CHARLOTTE — Scottie Scheffler broke out of a logjam with a brilliant finish to seize a three-stroke lead as the cream rose to the top in the third round at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Saturday.
On a day when strong, capricious winds tested the patience, judgment and execution of the game’s best, Scheffler rose to the challenge with a 6-under-par 65 that was little short of brilliant under the circumstances.
The World No. 1 and two-time Masters champion posted an 11-under 202 total with one round remaining, while Alex Noren vaulted into second place with a similarly barnstorming finish for a 66.
The Swede, who birdied four of the final five holes, was alone at 8 under.
Davis Riley (67 on Saturday) and J.T. Poston (68) were four shots behind Scheffler in a tie for third.
Halfway leader Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela bogeyed the first two holes and also the last to shoot 73. He fell five shots off the pace alongside South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (71) and Spain’s Jon Rahm (67).
Scheffler was far from perfect, accruing three bogeys, but he more than made up for those blemishes with seven birdies and a brilliant eagle at the driveable par-four 14th, where he hit his tee shot to inside three feet.
He added birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th holes to stamp himself as a hot favorite for a third major title.
Only a few holes earlier, five players had been tied for the lead.
“I hung in really well today,” Scheffler said after shooting the outright best round of the day for the first time in his major career.
“I just battled really hard. Did a good job of staying patient and hit some nice shots. I definitely struck the ball a lot better today than the last couple of days,” he said. “Just proud of my fight the last three days and looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, I have a good opportunity to go out there and try and win … but it’s going to take another really good round. There’s a lot of great players chasing me on the leaderboard and someone is going to put up a great round.”
While Scheffler will clearly be the man to beat on Sunday, Noren, 42, cannot be totally discounted.
He holed a 32-foot bunker shot at the 15th, then an 8-footer at the 17th followed by a 16-footer at the last.
This is just his second start since missing more than seven months with a severe hamstring tendon injury.
“Today was probably the best scoring day I’ve ever had,” he said. “I had so many bunker shots that kept me in the game.”
Noren said he had enjoyed time with his family during his forced absence but was delighted to be back in action.
“It’s good to take a break sometimes,” he said. “It’s also great to be back with a purpose in life again.”
Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, looked set to finish the round close to the lead, but ended the day barely an afterthought, six shots back after coming home in a proverbial ambulance.
He dropped three shots on the final three holes for a 2-under 69 and is at 5 under for the tournament.
DeChambeau shrugged off a double-bogey at the brutal par-three 17th as a bad break in the breeze after his tee shot came up short in the water.
“Hit a great 9-iron exactly the way I wanted to,” DeChambeau said. “The wind just pumped it. Nothing I can do.”
Masters champion Rory McIlroy continued his struggles with a 72 to trail by 13 shots.
Even a 50-foot putt he holed for par at his 16th hole did not raise a smile.
Earlier, the start of the third round was delayed due to lightning in the Charlotte area.
The round was slated to begin in twosomes at 8:15 a.m. ET. Instead, officials regrouped the players in threesomes and play began off the first and 10th tees at 11:43 a.m.
–Andrew Both, Field Level Media
