the top-10.

The dramatic events of Friday and Saturday set the stage for an exciting conclusion to the PGA Championship, with multiple players in contention and the leaderboard tightly packed.