A sting in the tail of The Renaissance Club kept Olympic champion Xander Schauffele from pulling entirely away in the Genesis Scottish Open.
But two finishing bogeys still brought a second successive 66 which leaves Schauffele – a good shout for the best player yet to win a major – two shots ahead for Sunday’s final round in East Lothian.
He’s two ahead of 2017 Scottish Open champion Rafael Cabrera Bello, who had a 67 built on a run at the start of the back nine picking up five strokes in four holes. Sharing third on four-under are Jordan Spieth (66), Ryan Palmer (67) and England’s Jordan Smith (69).
Six birdies in 16 holes and ‘no complaints’
Schauffele reached the giddy heights of nine-under at one point.
“I had six birdies through 16 holes – and no complaints!” he said. “It was a tough finish, I’ll go to the range and get some better feels for tomorrow. But those are hard finishing holes so I’m pretty ok with the day.”
Schauffele won the Travelers Championship, the last but one event on the PGA Tour. He also won the JP McManus Pro-Am shindig earlier in the week.
“It would be very nice to win here, very special, but I don’t want to think too far ahead,” he said. “It’s just proof my game can travel. I’m competing against an incredible field, one of the best of the year.
“I’m getting more comfortable leading from the front, I haven’t done it too often!”
And he agrees with everyone here that US TV network requiring play to stretch out to 8pm isn’t the greatest.
“3pm tee-times are a bit of a stretch for me,” he said. “It would be nicer if it was before noon just to get out there and going. But I’ll figure it out.”
‘Dinner is going to taste sweeter’
Cabrera-Bello was one of the few to escape the last three holes without damage, trusting his short game.
“The bunker shot on 17 was beautiful and the tricky chip shot on 18 too, many times we finish with a bitter taste,” he said. “This course can do that to you, because 17 and 18 are not easy holes. Today, to be able to save par the way I did, dinner is going to taste sweeter.
Rafa grew up on the windy Canaries, so conditions like yesterday don’t distract him.
“I love links courses, I think it brings the most imagination out of every player,” he said. “Normally, I tend to hit it fairly straight. If I miss, I tend to hit it thin and on links courses, if you hit it thin, it will bounce and reach anyway.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have won this before. And why not the Home of Golf, the country where golf was invented playing links and with beautiful, sunny and windy conditions. It just makes it even more fun.
Connor Syme, the leading Scot at the start of the day, had a crazy start of double bogey-bogey-eagle. Another double at the tough 8th left him with a 74, dropping to three-over and a share of 44th.
The new leading contender for the Jock MacVicar AGW Memorial Award is Russell Knox. The man from Inverness shot a one-under 69 to be two-over.