NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Scottie Scheffler looks on from the 9th hole during Day Two of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 14, 2023. | Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Some of the best players in the world are contending at the Scottish Open. Rory McIlroy leads, and Scottie Scheffler is not too far behind.
Rory McIlroy leads the Scottish Open by a stroke as plenty of big names lurk behind him heading into Sunday’s final round.
McIlroy carded a 3-under 67 Saturday as he now sits at 13-under for the championship.
“I played well,” McIlroy said after his round. “It’s been a good three days, and I am looking forward to obviously being in the final group tomorrow and seeing how my game holds up under that sort of pressure.”
Joining McIlroy in the final group will be Tom Kim, the 21-year-old who is at 12-under, and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a 7-under 63 to vault up the leaderboard and get to 11-under overall Saturday.
Then there is Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, creeping quietly at 10-under par.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Scottie Scheffler putts on the 18th green during Day Three of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 15, 2023.
Scheffler had a brutal start to Saturday’s round, making a double-bogey at the 2nd hole. His second shot landed next to a pot bunker, and the awkward stance led the Texan to make a mess of things.
But in true Scheffler fashion, he bounced back with birdies at the 5th and the 8th.
He then turned his game into high gear on his second nine, making four birdies and five pars to finish with a 3-under 67.
“I just tried to stay patient, and that’s really about it,” Scheffler admitted after his third round. “That’s been the thinking this year, and I’ve done a good job of staying patient and not trying to hit every shot perfectly to get back into a round.”
That mentality paid off, as Scheffler is back in contention.
Other major champions are right there too.
Shane Lowry, winner of the 2019 Open Championship, is also at 10-under par.
“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with where I sit going into tomorrow,” Lowry said after shooting a 5-under 65 Saturday.
“It’s going to be some strong winds [Sunday]. It’s going to be tough scoring tomorrow. I knew I needed to go out today and shoot a good score to put myself in position. Obviously, we all know who is at the top of the leaderboard, so it’s not going to be easy. But I’ll give it a go tomorrow and see what happens.”
Sunday’s forecast calls for sustained winds ranging between 25 and 35 miles per hour, with gusts potentially reaching 50 miles per hour.
Hence, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour decided to move up tee times to the early morning for the second consecutive day.
McIlroy, Kim, and Fleetwood will tee off at 3:57 a.m. ET in the final pairing.
Scheffler, Lowry, and Byeong Hun An comprise the third to last pairing, as this group will tee off at 3:35 a.m. ET.
Anything can happen Sunday, especially with the winds forecasted as they are. It should be a wildly entertaining finish as the best golfers in the world will battle mother nature in the Scottish Open.
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.
