SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler raised a club in his left hand and fist-pumped with his right while the crowd roared so loudly the cheers reverberated around Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Chipping in from 65 feet on the 14th hole began a stretch of three consecutive birdies Saturday for Scheffler, who went into the third round outside the top 10 at the U.S. Open. Slightly more subdued fist pumps followed, as did a bogey after landing his tee
shot in the bunker on No. 17.
By the time his eventful back nine was over, Scheffler shot a 69 tie for second place at 1 under for the tournament. He was six strokes behind leader Wyndham Clark going into Sunday.
“We’ve been battling hard for a few days, and I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “It was nice to steal a couple there on the back nine when I really needed them as the tournament was kind of slipping away from me.”
Only Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Johnny Miller in 1973 have won the U.S. Open when trailing by six or more strokes going into the final round. The opportunity to pull off the third such comeback after 54 holes just happens to land on Scheffler’s 30th birthday and Father's Day, not long after he and wife Meredith Scudder welcomed their second child in April.
“We want to be in these positions,” Scheffler said. “This is why we practice and play: to have the opportunity to win golf tournaments, and that’s what (this) is. I have an opportunity to go out there and have a great round and give myself a chance to win the tournament.”
After an opening 72 in the gusting wind, Scheffler has been playing catch-up since. While shooting 68 on Friday got him into the mix, he still went into the weekend outside the top 10 with a lot of players between him and the top of the leaderboard.
Scheffler fell two more shots back of Clark by bogeying the first two holes Saturday. His tee shot went way left into the hay and his next one into the bunker on No. 1, then he was short right into the sand and missed a 6-foot putt on No. 2.
After parring Nos. 3 and 4, he faltered on the easiest place on the course at 5, two-putting on a hole more than half the field made birdie or better.
“I got off to a tough start,” Scheffler said. “Just did my best to try and stay patient.”
His first birdie of the third round didn't come until the 10th hole, hitting a flop shot he said he has only made a few of that caliber in his career. The birdie on No. 14 he felt gave him some momentum, and the emotional celebration showed how he felt.
Scheffler found his groove to birdie No. 15 and then had to wait several minutes to tee off on 16 because of people moving around in his line of sight. Caddie Ted Scott ran down the fairway to clear the path.
“Ted finally, I think, got tired of trying to holler,” Scheffler said. “He just got a little impatient and ran up there and got them out of the way.”
Scheffler was not thrown off his rhythm, and his second shot took a perfect bounce to within just over 13 feet of the cup. Even missing that eagle putt, he was able to move another shot closer.
Being slightly off target on a par putt on the 17th hole and a birdie attempt on the 18th prevented him from being in sole possession of second place but didn't take away from his overall satisfaction.
“You can hit a lot of good shots and end up in some spots where you’re going to be frustrated with the result, but I think that’s part of the U.S. Open test,” Scheffler said. “Proud of how we played on the back nine."
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