Scottie Scheffler surged into contention to win a third straight Phoenix Open on Sunday, overcoming a huge mistake on the 18th hole to shoot a 5-under 66 in the weather-delayed third round. Scheffler was at 13 under, two shots behind Sahith Theegala and Nick Taylor as players struggle to avoid a Monday finish amid a second straight week of weather issues on the PGA Tour. Scheffler is vying to become the first player to three-peat at a PGA Tour event since Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic from 2009-11.
Patrick Cantlay has spent about as much time on the phone as the golf course this week as a PGA Tour board member trying to nail down a deal for a $3 billion investment. It didn't seem to affect his day job at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. On a surprising day of weather when umbrellas gave way to sunglasses, Cantlay saved par five times and had eight birdies at Spyglass Hill for an 8-under 64 that left him one shot behind Thomas Detry of Belgium.
Sam Burns shot the best round of his life with “RTR” shaved into the side of his head. The acronym for “Roll Tide Roll” was the LSU product's follicular punishment for losing a bet with Justin Thomas. Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap apparently took it literally, however: The 20-year-old amateur sensation is right on Burns' heels after two days of low scores and sizzling shot-making in the Coachella Valley.
Rory McIlroy surged into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic by finishing off a 9-under 63 with an eagle on the final hole that left him two shots behind leader Cameron Young on Saturday. The No. 2-ranked McIlroy, the defending champion, started the day 10 strokes behind Young.
The views off the west coast of Maui give the PGA Tour's season opener at Kapalua a relaxing vibe. Chris Kirk ran off three straight birdies on the back nine just to keep pace with 21-year-old Akshay Bhatia. Xander Schauffele had eight birdies in 11 holes to stay in the mix.
Matt Wallace of England made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole and didn't stop until he birdied the rest of them, tying a European tour best with nine birdies in a row for a 12-under 60 that shot him into the lead Saturday in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. “That was fun,” Wallace said as he walked off the 18th green on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Wallace hit the ball so purely down the stretch that his final six birdie putts covered a total of 15 feet, 8 inches (nearly 5 meters).
Chesson Hadley played bogey-free Thursday in the Sanderson Farms Championship and posted an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead in his latest bid to secure his PGA Tour card. This is the third straight year Hadley has been on the bubble to finish among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup. Ludvig Aberg, the 23-year-old Swede who made his Ryder Cup debut last week at Marco Simone, had a 67 that left him a little frustrated.
The destiny of the Solheim Cup hangs in the balance after Team Europe fought back to level the scores 8-8 ahead of the final day at Finca Cortesín, Spain.
Europe’s 12 Ryder Cup players delivered a mixed bag of scores in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship. None of them were better than Marcus Helligkilde. The No. 232-ranked Dane made seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch then closed with three in a row to shoot an 8-under 64 and take a two-stroke lead at the European tour’s flagship event on Thursday.