By Frank Pingue
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) -Scottie Scheffler will look to put the finishing touches on a third career major title when he sets off in the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday at Quail Hollow Club with a three-shot lead over Swede Alex Noren.
World number one Scheffler is scheduled to head out in the day’s final pairing with Noren at 2:40 p.m. ET (1840 GMT) with forecasts calling for breezy conditions and mostly cloudy skies.
Scheffler emerged atop the leaderboard late in Saturday’s third round with a scintillating finish that saw him cover the last five holes in five under, a stretch that included a tap-in eagle at the par-four 14th hole.
“I have a good opportunity to go out there and try and win the golf tournament,” Scheffler said after the third round. “But it’s going to take another really good round.
“There’s a lot of great players chasing me on the leaderboard and someone is going to put up a great round and it’s up to me to go out there and have another really good round and finish off the tournament.”
Noren is making only his second start of the year after sitting out seven months with tail bone and tendon issues and is seeking his first major title in his 40th start in one of golf’s blue-riband events.
Sitting four shots off the pace in a two-way share of third place were Davis Riley and fellow American J.T. Poston while Spaniard Jon Rahm was a further shot back with South Korean Kim Si-woo and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas.
Lurking six shots behind Scheffler is a group of five that includes U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley.
The pursuers all have their work cut out as the unflappable Scheffler, twice Masters champion, has closed out each of the last seven 54-hole leads he has held on the PGA Tour.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, in the previous 106 PGA Championships only 16 golfers have entered the final round trailing by three or more strokes and won the Wanamaker. The most recent was Justin Thomas who came back from seven shots in 2022.
Rory McIlroy, who made the cut on the number in his first major since completing the career Grand Slam at last month’s Masters, went out with the early starters and bogeyed his opening hole.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ken Ferris)
