“Scottie Scheffler was cruising to a FedEx Cup win when disaster struck on 16.”

Scottie Scheffler’s performance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship has been marked by a challenging day on the greens, leaving him trailing significantly behind Hideki Matsuyama. Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion and World No. 1, struggled with his putting during the third round, resulting in a seven-shot deficit heading into the final round of the tournament.

 

Scheffler’s putting woes were starkly contrasted by Matsuyama’s impressive play on the greens. While Matsuyama made putts with seeming ease, Scheffler faced a series of missed opportunities, failing to capitalize on crucial birdie chances. This stark disparity in putting performance has placed Scheffler in a difficult position, with Matsuyama holding a commanding lead.

 

During the third round, Scheffler lost 1.5 strokes on the greens, placing him 61st among the 70-player field. His frustration was evident when he slammed the face of his putter into his hand on the 12th hole after missing yet another birdie attempt. Scheffler missed four birdie putts from inside 12 feet, and his overall putting performance was lackluster, with only 53 feet of putts made. Notably, almost half of that total came from a 24-footer for birdie on the par-3 11th hole, which was his only putt over five feet made during the round.

 

In his assessment, Scheffler acknowledged his struggles, noting, “I did hit a couple of lips, but I didn’t feel like I was hitting it too good.” He added that there were moments where he managed to make some good saves and hit good pitches, but he felt he was often hitting the edges of the holes rather than making putts. Despite these difficulties, Scheffler managed to post a 1-under 69 for the day, which included four birdies and three bogeys. He understands that to mount a challenge against Matsuyama on Sunday, he will need to improve his performance on the greens.

 

Scheffler’s plan for the final round is to give himself better opportunities by getting the ball closer to the hole. He reflected on his play, saying, “Just get the ball a little bit closer to the hole and give myself more opportunities.” He believes that with better putting, he could improve his chances and potentially close the gap.

 

Matsuyama, who has been in superb form, holds a five-shot lead over rookie Nick Dunlap, who is in second place at 12-under. Viktor Hovland has also made significant progress, posting a 4-under 66 on Saturday to move into solo third at 11-under.

 

Scheffler is no stranger to overcoming deficits. He previously trailed Xander Schauffele by five strokes at The Players Championship but managed to fire an 8-under 64 to secure a one-shot victory. Additionally, he made a remarkable comeback in Paris, shooting a 9-under 62 to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the gold medal. Despite these past successes, Scheffler faces a formidable challenge with a seven-shot deficit.

 

However, Scheffler remains optimistic, noting the potential for opportunity at TPC Southwind. The course features 11 holes with water hazards, presenting both risks and opportunities. Scheffler acknowledges the difficulty of closing out a round on such a course but remains hopeful. “It’s a golf course where there’s opportunity and there’s a lot of trouble,” he said. “It’s going to be tough to close it out on the back nine. There’s a lot of water coming down the stretch. So try to get off to a good start, and Hideki is obviously playing some fantastic golf, but do my best to put a little bit of pressure on him and see what happens.”

 

As the final round approaches, Scheffler’s focus will be on improving his putting performance and leveraging the course’s challenges to his advantage in an attempt to close the gap and potentially claim the FedEx Cup victory.