The Travelers Championship third round ended with Xander Schauffele barely maintaining his lead over the rest of the field on Saturday despite being challenged, threatened, and even tied. Patrick Cantlay, who shot a 63 in the day’s final round, is just one stroke behind him.
Cantlay hit the round of the day on Saturday to close the gap from five strokes to just one stroke going into the final round. In the Zurich Classic earlier this season, Schauffele won as part of a team with Cantlay, with whom he teamed up for his most recent PGA Tour victory.
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Here is an overview of the third round and what to expect on Sunday.
Schauffele’s performance (-17)
Schauffele’s lead appeared to be in danger even as late as the final hole on Saturday. Upon teeing off, Schauffele led Cantlay by five strokes and a couple of early challengers by four strokes. The first six holes on the second nine took him one over, and he stalled out in the middle of his round.
His narrow lead was maintained with birdies on 16 and 17—the latter nearly knocking over the pin—and a clutch par putt at the end. Given how many blows he suffered from other competitors, it was a nice day for Schauffele. The tournament outcome will depend on whether he can do that for two consecutive days.
Schauffele has led or tied for the tournaments seven times since fall 2015, according to Data Golf. Only two of those seven appearances resulted in him gaining strokes and two in winning. He needs to keep it in mind as he takes to the course on Sunday.
Schauffele’s competitors
2. Patrick Cantlay (-16)
3. Sahith Theegala (-14)
4. Kevin Kisner (-13)
5. Martin Laird, K.H. Lee (-12)
Cantlay is said to be the strongest competitor in this group, and his 63 on Saturday wasn’t difficult to achieve. He was a zero putter in terms of strokes gained or lost to the field. Approach strokes and tee-to-green strokes were among his best.
On the other hand, Sahith Theegala may have stolen the spotlight from Cantlay, in this group. Theegala lost in the Phoenix Open earlier this year after losing to Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler, who went on to win.
Since The Players in March, Cantlay has not missed a cut and recently finished in the top 10 at the Memorial. His rookie season will be significantly capped off if he wins here. The win would also make him the second rookie to win on the Tour this year.
Buddies trip
Schauffele and Cantlay are well-known for their close relationship and many travels together. It is uncertain if winning this golf tournament would benefit or hamper their bond.
It will, however, remain a topic of discussion. On Saturday, there were several shots on No. 17, and more are expected to follow if the momentum continues.
“It will be fun,” said Schauffele. “I’ve been looking forward to playing with Pat in a final round. We don’t get paired together very often in regular tournaments, only in those team ones. So there’s a certain level of comfort we have playing with each other.”
In response, Cantlay said that it was “nice to be out with Xander”. According, to Cantlay, they haven’t been in the same play for a while.