Another week, another chance for Scottie Scheffler to add a tournament trophy to his sterling résumé. Despite entering with what most believe would be an automatic Masters hangover, the world No. 1 is No. 1 on the leaderboard at the 2024 RBC Heritage with 18 holes to play. This despite just nine holes of practice and an early misstep.
Scheffler was flawless Saturday, utilizing an 8-under 63 to climb to 16 under for the tournament, one clear of Sepp Straka. Scheffler's 54-hole lead marks his eighth lead or co-lead in his last 17 rounds as he searches for his fourth victory in his last five starts, potentially the 10th of his PGA Tour career.
Scheffler's 63 not only saw him pull away from the field but pull closer to Tiger Woods for most consecutive rounds at par or better since 1983. Scheffler's Saturday matched Fred Funk at 38 straight, putting him 14 off the pace of Woods' record 52.Scheffler will also look to join Woods in 2006 as the latest golfer to win a tournament one week immediately after winning a major championship.
It is likely Scheffler will need to extend this under-par streak if he expects to add another jacket to his closet. While a bevy of stars lurk, final rounds have proven to be no sweat for the best player in the world this year. Scheffler has raced away from the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Masters, and he chased down the leaders at The Players Championship. No matter the situation, Scheffler and his game areup for it.
"I think tomorrow is going to be challenging," Scheffler said. "We're going to get a different wind tomorrow, so the golf course will play pretty different. It's something that we'll adjust to tonight, kind of get in the right headspace. Go out tomorrow and try our best to stay patient and execute."
The leader
1. Scottie Scheffler (-16): He has been perfect since his double bogey on No. 3 in Round 1 as Scheffler has neither put a five on his scorecard this week nor dropped a shot in his last 51 holes. During this stretch, he has tacked on 17 birdies, eight of which came in Round 3. Scheffler had everything in sequence on Moving Day as he hit 10 fairways and 15 greens, going 5 for 5 getting up-and-down.
Of his eight birdies, seven came from inside 10 feet; the lone outside effort came on the short par-4 ninth. Scheffler was able to connect from 36 feet, turn in 5-under 31 and keep the momentum rolling into the inward half where he ultimately grabbed the lead for himself.
"No. 8 was really only the bad swing I made today, and it was nice to get that ball up-and-down," Scheffler said. "Then No. 9, it's two days in a row where I've hit decent drives and ended up in a weird spot. Yesterday, I had the plugged lie, and today, instead of staying on the upslope or going in the bunker, it stays on the downslope. Seemed like there was more grass underneath it but wasn't able to get underneath it to hit the flop, but it was nice to see that ball go in for sure."
Other contenders
2. Sepp Straka (-15)
3. Collin Morikawa (-14)
T4. Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Rodgers, Sahith Theegala (-13)
T7. Tom Hoge, Seamus Power, Patrick Cantlay, J.T. Poston (-12)
For most of Saturday, it appeared Åberg would be the one to challenge Scheffler much like he did at the Masters. The young Swede was automatic on the front nine, giving himself chance after chance from inside 10 feet, but he was unable to convert with much consistency. Despite a smidge of trouble on the greens, last week's runner up turned in 3 under and added another birdie on the 11th to tie Scheffler at 14 under.
Åberg played his last seven holes in 1 over, while Scheffler played his last four holes in 2 under to build a three-stroke edge over the man who came closest to him at Augusta National. Åberg will need to be perfect tomorrow, but he has proven already in his young career that he is capable of such a performance.
"I think we're all expecting [Scheffler] to be there with the way that he's been playing," Åberg said. "I think we all expect him to play well, and there's nothing I can do about it. All I try to do is focus on myself and make sure that I hit the shots the way I want to and then see where that takes me."
2024 RBC Heritage updated odds and picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
- Scottie Scheffler: 2/3
- Sepp Straka: 11/2
- Collin Morikawa: 7-1
- Ludvig Åberg: 11-1
- Sahith Theegala: 18-1
- Patrick Cantlay: 28-1
Straka is going to be frisky -- he's capable of winning and has a ton of game -- but let's not reinvent the wheel now. Scheffler has been stellar from the pole position in recent memory (including last week) and shows no signs of slowing down. After an iffy start to his week, the world No. 1 has settled in and should settle into a new tartan jacket on the 18th green tomorrow.