On Saturday at a cold and wind-swept Augusta National, Scottie Scheffler produced a gritty round of 1-under 71, and will enter Sunday’s finale of the 2022 Masters Tournament with a three-shot advantage.

It was a tale of two nines for the 25-year-old Texan, who appeared stress-free playing to a 3-under 33 on the front. But down the stretch, the world No. 1 appeared more out of sync, and struggled to a four-bogey 38, including a dropped shot on the final hole to settle on 9-under 207.

“I was playing some good golf, and outside of a couple holes on the back nine, I could have had a really great round,” said Scheffler, who is looking to become the first PGA Tour player in history to win four tournaments, including the Masters, this early in the season.

“But I still had a really good round today. Anything in the red numbers today was going to be solid, and I was fortunate to do so.”

Scheffler is now in prime position to become the 10th Texan to win the Masters, following in the footsteps of legends such as Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Ben Crenshaw and Jordan Spieth, among others.

“Maybe it’s something in the water, I don’t know,” said Scheffler, when asked why Texans perform so well at Augusta. “Hopefully I can play well tomorrow like the Texans have in the past.

“I’ve relied on those guys. I’ve taken plenty of advice from Ben and Jordan. Those guys have been great influences on my life, and I’m really grateful just to have their friendship. So I can’t really say enough about them and, you know, what they have done for the game of golf and for the state of Texas.

“You know, I’m just really grateful for them.”

Cam Smith, who won the PLAYERS Championship last month, was just three back after a low-round 68, which included two bogeys against six birdies.

The Aussie, who will be paired with Scheffler in Sunday’s final pairing, was the only player in the field to break 70.

“Shoot the lowest score out there again tomorrow probably,” said Smith, when asked for his strategy tomorrow. “No, I think preparation. I think it’s not going to be as windy tomorrow.

“Typically here on Sunday, especially the back nine, you can use plenty of greens to your advantage and have plenty of birdie opportunities.

“Again, just stay aggressive into the greens and just keep hitting quality shots.”

He added, “I don’t know, to be honest. I think I’ll just try and keep it as simple as I can, try and keep it the same. Go home, have dinner, have a good rest, and yeah, just really focus on getting a good rest and being prepared for tomorrow morning.”

Two further back, and the only other player within five shots of the lead, was Sung-Jae Im (71), the first round leader.

Shane Lowry (73) and Charl Schwartzel (73) were tied for fourth-place on 2 under par, one clear of Justin Thomas (72) and Corey Conners (72).

2022 Masters Tournament Leaderboard

Masters Top 10: Round 3

Pos-Player-To Par (Score)
1. Scottie Scheffler -9 (-1)
2. Cameron Smith -6 (-4)
3. Sung-Jae Im -4 (-1)
4. Charl Schwartzel -2 (+1)
4. Shane Lowry -2 (+1)
6. Corey Conners -1 (E)
6. Justin Thomas -1 (E)
8. Danny Willett E (+1)
9. Dustin Johnson +1 (+3)
9. Collin Morikawa +1 (+2)
9. Rory McIlroy +1 (-1)
9. Jason Kokrak +1 (-1)
9. Tommy Fleetwood +1 (-2)

Masters Notables: Round 3

Pos-Player-To Par (Score)
14. Hideki Matsuyama +2 (+5)
14. Webb Simpson +2 (+1)
14. Will Zalatoris +2 (+3)
18. Viktor Hovland +3 (-1)
18. Lee Westwood +3 (+1)
26. Patrick Reed +4 (+1)
26. Sergio Garcia +4 (+2)
26. Tony Finau +4 (+2)
26. Kevin Kisner +4 (+3)
26. Matt Fitzpatrick +4 (+4)
26. Joaquin Neimann +4 (+5)
36. Harold Varner III +6 (+8)
41. Daniel Berger +5 (+3)
41. Jon Rahm +7 (+5)
41. Tiger Woods +7 (+6)
45. Bubba Watson +8 (+6)
45. Patrick Cantlay +8 (+7)
48. Tyrrell Hatton +9 (+7)
50. Billy Horschel +10 (+7)
52. Adam Scott +12 (+8)

Scottie Scheffler’s Stats

Thru 54 Holes
Topline Numbers:
Driving: 294.7 yards (13th)
Fairways: 81%, 34/42 (5th)
Greens: 70.4%, 38/54 (2nd)
Putts Per GIR: 1.784 (2nd)
Scores: 17 Birdies, 29 Pars, 8 Bogeys

Scoring:
Par-5s (-7) 8 Birdies, 3 Pars, 1 Bogey
Par-4s (E) 5 Birdies, 20 Pars, 5 Bogeys
Par-3s (-2) 4 Birdies, 6 Pars, 2 Bogeys
Amen Corner: (-3) 4 Birdies, 4 Pars, 1 Bogey

Developing…