PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ā Xander Schauffelā e is unafraidā±.
Heās unafraid to speak his mind off the golf course ā as evidenced by his powerful remarks regarding the division in the sport with LIV Golf and the questionable job PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been doing, saying Monahan āhas a long way to go to gaiān the playersā trust.āā
Schauffele, too, is unafraid on the golf course, which makes him dangerous and will make šÆhim difficult to chase down in the finalš round of the Players Championship on Sunday at venerable Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Schauffele began Saturdayās third round ā moving day ā four shots behind 36-hole leader Wyndham Clark and took deaš§d aimš“, shooting a 7-under-par 65 to seize a one-shot lead over Clark, who shot a 2-under 70.
This has the 30-year-old Cš alifornian on the doorstep of the most significant victory of his career, whicšh already includes seven wins.
Schauffele leads Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champion, by one shot and Brią¶£an Harman, the reigning British Open champion who shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday, by two shots.
Maverick McNealy, who has no wins in 121 career PGA Tour starts, is four shotsš back at 13-under, as is Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Opeš½n winner.
Scottie Scheffler, the worldās No. 1 rankeš d player and defending champion of the Players,š„ is five shots behind at 12-under after shooting 68 on Saturday. Heās tied with Sahith Theegala, who shot 67.
It is, indeed, a decorated leadešrboard and, with the soft, windless conditions this week, it figures to make Sundayās final round a full-on shootouš§øt.
āLooking at scores, itās not your average Players Championship,āā said Harman, who hašs gone from tied for 75th after the first round to 10th after 36 holes to third entering Sunday. āBut it still feš¬els like the fifth major.āā
It will be fascinating to see how Schauffele, who has never won a major championship, handles Sunday. He said after the round he was most proud of theā¤ way he ācarriedāā himself ź¦°in the cauldron of pressure Saturday.
āI heard roašrs all around the property and I realš§øly just kind of stayed in my lane,āā he said.
He said the approach on Sunday will be āproābably pretty similarāā to Saturday. He knows itās going to be close to the end.
āI know the guys are good out here [and] no one is going to lay over here and play dead,āā Schauffele said. šāIt could be low [score required] tomorrow, but for the most part Iām going to try and enjoy myself and stay in my lane,āā he said. āYš”ou want to get to the 18th hole with a six- or seven-shot lead and smiling at your caddie and the crowd.
āI think thatās what we all want when we close š °our eyes at night and fall asleep, but itās not always the case.āā
Schauffele caught Clark on the 12th hole, wš¤Ŗhere he birdied and Clark parred, leaving them tied at 16-under.
He took a one-shot lead ošÆn Claš¹rk with a birdie on 14.
Then the day took a dramatic turn for Clark and Schauffele, playinšg in the final pairing, on the š16th and 17th holes.
Clark tied the lead at 17-under with a birdie on thšøe par-5 16th while Schauffele šsettled for a par.
And then Clark inexplicably rinsed his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole, leaving his ball some 20 yards short of the famous island green.š°
He re-teed and mšade a clutch bogey 4 to minimize the damage, but that left Schauffele with a one-shot lead heading to the 18th tee.
Clark called the swing on 17 a āmassiveāā mistake, adding, āBut I followed it with a great swing and a great putt. Iām in the final group toš°morrow, which is huge. Iām hoping thatās a huge point in the tournament and we look back after tomorrow and look at that hole and say, āHey, that was maybe the sāhot and the putt that meant it all.ā ā
Clark, who calls Schauffele a friend,ąµ© said he looks forward to a āfunāā Sunday wišth him.
āHe has the upper leg right now, and Iām hoping tomorrow I bring it and we can have some fireworks and play someź¦ great golf,ā Clark said. āHeās so consistent, and obviously yšou saw today the guy makes a lot of putts. Hopefully, tomorrow he doesnāt make that many putts and I make some putts. I have a lot of respect for Xanderās game. Heās just so steady. He doesnāt really have any flaws.āā
Heās unafraid.