Scheffler: The Dark Horse

Scottie Scheffler goes into Sunday at Augusta National five shots off the lead after a 7-under 65 moved him to 7 under par. (pgatour.com) The ESPN leaderboard showed Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy tied for first at 11 under after 54 holes, with Sam Burns at 10 under and Shane Lowry at 9 under. Scheffler was tied for seventh with Haotong Li at 209. (espn.com) Scheffler’s 65 matched the low round of the 2026 Masters through three days, and the Associated Press report on PGA Tour said it was built on a 31 on the front nine, his best opening nine in seven Masters starts. (pgatour.com) He made eagle at the par-5 second, birdied Nos. 7, 8, 9, 11 and 16, and still left shots out there with missed birdie tries from 18 feet on 12, 15 feet on 13 and 13 feet on 14. (pgatour.com) That charge came one day after a 74 in the second round left Scheffler at even par and 12 shots behind McIlroy’s record six-shot 36-hole lead. By Saturday night, McIlroy’s advantage was gone and the final round had compressed into a five-shot spread between first and seventh. (pgatour.com, espn.com) Scheffler’s position carries extra weight because he is the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking and already owns two Masters titles, in 2022 and 2024. Augusta National has been one of his best major venues, and Sunday gives him a chance to chase a third green jacket from behind instead of in front. (pgatour.com, sportingnews.com) Sunday’s pairings put Scheffler in the 1:52 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time group with Haotong Li, ahead of the final two pairings of Jason Day with Justin Rose at 2:03 p.m., Sam Burns with Shane Lowry at 2:14 p.m., and Cameron Young with McIlroy at 2:25 p.m. (nbcsports.com) Scheffler said after the round that he “did what I needed to do” and said another day like Saturday would put him “in a good spot.” For him, the math is simple: start fast again, post a number, and make the leaders look backward. (pgatour.com)