PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Xander Schauffele didn’t drive it particularly well Saturday, his proximity to the hole with his approaches even worse and all that readlly mattered is he shot a second 7-under 65 at the Players Championship at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to claim a one-stroke lead over Wyndham Clark heading into the final round of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
Noting that he only hit two fairways on the back nine, he smiled and said, “Don’t feel bad for me. When you make 58-footers, you kind of get up-and-down on holes like 18 from the front rough, it takes a little bit of stress off certain parts of your game.”
Schauffele posted a bogey-free 65, erasing Clark’s four-stroke lead by the 12th hole and assuming solo possession by draining the 58-foot birdie he mentioned at the difficult 14th hole.
“I’m going to go to the range right now and try and clean up some of those missed fairways on the back nine. When you hit a lot of fairways out here you can get some scoring clubs in your hand, and with the greens being receptive you can fire at some pins,” he said. “It could be low tomorrow, but for the most part I’m going to try and enjoy myself and stay in my lane.”
Players: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole
Schauffele, ranked No. 6 in the world entering the week, has been coached by his his father his whole life but started working with swing instructor Chris Como late last year. It’s a significant change, and it could reap quick rewards if the 30-year-old Schauffele, a seven-time winner on Tour, can claim the biggest win of his career on Sunday.
Speaking of the changes to his swing he’s made with Como, who has worked with the likes of Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau in the past and whose current stable includes former No. 1 Jason Day, Schauffele said, “I think there’s still a few things I’m not super comfortable with. We talk about it all the time. But a steady drip caves a stone and we both believe that’s the case, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Here are four more things to know from the Players Championship.
Clark's chunk at 17
Wyndham Clark of the United States reacts on the 17th tee during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass on March 16, 2024 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Clark’s overnight four-stroke lead already had disappeared by the time he reached the iconic par-3 17th hole, and he made his worst swing of the tournament. He knew it immediately dropping his sand wedge as the ball traveled just 102 yards and splashed 16 yards short of the front edge of the green.
Asked afterwards whether he lost focus on the shot, Clark said he didn’t want to blame his caddie, John Ellis, and then essentially did just that. “I’m not throwing John under the bus by any means, but it was probably a perfect sand wedge. He thought if I nuked it, it could get on top. Kind of, as we were walking to put the ball down, he’s like, ‘Let’s take a little off a full sand wedge.’ As I was over the ball I kind of got to the top and I was like, take a little off and then I just kind of deceled and chunked it. It wasn’t really a lack of focus or anything. It just was honestly a poor swing.”
Clark opted not to use the drop area and re-teed and this time stuck it to 7 feet and rolled in the bogey putt. He finished with a par to shoot 2-under 70 and trails Schauffele by one stroke. That critical save at 17 to walk off with just bogey kept him in the final group with Schauffele, who he played with in the final round during his maiden victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.
“I’m hoping that’s a huge point in the tournament and we look back after tomorrow and look at that hole and say, hey, that was maybe the shot and the putt that meant it all,” Clark said.
Speaking on Golf Channel’s Live From, Paul McGinley credited Clark for hanging tough.
“He battled like hell. He’s still there,” McGinley said. “Now he’s the hunter, not the hunted, and I think he’s going to bounce back tomorrow.”
Harman’s charge
Brian Harman walks to the 2nd green during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
Brian Harman stood T-75 after shooting even-par 72 in the opening round. But he produced the low round of the tournament on Saturday, an 8-under 64, to climb to 15 under and solo third.
“Brian shot one of the easiest 8 unders I’ve ever seen in my life,” said his fellow playing competitor in the third round, Sahith Theegala.
After having never posted a score of 65 or better in his first 39 rounds at TPC Sawgrass, Harman did so back-to-back days and set the lowest middle 36-hole total of 129 (65-64) at the Players.
The difference has been Harman’s iron play. After ranking 83rd in Strokes Gained: Approach in the first round, he has gained more than three strokes the last two days and ranks third overall this week in that category.
“My iron play has been my big bugaboo for me all my career,” he said. “If I can get it on the green, I’m usually pretty good at rolling it.”
On Saturday, Harman made more than 100 feet of putts for the second straight day. He ranks fourth in SG: Putting this week. He made birdie on all of the even holes through No. 10, where he stiffed his approach after making a wayward drive at nine for his lone bogey.
“Then I went and screwed it up and made a birdie at 11,” he said.
He added birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 16 for splits of 33-31. Asked what he will need to do on Sunday, he said he’d like to hit a few more fairways. Winning the British Open in July confirmed he’s capable of producing his best golf in the biggest moments, and he noted that he considers the Players his favorite event on Tour.
“I’ve been close a couple times,” he said. “I’m really excited for tomorrow.”
McNealy's gold-medal short game
Maverick Mcnealy walks from the 2nd green during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
McNealy posted his second straight 68 at TPC Sawgrass to share fourth with Matt Fitzpatrick despite struggling with his ball striking on Saturday.
McNealy ranked 62nd in SG: Off the Tee and SG: Tee to Green and was dead last among the field of 73 to make the cut in proximity. Good thing he ranked first in SG: Around the Green, including this impressive hole-out at 14.
One hop and in!
Maverick McNealy chips in for birdie on No. 14, the hardest hole on the course. pic.twitter.com/AeE0oqygX0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2024
“It was the short game Olympics today, and if it was the short game Olympics, I probably won gold,” he said. “It was a really scrappy day.”
McNealy, who started the year on a major medical extension, said that fulfilling his medical before the Players was one of his big goals.
“I feel really grateful that I was able to be back and ready and able to play in this tournament this year,” he said.
The Stanford grad is still winless on the PGA Tour and he’s lurking just four strokes back heading into the final round at the Tour’s flagship event. He could join Tim Clark (2010) and Craig Perks (2002) as players to score their first victory on Tour here.
Scheffler, among others still lurking
Scottie Scheffler acknowledges a birdie putt on the 18th green during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
Several players who still have an outside chance to make a run at the trophy on Sunday made a late charge during the third round to get into striking distance.
That includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who came home in 31 with birdies on four of his final five holes. The 2022 U.S. Open champion is T-4 with McNealy and four off the lead.
Sitting at T-6 is Scottie Scheffler, who overcame neck pain to shoot 68. He birdied the final three holes as he bids to become the first player to defend his title at TPC Sawgrass.
Sahith Theegala shot a second straight 67 to share sixth with Scheffler. He played the final four holes in four under thanks to an eagle at 16. He and Scheffler are five back of Schauffele heading into Sunday’s final round.
