Genesis Invitational Round 3: Xander Schauffele’s Rise, Rory McIlroy’s Global Vision, DQ Laments and More

No Tiger Woods, but the moving day at the Genesis Invitational lacked no firepower. In the day that saw multiple shakeups on the leaderboard, no one could usurp Patrick Cantlay on top. And, unfortunately, nothing could stop Scottie Scheffler’s misery near the hole.

On the other hand, both last year’s runner-up Max Homa and Rory McIlroy, who fought tooth and nail to make the cut, couldn’t hold onto that gusto, sliding down the leaderboard. As the penultimate round of the $20 million Signature event came to a close, here are the key highlights of the day. 

Patrick Cantlay holds, but loosens the grip

Patrick Cantlay had a five-shot lead heading into the moving day. Now he will have just two, thanks to two bogeys on the Par 4 Hole 3 and Par 5 Hole 17. Cantlay made three birdies and saved eighth pars to card 1-under 70 after posting 64 and 65 in the first two rounds, respectively. 

Cantlay, who is from Southern California, grew up playing NCAA championships at this course. The eight-time PGA Tour winner was content with his performance. “I played solid golf today, I didn’t make any long putts or anything. Didn’t really give myself too many chances, but all in all a solid day and in good position for tomorrow.” Cantlay has been paired with his close friend, Xander Schauffele, in the final round. 

Schauffele climbed up the Genesis Invitational leaderboard 

Schauffele took charge of the third round early on. Starting off with an eagle at the Par 5 1st, the seven-time PGA Tour winner went bogey-free to move up within two shots of Cantlay. Schauffele carded 6-under 65 with four birdies, all of which came in the back nine.  

The seven-time PGA Tour winner was also the third-round leader in SG: Total, saving four shots in the penultimate round. Schauffele and Cantlay have paired together in the final round many times before.

Spieth’s disqualification got everyone talking at the Genesis Invitational

Schauffele was also asked about Jordan Spieth’s disqualification. Spieth signed the wrong scorecard, leading to a disqualification in the second round. Schauffele, who has never faced this, lamented, “This is a tournament people. — he’s [Jordan Spieth] a big pull for us, he’s a top 3 pull for us on Tour so it’s not good that he’s not here.” Echoing him, Rory McIlroy, said, “Just unfortunate for him and unfortunate for the tournament that he’s not around.’ McIlroy also reiterated his vision for a global Tour.

McIlroy’s vision for a future Tour with global footprints

McIlroy, who carded 2-under 69 on the moving day, said the Global Tour will exist above the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Drawing a reference to the Champions League in European soccer, where top teams from each country vie for continental glory, McIlroy said the global tour could look like that, with pit stops in East Asia, South Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. 

Asked further if those events could be full-field, the Ulsterman said, limited-field events with top players would fit that model better. At this moment, the four-time Major winner is looking at a 24-event schedule, including Majors, where 10–12 events will be played Stateside.

Scottie Scheffler fumbles yet again

Scheffler’s short game once again became his bane as he slipped nine spots to tie for the 20th. The world No. 1 looked anything but that near the hole, having made three bogeys to card 1-under 70, the same as his second round. Scheffler was 50th in SG: Putting in the field. He gave away almost four shots per round.

Read More: Will DQ Jordan Spieth and WD Tiger Woods Get OWGR Points At Genesis Invitational?

The final round will tee off at 9.55 AM EST. Tiger Woods, the tournament host, will perhaps not be present after withdrawing during the second round. The 48-year-old later

confirmed that he had influenza, which prevented him from carrying forward. It was supposed to be Woods’s first official PGA Tour event since last year’s Masters. $4 million and 700 FedEx Cup points are reserved for the winner.

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