Scottie Scheffler surges with birdies, aims for $25 million FedEx Cup

Scottie Scheffler delivered an impressive performance on Saturday at East Lake, finishing with a 5-under 66. His strong finish included birdies on four of his last five holes, keeping Collin Morikawa at a distance as he moved a step closer to claiming the $25 million FedEx Cup prize.

As Scheffler heads into the final round of the Tour Championship, he holds a comfortable five-shot lead over Morikawa, with no other competitors within nine shots of the leader.

Sahith Theegala, who had the potential to get within two shots of the lead, fell back due to a self-imposed two-shot penalty on the third hole. He lightly touched the sand in a bunker with his club. While the video evidence wasn’t entirely clear, Theegala chose to inform the officials, converting what would have been a par into a double bogey.

“Pretty sure I breached the rules, so I’m paying the price for it,” Theegala commented. “I feel good about it. I’m not 100% sure, but I’d say I’m 98, 99% sure that some sand was moved.”

Despite this setback, Theegala fired back with seven birdies on the back nine to finish with a 66, but he found himself nine shots behind Scheffler.

Morikawa, starting the tournament six shots back as the No. 7 seed, managed to close the gap to two shots with a birdie putt from just under 10 feet on the par-5 sixth hole.

However, this brief moment of momentum quickly dissipated when Scheffler sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the following hole. Meanwhile, Morikawa struggled, coming up short of the green and then missing a short par putt, leading to a costly two-shot swing that widened Scheffler’s lead back to four shots.

While Morikawa three-putted for par from 60 feet on the par-5 15th hole, he ultimately made three birdies in his last four holes to finish with a 67. Nevertheless, he lost additional ground to Scheffler.

“Not exactly the moving day that I needed,” Morikawa admitted. “I knew this week would require something special to come out on top and I’m going to need something very special. But I believe in myself, and hopefully that comes out tomorrow.”

Scheffler’s total sits at 26-under par. Although he enjoys a five-shot lead, it’s not the largest since the format was introduced in 2019; he had a six-shot advantage two years ago, which he ultimately squandered in the final round.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of stuff well and played solid,” Scheffler stated. “So I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to finish off the tournament tomorrow.”

Xander Schauffele, the reigning British Open and PGA champion, struggled to find his rhythm. Starting the day five shots back, he recorded two bogeys within the first four holes and was unable to make birdies on any of the three par 5s. His round of 71 left him ten shots behind the leader.

Schauffele has struggled throughout the tournament, failing to hit more than seven fairways in each round, a fact that hindered his ability to score well at a crucial time in the competition.

“I was just not playing well enough to shoot consecutive 7-under pars,” Schauffele said. “You’ve got to hit at least 12 fairways to give yourself some serious looks.”

For the remaining competitors, the focus has shifted to the lucrative cash prizes on offer. The FedEx Cup champion will walk away with $25 million, with second place earning $12.5 million and third place receiving $7.5 million.

As the final round approaches, all eyes will be on Scheffler as he aims to secure the coveted title and the accompanying prize money.