Golf | Gamers Championship: Wyndham Clarke’s ‘duff’ at seventeenth gap permits Xander Schoeffel to advance

CNN
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Xander Schauffele capitalized on Wyndham Clark with a terrific shot into the waters of the seventeenth gap at TPC Sawgrass to take a one-stroke lead and clinch a surprising victory at The Gamers Championship.

The American pair had a fierce third-round battle on the PGA Tour’s flagship match on Saturday, with US Open champion Clark hitting a 123-yard par earlier than hitting his first swing to degree the ultimate spherical on prime. had seen the way in which to – Three holes.

Opting to not faucet his ball, the world No. 5 despatched clumps of turf earlier than successful in anger when his ball went into the water effectively of the well-known island inexperienced.

“Why do not you increase the ball when you possibly can?” requested Sky Sports activities golf broadcaster Eoin Murray.

“He simply nailed it,” added co-observer and 20-time LPGA champion Laura Davis.

But the response was as good because the preliminary effort was poor, with an apathetic Clarke – who determined in opposition to taking a unique angle to the left of the inexperienced from the penalty drop space – hitting his second try seven ft from the cup. Dropped earlier than dropping in. House.

If there are good bogeys, this was considered one of them, and Clark actually thought so – a celebration of a job effectively executed in hurt’s means with a agency fist pump.

After Schaufel’s par on the ultimate gap to log out his two-under 70 spherical, Clark is inside hanging distance of the $4.5 million successful purse.

“It is unlucky on a gap that is so fashionable and has a bunch of odds in your worst swing of the day,” Clarke informed reporters.

[But] I adopted it up with an important swing and an important putt … I am hoping it is a huge level within the match and we’ll look again after tomorrow and say, ‘Hey, perhaps that was the shot and the putt. That was all.’

Clarke dismissed any suggestion of an absence of focus in his tee shot error. As an alternative, the 30-year-old stated last-minute recommendation from caddy John Ellis to “take off a bit” of his typical sand wedge hitting distance led to a expensive setback.

“I am not throwing John underneath the bus by any means, nevertheless it was in all probability an ideal sand wedge,” Clark stated.

“As quickly as I used to be over the ball I type of reached up and was like, ‘Take it off a bit bit,’ after which I simply type of slowed down. [decelerated] And lower it.

“It wasn’t actually an absence of focus or something. It was only a unhealthy swing, actually.”

World No. 6 Schauffel began the day 4 pictures behind Clarke however shortly shocked his enjoying companion with seven birdies as he carded a bogey-free 65.

It offers the 30-year-old a one-shot cushion in pursuit of an eighth PGA Tour title and first Gamers Crown, having completed second in 2018.

“All in all, it was a bit little bit of a grind,” Schoeffel stated.

“The wind was shifting a bit bit for each of us, for everyone on the again 9.
It was a pleasure to simply be in it and get on with the day.

“It may be much less tomorrow, however principally I am going to attempt to get pleasure from myself and keep in my lane,” he added.

Fellow American Brian Herman shot a 64, one of the best spherical of the match up to now, to maneuver to inside two strokes of Schoeffel because the chasing pack settled in behind the chief.

After opening the week with a disappointing even 72, the reigning Open Championship winner added to the weekend with a 65 and 9 birdies to go one higher on Saturday.

“Thursday was only a cheat day,” Harman stated. “A kind of days—I do not know, just a few unhealthy oatmeal.

“The final two days it felt like how my preparation was. It was so disappointing that I could not have had a greater begin, however a minimum of I do know what I used to be doing in preparation, I knew that in some unspecified time in the future I I’ll play effectively.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and American Maverick McNally each shot 68s to complete 4 pictures off the lead on Saturday, one stroke forward of world No. 1 Scotty Scheffler.

After battling a neck harm for a lot of his second spherical, Scheffler shot a 68 as he bids to grow to be the primary golfer to win back-to-back Gamers titles.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy’s rollercoaster week took extra twists and turns, as a surprising late rally stored his hopes of a second match victory alive.

The Northern Irishman was pissed off after double-bogeying the par-four 14th.^Thhowever rattled house with three consecutive birdies to card a 69 – a rating between his beautiful opening 65 and an error-strewn second-round 73.

Solely Webb Simpson has bettered McIlroy’s 21 birdies and/or eagles by three rounds within the match’s 50-year historical past. In accordance with To golf journalist Justin Ray.

But when Simpson made his twenty second run in 2018, it gave him the seven-stroke benefit he would have used to win the trophy.

4-time main winner McIlroy, against this, will begin Sunday eight pictures behind chief Schoeffel, with six bogeys and three double bogeys within the match hurting his probabilities.