NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler may have found a new favorite club.
The world No. 1 inserted a putter in the bag for a tryout this week at the Hero World Challenge and ranks third in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. On Saturday, he made two eagles and four birdies and posted 7-under 65 at Albany to build a three-stroke lead over Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick.
“Nice to see some putts go in,” Scheffler said. “I’ve been rolling it pretty solid. These greens can be tough to putt at times, but like I said, I’m rolling it good.”
Indeed, he is. Scheffler is using a heel-toe weighted blade made by little-known puttermaker Olson Putter Co.
“It’s very similar to some stuff that I used in the past,” Scheffler explained. “It has a little thing on the top that helps me line the ball up more consistently in the middle of the face, and then obviously the grip is different than what I’ve used in the past, but that’s something that Phil (Kenyon) and I have worked on together.”
Scheffler’s 65 tied for the low round of the day with Fitzpatrick, and lifted him to a 54-hole total of 16-under 200.
Scheffler, who last won on the PGA Tour at the Players Championship in March, finished runner-up at the Hero World Challenge the last two years. Both times he said he needed a strong back nine to flirt with contention, but Viktor Hovland closed the deal.
“Hopefully,” Scheffler said, “I have one more good back nine in me.”
Here are four more things to know about the third round of the Hero World Challenge.
Matthew Fitzpatrick of England lines up a putt on the third green during the third round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 02, 2023 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Matt Fitzpatrick is taking things in stride this week, and it’s working. The Englishman shot 7-under 65 on Saturday, tying for the low round of the day and the tournament. But to hear the 2022 U.S. Open champion tell it, he’s not stressing over his play too much and enjoying the chill vibe of the 20-man, no-cut affair.
“This is a vacation week, so yeah, I’m just trying to play as well as I can and yeah, I’m just having an enjoyable week,” he said. “Got friends here, my fiancee’s here. Yeah, we’re having a good laugh.”
Fitzpatrick is solo second and playing in the final group on Sunday alongside Scheffler just as they did in the BMW Championship in August. On that occasion, Viktor…
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