Scottie Scheffler started Saturday’s golf tournament in contention, but finished with another great score. Scheffler, who comfortably crossed the cut line at the 2026 Players Championship on Friday night, shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Saturday and sealed a deal to finish near the top 20 of the leaderboard by the time he left the tournament’s 18th green at 4 under.
Scheffler’s 67 was the second-lowest performance among early starters in the third round and moved him up more than 30 spots on the leaderboard. The catalyst for Scheffler’s performance was his play off the tee, hitting 11 of 14 fairways after hitting only 14 fairways in the first two rounds combined.
“I was a little more alert today than I was the first two days,” Scheffler said. “During the tournament, I felt like my swing was getting better every day. Today I was able to hit the fairway a little more and aim for a few more birdies.”
Scheffler, who often played from short grass, was able to play by entering the green with his front foot. By regulation, he was only allowed to hit the green 9-on, but most of his mistakes were just missing the green, making relatively simple up-and-down moves, and making a birdie on the par-3 17th.
“The shot on No. 17 was really great,” Scheffler said. “That was kind of a little bit of an adjustment for me where I had to kind of ride the wind. So I’m glad that that song came out nice and straight with a little bit of a draw. That song was pretty close to what I wanted to do.”
All five of Scheffler’s birdies came from within 20 feet, with his longest connection coming from 18 feet on the par-4 sixth. While the circle was impressive, some par saves may be what he’s most proud of. Scheffler hit his tee shot in the rough on the par-4 fourth and was forced to lay up short of the water on his second shot before saving par.
The second shot on the par-5 11th fell into the water, leading to another scrambled par. After taking a penalty drop, Scheffler dialed down the stressful situation by converting his fourth from 112 yards to within two feet.
There was a lot to like about the third round, but Scheffler still has room for improvement. He made birdie on just one of the four par 5s and improved his score to 3 under on those holes this week in particular. For reference, 36-hole leader Ludwig Oberg played the same hole at 6 under on Friday alone.
Two of the three times he missed the fairway were on the 9th and 16th (both par 5s), and his inability to get to either surface handcuffed him as he made his way to the green. Still, Scheffler should take Saturday’s play in stride. They may not be marching to the winner’s circle at TPC Sawgrass, but they’re marching toward another big tournament next month.
“I think the way I hit the first few days, I was able to have the attitude and the way I fought…When I look at the tournament, I’m not thinking about winning, I’m thinking about going about things the right way,” Scheffler said. “I tried my best to stay committed and did a good job. I’m thinking about keeping the right attitude and keeping my head straight to get through a few difficult rounds.
“And I hit a good round today as well. Overall, I think I’m in a good place with how my attitude and approach to my shots has been. So it’s been a good week for me.”
