Scheffler maintains Memorial grip as Lowry makes gains

Scottie Scheffler recovered from a disastrous hole midway through the third round of The Memorial and regained control with a one-under par 71 on Saturday in Dublin, Ohio.

Scheffler, the world’s number one golfer, will take a four-shot lead into Sunday’s final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club. He is 10 under for the tournament.

Rory McIlroy is eight shots off the lead in a tie for 11th after carding a one-over 73, while Shane Lowry enjoyed a positive round to sit one shot further back in a tie for 14th on one under.

The Offaly native had narrowly made the cut after Friday’s second round but made gains on Saturday with a four-under 68.

Seamus Power is level par after a 73 with the Waterford man tied for 18th overall.

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Canada’s Adam Hadwin shot 72, slipping into a three-way tie for second place at six under. Collin Morikawa made a big move by shooting 68 like Lowry, joining Austria’s Sepp Straka (68) and Hadwin in second place.

Scheffler and Hadwin both bogeyed the final hole.

Scheffler played the first six holes at two under, but a triple-bogey seven on No. 9 sent him cascading back to the pack and erased his three-shot lead.

That troublesome hole began with a tee shot into the trees.

His three-shot lead vanished, but it did not take long to move back ahead. Scheffler got back on track with a birdie on No. 10. That began a stretch of three birdies in six holes.

While any trouble for Scheffler generally seems unusual, he also had a triple-bogey in his most recent tournament two weeks ago in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

He had been at 11 under for the tournament after Saturday’s sixth hole, where his approach shot from a fairway bunker set up a birdie putt.

Morikawa had a bogey-free round. Three of his four birdies came in a stretch from No. 12-15.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland, the tournament’s 2023 champion, was in good shape through seven holes at two under. Then came a seven-hole stretch with five bogeys, including four beginning on No. 11.

Later, he tumbled deeper down the standings with a double-bogey six on the 16th hole.

PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele (71) and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (72) share fifth place at four under.

The best round of the third day belonged to South Korea’s Sungjae Im at 67, but he’s tied for 11th at two under.

Additional reporting: Reuters