Clark’s gaffe helps Schauffele raise Gamers lead

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Wyndham Clark had just exact regained a fraction of the third-round lead on the fiftieth Gamers Championship on Saturday when Xander Schauffele ignored a prolonged birdie putt on the par-5 16th, the beginning of one in every of the most infamous ending stretches in golf.

After seizing momentum, Clark walked to the tee box on the par-3 17th hole and gazed on the hundreds of followers surrounding the iconic island inexperienced. The hole used to be only 123 yards away, but it no doubt may perhaps perchance perhaps as smartly win been a mile with tension building sooner than his white-knuckled shot.

Ethical sooner than Clark put his ball on a tee, his caddie, John Ellis, told him now to not rob a elephantine swing with a sand wedge. Ellis used to be skittish that if the reigning U.S. Open champion nuked the wedge, his ball may perhaps perchance perhaps stop up on high of the inexperienced, leaving him a difficult putt assist down the hill and toward the water.

Clark took about a note swings and pulled his wedge assist. He chunked the shot, and his ball never had a gamble to achieve the inexperienced, landing 15 to twenty yards instant within the water.

“As I used to be over the ball, I roughly obtained to the stop and I used to be like, ‘Rob a little bit off,’ and then I just exact roughly [decelerated] and chunked it,” Clark said. “It wasn’t if truth be told an absence of focus or something. It just exact used to be if truth be told a uncomfortable swing.”

That mistake helped Schauffele erase Clark’s 4-stroke assist after 36 holes and rob a 1-stroke lead over him heading into Sunday’s closing round. Schauffele carded a bogey-free, 7-beneath 65. He caught Clark on No. 12 and then took a 1-stroke lead with a 58-foot birdie on the par-4 14th.

Reigning Open Championship winner Brian Harman is 2 strokes within the assist of at 15 beneath after posting an 8-beneath 64 on Saturday. After carding his only bogey on the par-5 ninth hole — which required the lefty to hit an even-handed shot — Harman had a 5-beneath 31 on the assist nine. Maverick McNealy and Matt Fitzpatrick are 4 strokes assist at 13 beneath.

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Schefflerwho is making an strive to alter into the major assist-to-assist winner in Gamers Championship ancient previous, stayed within the hunt by posting birdies on four of his closing five holes. He is 5 strokes within the assist of at 12 beneath, along with Sahith Theegala.

“I wouldn’t narrate I’m out of the tournament,” Scheffler said. “I’m positively on the out of doors searching in, but a sizzling day tomorrow may perhaps perchance perhaps shuffle method.”

Schauffele, ranked sixth on this planet, is one in every of the most proficient golfers on this planet with out a significant championship victory. He obtained’t have the chance to win one at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, but he can take hold of the “fifth major” and the $4.5 million winner’s purse, the richest in males’s authentic golf.

It be the seventh time in Schauffele’s profession that he has led or co-led a tournament after 54 holes. He obtained twice within the old six tries, on the Genesis Scottish Open and Travelers Championship in 2022. Schauffele said he is conscious of it may perhaps perchance perhaps rob but any other low quantity on Sunday to win over again.

“Doubtlessly reasonably the same, to be actual,” Schauffele said. “I am going to circulate to the vary perfect now and try and orderly up about a of those ignored fairways on the assist nine. Need to you hit hundreds of fairways out right here, it’s possible you’ll perhaps perhaps also win some scoring golf equipment to your hand, and with the greens being receptive, it’s possible you’ll perhaps perhaps fireplace at some pins. It is some distance perchance low tomorrow, but for the most section I am going to strive and revel in myself and build in my lane.”

After posting consecutive 65s to start the tournament, Clark is conscious of he’ll have to orderly things up within the closing round, along with his indecisiveness on the 17th hole.

As uncomfortable as Clark’s first swing on the 17th used to be on Saturday, his 2nd one used to be merely about splendid. Rather then taking his third shot from the drop achieve, he hit over again from the tees. Clark requested his caddie if he may perhaps perchance perhaps silent hit from the drop achieve, but Ellis told him he didn’t just like the angle and the shot used to be too shut.

“It used to be roughly a no brainer to hit from there,” Ellis said. “He requested me, and I said, ‘No, we will hit it from perfect right here,’ so easy desire.”

Clark knocked his ball to 6½ feet. He made the putt for bogey. Schauffele and Clark both made par on the not easy 18th, leaving Schauffele with the assist heading into Sunday.

“It be unhappy on a hole that’s so iconic and has a bunch of trouble to win roughly your worst swing of the day,” Clark said. “Nonetheless yeah, I adopted it with a gargantuan swing and a gargantuan putt. I’m within the closing neighborhood tomorrow, which is monumental.

“I’m hoping that’s an infinite point within the tournament and we leer assist after tomorrow and leer at that hole and narrate, ‘Hello, that used to be most certainly the shot and the putt that meant it all.'”