Scottie Scheffler Shines on Saturday at Quail Hollow

Scottie Scheffler delivered an impressive 6-under 65 on Saturday afternoon to take a commanding three-shot lead over Alex Noren going into the final round of the 107th PGA Championship.

Saturday afternoon at Quail Hollow saw a wide-ranging number of changes across the leaderboard. Bryson DeChambeau held the outright lead at 8-under for a couple holes, to five players tied for the lead at one point. But it was interesting to hear Scheffler’s mindset of self-reliance, even as the lead fluctuated, until he claimed it outright late Saturday.

“I was trying to post the best score that I could shoot today, and that's what I was concerned with out there,” Scheffler said. “There is a lot of leaderboards. So I think you see where guys are at at times, but it doesn't have an effect on how I'm going to play or approach shots.”

A couple times on Saturday’s back nine, Scheffler had some rare hiccups, missing greens on Nos. 11 and 13. But each time he showed his mettle and bounced back with a birdie on the 12^th and an eagle on the short par-4 14th when he drove it to three feet.

“They were really important, especially after the bogey on 13, to respond the way I did on 14, it's a really hard shot,” Scheffler said. “That’s a hole where there's going to be a variance in scores. It's pretty big, depending how you hit that shot. I was fortunate to hit a good one there and make a nice eagle to give me some momentum going into the last few holes and took advantage of some more opportunities in the closing stretch.”

Watching at home back in Texas with his wife, Scheffler’s college coach at the University of Texas John Fields was thrilled to see his guy in his element.

“The bottom line I think with Scottie is that at any moment he can play a round like he did today,” Fields told pgachampionship.com Saturday night. “He’s the number one player in the world for a reason. For me watching at home, it’s just appreciation. We saw him grow up as a college golfer and overcome adversity with his back issues. Just watching him is fascinating because his short game is sensational, and it was great to see that on full display today.”

Asked what emotions he felt watching his former pupil perform so dominantly at the highest level of the game on Saturday, Fields said simply, “Immense pride and appreciation.”

The 28-year-old played the Green Mile in 2-under par on Saturday with towering iron shots that helped him build even more clearance from his pursuers.

Though he birdied Nos. 17 and 18, the two-time major winner felt his approach shot on the par-4 16th was his best of the day. Scheffler two-putted for par from ten feet.

“I think that was probably one of the best shots I hit today. Just hit it pretty much exactly how I wanted to and give myself a good birdie look,” Scheffler said.

Now the Texan heads to the final round with a three-shot lead and plenty of confidence in his pursuit of his third major and first Wanamaker Trophy.