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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Don’t hate Scottie Scheffler even though he’s been threatening to ruin this Masters for the past two days by sucking the life out of it with his unwaveringly marvelous play.
Scheffler, the 25-year-old New Jersey native, is simply trying to win his first major championship and fourth tournament in his past six starts, three weeks removed from taking over the No. 1 world ranking.
No crime there.
He has, however, threatened to methodically siphon the drama from this Masters with the uncanny efficiency of the SubAir system Augusta National has built underground to suck the moisture from the turf and dry out the golf course after heavy rainfall like Augusta had on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The record-tying five-shot 36-hole lead Scheffler built entering Saturday’s third round reached six several times, and the age-old adage that “the Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday’’ was in jeopardy of being moot.
The way things were going, with Scheffler cruising and no one making a serious run, including Tiger Woods who shot a third-round 78, at him, it was looking like this Masters might be done and dusted by the time Scheffler arrived to the back nine on Sunday.
Alas, though, the gods of Augusta gravitate toward drama, and so some drama ensued late Saturday afternoon before Scheffler ran away and hid with his first green jacket.
With Cameron Smith in the clubhouse at 6-under after shooting 68 on Saturday and Scheffler having bogeyed No. 15, the lead was down to three shots, the fewest it had been all day.
But Scheffler birdied the 17th hole — his tournament-high 17th birdie in 54 holes — to extend the lead to four shots.
Then he caused trouble for himself on 18 when yanked his tee shot into the thick of the trees to the left of the chute from where players hit their drives. Once the ball was located, it was completely jailed in some thick brush. Scheffler had no choice but to take a unplayable lie, a one-stroke penalty, and take a drop.
He then proceeded, with 242 yards to the uphill hole, to rifle a 3-iron that ended up just behind the green. From there, Scheffler calmly two-putted and took a bogey that looked like it could have been much worse.
That sent him home for the night at 9-under with a three-shot lead over Smith, leaving Sunday a two-horse race. The next player on the leaderboard is Sungjae Im at 4-under. Then it drops to Shane Lowry and Charl Schwartzel at 2-under.
Only seven players enter the final round in red numbers.
That’s how well Scheffler has been playing.
“You prepare and work hard and do all the things to be in this position,’’ Scheffler said.
The unnecessary self-induced drama on 18?
“Well, obviously I didn’t hit a good tee shot,’’ Scheffler said.
He said his heart rate “went up when I saw they couldn’t find the ball, but it went back down when they found it.’’
Scheffler survived the moment.
But he brought Smith, the 28-year-old Aussie with the stringy blonde mullet and pencil mustache who won the Players Championship last month, closer.
“Should be a great fight,’’ Scheffler said. “Obviously, Cam is a tremendous player, and he’s got a fantastic short game, and he’s coming off a huge win at the Players. Both of us are in good form, so I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge of playing with him.’’
What a spectacular period of firsts this run has been for Scheffler.
He captured his first PGA Tour victory in February, at the Waste Management Open.
He became No. 1 in the world rankings last month after he won the WGC-Dell Match Play, his third win in five starts.
And now he’s on the precipice of winning his first career major championship.
“For six weeks he’s been incredible,’’ Kevin Kisner said Saturday. “I told him after he beat me in the match play, ‘Enjoy the ride as long as you can because you never know when it’s going to come to an end.’ It looks like he’s heeding my advice pretty well.
“He’s making all the momentum putts right now. That’s what we’re all trying to do is make those 6-, 8-footers for par. This is a place where it kills you with them — six or eight of them a day — and he’s continuing to make them. Obviously, he hits it long and straight and makes a lot of putts. Makes the game look easy.’’
Can anyone catch him Sunday?
“He’s got a [three]-shot lead,’’ Kisner said. “As long as he keeps his wits about him, he’ll walk [away] with it.’’
Asked if it’s over, Marc Leishman, who’s 3-over and 12 shots back, said, “It might be over for me, but no, certainly not over yet. I mean, I’ve been playing well here before, and you feel like you’ve got it and you know how to play this place, and then you shoot a 78. I’m not saying that’s what [Scheffler’s] going to do, but there’s pressure. It’s the Masters.
“He’s been playing great golf, but no, it’s certainly not over.’’
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