Schauffele runs down Clark to hold 1-shot lead at Players
Xander Schauffele charged, Wyndham Clark found the water, and the stage is now set for an epic showdown on Sunday at the Players Championship.
Schauffele erased a four-shot deficit on Saturday with a sizzling 7-under 65, grabbing the solo lead when Clark's tee shot on the iconic 17th came up woefully short and in the water. That one-stroke edge would hold on the 18th to see the 32-year-old at the top of the pile at TPC Sawgrass.
Brian Harman fired the round of the tournament with an 8-under 64 to sit two strokes off the pace, while Maverick McNealy and Matthew Fitzpatrick are four shots back.
| Place | Player | Round 3 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xander Schauffele | 65 | -17 |
| 2 | Wyndham Clark | 70 | -16 |
| 3 | Brian Harman | 64 | -15 |
| T-4 | Maverick McNealy | 68 | -13 |
| T-4 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | 68 | -13 |
| T-6 | Scottie Scheffler | 68 | -12 |
| T-6 | Sahith Theegala | 67 | -12 |
| 8 | Nate Lashley | 67 | -11 |
| T-9 | Taylor Montgomery | 68 | -10 |
| T-9 | Hideki Matsuyama | 68 | -10 |
| T-9 | J.T. Poston | 69 | -10 |
| T-12 | Rory McIlroy | 69 | -9 |
| T-12 | Ludvig Aberg | 67 | -9 |
| T-12 | Doug Ghim | 66 | -9 |
| T-12 | C.T. Pan | 70 | -9 |
| T-12 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 68 | -9 |
Clark's invincibility through 36 holes carried over early on Saturday, as he made an incredible birdie on the opener after a brilliant approach from the thick rough. That pushed the lead to five over Schauffele before they had even teed off on No. 2.
However, Schauffele would not be denied, pouring in four birdies on the opening nine to narrow the gap. He added three more on the back stretch including a 58-foot bomb for birdie - his longest made putt this season.
The 2020 Olympic gold medalist didn't necessarily have his best day when it came to ball-striking, but he saved himself time and again with clutch pitching and putting. Schauffele ranked third on the day in strokes gained: putting and fourth around-the-green. He was 6-of-6 scrambling on the round and needed just 23 putts over the 18 holes - four less than Clark. It represented a bit of a role reversal in the final group after Clark led the field in putting through two rounds.
A Clark birdie on No. 16 saw the pair head to the island green at the 17th tied, with the capacity crowd roaring as the duo approached. Those roars would turn to loud gasps of disbelief as Clark's tee shot came up at least 20 yards short of clearing the water. It was a shocking result from a man who has been surgical with a wedge for most of the last 12 months.
"I chunked it, it was a user error," Clark said on the broadcast after the round. "John (caddie) thought if I hit a full sand wedge there's a chance it could get on top. Kind of last minute he's like, 'hey, just a little bit off a stock,' and so, as I was kind of at the top of my swing, I was like, 'okay, a little bit off' and I ended up kind of decelerating and chunking it. It was unfortunate, but honestly, pretty much dropping a ball and making a birdie from there was huge, kept me in the tournament."
Clark salvaged bogey by stuffing his third to seven feet and making the putt - a score that will keep him in the final group again with Schauffele.
There's plenty of firepower lurking should either slip on Sunday. Major champions Harman, Fitzpatrick, and Scottie Scheffler are all on the first page of the leaderboard after strong days at TPC Sawgrass. They should all be buoyed by the fact that one-shot leads evaporate incredibly quickly at this event.
None of the last 8 players who held a 1-shot lead through 54 holes at @THEPLAYERS went on to win.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 16, 2024
Schauffele leads by 1 heading to Sunday.
One player who will need a miracle round to be in contention at the end is Rory McIlroy, who is currently tied for 12th after a 3-under 69. McIlroy once again made enough birdies to charge up the leaderboard but was slowed by a double bogey on the 14th. He leads the field in birdies at 21 this week but is eight shots back thanks to three doubles and six bogeys.