Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick all have one thing to play for Sunday.
Getty Images
It’s been over two months since Scottie Scheffler final performed a aggressive spherical.
Technically, it’s been over three months for the reason that Ryder Cup isn’t an official occasion on the PGA Tour. Neither is that this week’s Hero World Challenge within the Bahamas.
But though that is the World No. 1’s first motion in stroke play for the reason that Tour Championship, and it’ll nonetheless be one other month earlier than the 2024 PGA Tour season will get began, Scheffler is viewing this week as an official begin to the subsequent 12 months.
“Usually it’s kind of a year ender, but to me it feels like the beginning of a new season with the long break and kind of a warmup for Kapalua,” Scheffler stated after his third spherical 65 Thursday.
Scheffler has loads of cause to deal with this week as a brand new starting. So does this week’s host, Tiger Woods.
With Scheffler opening up a three-shot lead Saturday and Woods a distant 16 pictures again, there are nonetheless various storylines for Sunday’s closing spherical, which would be the final spherical of 2023 for a lot of the 20-man discipline.
Three things to watch for Sunday at the Hero World Challenge
Tiger Woods finishing 72 holes
Since the 2020 Masters, Tiger Woods has walked 72 holes over 4 consecutive days simply two instances. He’s nicely on his approach this week to finishing all 4 rounds for the third time.
Woods is enjoying for first time since a painful wanting Saturday at the Masters when he withdrew halfway by means of a sloppy third spherical after making the reduce at Augusta for the second straight 12 months. He had ankle surgical procedure days later and didn’t hit a aggressive shot till Thursday.
While Woods opened with 75 Thursday and adopted with rounds of 70 and 71 to battle again to even par, he’s nonetheless viewing the week as a win to date.
“I’m very excited at how I have felt physically,” Woods stated. “Knocking off some rust. I mean, we can always knock off rust at home, but it’s so different come game time.”
He’s regularly acknowledged his surgically-fused ankle is not inflicting him ache, however different components of his injured proper leg are. So too is his again, the place he’s gone underneath the knife seven instances within the final ten years.
It’s a distinct swing than what we’re used to seeing with Woods, extra pushed together with his higher physique and his proper foot noticeably much less energetic, nevertheless it’s nonetheless getting the job achieved by means of three rounds.
His driving and quick recreation have carried him by means of the week, rating seventh in strokes gained: off the tee and eighth across the inexperienced.
But the necessary factor is that he finishes the match, and thru three days, he’s proven little laboring and his gait has stayed constant. In the 2 instances he’s withdrawn since his return at the 2022 Masters, he’s pulled out of the ultimate spherical nicely earlier than it began.
“To be able to knock off some of the rust as I have this week and showed myself that I can recover each and every day, that was kind of an unknown,” Woods stated. “I’ve done all my training, but add in playing and concentration and adrenaline and all those other factors that speed up everything, I’m very excited how the week’s turned out”
Scottie Scheffler’s placing
If that is supposedly the start of the subsequent season for Scheffler, it’s fairly clear he’s taking a “new year, new me” method to his placing.
The top-ranked participant on the planet was simply 162nd in strokes gained: placing on the PGA Tour final season.
Armed with a stunning new putter this week, he’s third within the class. He hasn’t been within the top-three within the stat for a single occasion since he was second in placing throughout his debut win at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open practically two years in the past.
Scottie Scheffler is the one professional within the Hero discipline utilizing this membership
Jonathan Wall
He additionally added placing coach Phil Kenyon to his staff after the Tour Championship, who he stated helped facilitate the flatstick change.
“[the new putter] has a little thing on the top that helps me line the ball up more consistently in the middle of the face and then obviously the grip is different than what I’ve used in the past, but that’s something that Phil and I have worked on together,” Scheffler stated. “I feel as if I’m much more clear in what I need to be working on and a lot of that has to do with how I’m set up over the ball. When I’m set up in the right position, then I feel like my mechanics are really good.”
Scheffler’s lead was as huge as 5 pictures Saturday thanks to two eagles, each of which he produced from mid-range. His tee shot on the final sadly simply rolled by means of the green, main to a bogey. He’ll begin Sunday up three at 16 underneath with an opportunity to notch his first win since March, regardless of have one of the crucial constant runs of all-time all through the remainder of this 12 months.
Fitzpatrick performs Spieth’s recreation
The solely participant inside 5 pictures of Scheffler heading into the ultimate spherical is Matt Fitzpatrick at 13 underneath.
Like Jordan Spieth Thursday, Fitzpatrick had a little bit of psycho scorecard himself Saturday. He made simply seven pars, but additionally eight birdies, an eagle, a bogey and a double on his approach to a 65.
‘Like a new trick shot’: Jordan Spieth — in traditional Spieth style — practically holes a rock at Hero
Jack Hirsh
While two-time defending champion Viktor Hovland made a reputation for himself successful at tropical/island locales earlier than this previous 12 months, Fitzpatrick may do the identical if he comes again Sunday.
While his first PGA Tour win was within the notably not tropical Boston at the Country Club and 2022 U.S. Open, however his most up-to-date was at the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
However, extra of what the Bahamas has to supply off the course appears to be on the highest of his thoughts this week at this unofficial occasion.
“This is a vacation week, so yeah, I’m just trying to play as well as I can and yeah, I’m just having an enjoyable week,” he stated. “Got friends here, my fiancee’s here. Yeah, we’re having a good laugh.”
Hovland, in the meantime, is not going to change into a three-time winner as he’ll begin Sunday tied with Woods, 16 pictures again.
Source link
