Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy ahead of the third round of the 2023 Tour Championship. | Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Plenty of fans are not pleased with how the top players are performing during the third round of the Tour Championship.
ATLANTA — The heat is borderline unbearable, which has firmed up the golf course and made things difficult for some of the best players in the world.
Players cannot spin the ball on the greens, making the putting surfaces at East Lake more suitable for a U.S. Open than the Tour Championship.
Putting itself is difficult too. Many players have been fooled by the slopes and undulations that the East Lake greens offer.
That may explain why only 11-of-30 golfers are under par for their rounds midway through the third round on Saturday.
On Friday, just nine players shot over-par rounds. Seven players shot over par on Thursday.
It has been hot all week in Atlanta, but the heat has been turned up a notch on Saturday.
The weather may be fatiguing players, too.
Yet, Scottie Scheffler is one of the players that has struggled thus far. He carded a 2-over 37 on the front nine Saturday, once again missing a gimme par putt.
Meanwhile, Jon Rahm also shot the same 37. Rahm duck hooked his tee shot into the water on the 8th hole, which led to a double bogey.
The folks at home have not taken the third round too fondly, expressing their displeasure with the tournament on Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions midway through play on Saturday:
OK we gotta figure out a way to get the Tour Championship in less humid air. These guys are dyin… cmon
— J. (@DarrylsBack24) August 26, 2023
I haven’t seen a birdie at this Tour Championship in probably 30 minutes.. all that money on the line getting in their heads
— Chicago Jay (@Chicago_Jay1) August 26, 2023
All time choke job in progress for Scottie again at the tour championship. Incredible.
— Cody (@Codeman209) August 26, 2023
If you want to see well-played golf today, by all means skip the Tour Championship.
— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) August 26, 2023
What do you think of the 2023 Tour Championship thus far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
