The recently crowned No. 1 in the world finally found his ball, which ended up deep in the foliage, and he was forced to make a fall just to be able to play the next shot. He was able to make a great shot to get his ball close to the green, but the penalty meant he finished with a ball in the last hole, eventually giving one under 71 on Saturday. It means that the American golfer has a three-shot advantage over second-placed Cameron Smith, who climbed to the leaderboard with his own excellent 68-yard lap. With just 18 holes left in Augusta National, Scheffler has a chance to win his first title and continue his excellent run.
It looks imperial
Scheffler is the hottest man in golf. Last month, he was named No. 1 in the world after a great run in which he won three PGA Tour events in five starts. So coming to the Masters of 2022, a tournament in which his best finish came last year when he finished tied for 18th place, the 25-year-old was one of her favorite galleries. And he rewarded those beliefs by gaining a five-point lead after 36 holes. Despite taking the lead at the Masters, the pressure never seemed to discourage Scheffler as he laughed and joked with Caddy Ted Scott during his third round on Saturday. He breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly added to his eight-night score, jumping to 10-under in the third hole. A short hit in the fourth hole meant he fell back to nine below, but a terrific golf – in which he showed all his qualities – helped to reaffirm his lead as he went to the 11-under. All this time Smith made his move. The Australian player started the day with two downs, but improved significantly after a disappointing Friday, as he showed his best on the famous route. The 28-year-old finished six-under – scoring the only score under 70 a day – to move into second place with Scheffler still out of the way and running for the green jacket. However, just as it seemed that everything was ready for a big Scheffler lead on the last day, a few small cracks began to appear in his typically steady game. Successive bogs in the 14th and 15th holes reduced his lead to just three, with two holes left. He miraculously recovered just one hole later, claiming a vital bird in the penultimate hole to re-extend his lead to four. Just when he seemed to be leaving with his thoughts, his strange movement in the last hole made things more tempting. While he could have lost his head and shaken, he remained calm and concentrated to save a bobblehead and maintain his lead. With just 18 holes left to decide the winner of the most famous golf championship, Scheffler remains in pole position to claim his Masters title.
