Scottie Scheffler, who began the day at 5-over after barely making the minimize, might have shot a 67 or perhaps a 66 on Saturday on the U.S. Open.
He gave himself loads of birdie alternatives, enjoying significantly better from tee to inexperienced than the primary two days of the championship. However his putter let him down once more.
Scheffler misplaced virtually two strokes on the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday, as he ranks lifeless final amongst people who made the minimize in strokes gained placing. He in the end shot a 1-over 71 for his third spherical, but when he had made a couple of extra putts, he might have climbed the leaderboard into relevancy.
As an alternative, he missed good take care of good look, leaving a pissed off Scheffler staring into the abyss extra occasions than not. He appeared misplaced on the greens, one thing we now have not seen since earlier within the yr—earlier than he switched to a mallet putter forward of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“One other irritating day. Right this moment was a day the place I assumed I performed lots higher than my rating,” Scheffler mentioned.
“I’m having a number of bother studying these greens. I had a number of putts right now, and I felt like I hit it very well. I appeared up, and so they weren’t going the way in which I assumed they have been going to go. I’ve hit it actually properly, however I simply haven’t been in a position to hit it fairly shut sufficient, which is troublesome round this course. I haven’t been in a position to gap putts.”
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His first stable likelihood got here on the par-5 fifth, the place Scheffler virtually bought house in two. However he three-putted from off the entrance of the inexperienced, settling for par.
Three holes later, on the difficult par-4 eighth, Scheffler lastly made a birdie—his first in 26 holes, which marked the longest birdie-less streak of his profession. However he gave it proper again on the par-3 ninth, lacking a 3-footer for par.
Then, from 10 to 14, Scheffler put himself in a major place on each gap. He had an 8-footer for birdie on the par-5 tenth, and missed. On the following gap, a 9-footer for birdie lastly dropped, however that might be his final birdie of the day.
At 12, Scheffler’s try from eight toes agonizingly slid previous the outlet. Had that dropped, he would have had all types of momentum. Then, on 13, after hitting his drive simply in need of the inexperienced, Scheffler couldn’t get up-and-down for birdie, lacking one other putt from inside 10 toes to accept one other par.
A bogey on 15 adopted as Scheffler couldn’t save par from in need of the inexperienced. He missed one other nine-footer within the course of.
The World No. 1 completed with three straight pars to cap one other irritating day at Pinehurst No. 2. Maybe he can convert a few of these alternatives throughout Sunday’s last spherical, however at any fee, it is going to show too little too late. He is not going to win his first U.S. Open this time round, regardless of coming into the event with astonishingly low odds.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Remember to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.