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Xander Schauffele capitalized on Wyndham Clark splashing a horror shot into the waters of the fabled seventeenth gap at TPC Sawgrass to nudge right into a one stroke lead and tee up a grandstand end at The Gamers Championship.
The American duo waged a pulsating third spherical battle on the PGA Tour’s flagship event on Saturday, and had regarded on target to move into the ultimate spherical stage on the prime earlier than reigning US Open champion Clark chunked his first swing on the penultimate 123-yard par-three gap.
Opting to not tee up his ball, the world No. 5 despatched clumps of turf flying earlier than wincing in anguish as his ball splashed into the water effectively in need of the enduring island inexperienced.
“Why would you not tee the ball up when you’ll be able to?” questioned Sky Sports activities Golf broadcaster Ewen Murray.
“He’s simply duffed it,” added co-commentator and 20-time LPGA champion Laura Davies.
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Clark grew to become the newest golfer to fall foul to the seventeenth gap.
But the response was as chic because the preliminary effort was shoddy, with a nerveless Clark – having determined in opposition to taking a special angle from the penalty drop space to the left of the inexperienced – dropping his second try to inside seven ft of the cup earlier than rolling house.
If good bogeys exist then this was one in every of them, and Clark actually thought so – celebrating a job effectively achieved in harm limitation with an emphatic fist pump.
After matching Schauffele’s par on the final gap to log out his two-under 70 spherical, Clark stays inside placing distance of the $4.5 million winner’s purse.
“It’s unlucky on a gap that’s so iconic and has a bunch of bother to have your worst swing of the day,” Clark advised reporters.
[But] I adopted it with an important swing and an important putt … I’m hoping that’s an enormous level within the event and we glance again after tomorrow and say, ‘Hey, that was perhaps the shot and the putt that meant all of it.’”
Clark dismissed any suggestion of a lapse of focus contributing his tee shot blunder. As a substitute, the 30-year-old mentioned a last-minute piece of recommendation from caddie John Ellis to “take slightly off” his typical sand wedge placing distance led to a expensive flinch.
“I’m not throwing John beneath the bus by any means, nevertheless it was in all probability an ideal sand wedge,” Clark mentioned.
“As I used to be over the ball I sort of bought to the highest and was like, ‘Take slightly off’, after which I simply sort of deceled [decelerated] and chunked it.
“It wasn’t actually a scarcity of focus or something. It simply was truthfully a poor swing.”
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Pictures
A powerful response stored Clark inside a stroke of Schauffele.
World No.6 Schauffele began the day 4 photographs again from Clark however shortly reeled in his enjoying accomplice with seven birdies as he carded a bogey free 65.
It gives the 30-year-old a one shot cushion in his pursuit of an eighth PGA Tour title and a primary Gamers crown, having completed tied-second in 2018.
“All in all, it was a little bit of a grind,” Schauffele mentioned.
“Wind was swirling slightly bit for each of us, for everybody on the market on the again 9.
Simply was comfortable to remain in it and transfer on shifting day.
“It might be low tomorrow, however for probably the most half I’m going to attempt to get pleasure from myself and keep in my lane,” he added.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Pictures
Schauffele shortly closed the hole to Clark.
Fellow American Brian Harman shot a blistering 64, the very best spherical of the event thus far, to soar inside two strokes of Schauffele because the chasing pack bunched up behind the chief.
After beginning the week with a irritating even-72, the reigning Open Championship winner soared into the weekend with a 65 and poured in 9 birdies to go one higher on Saturday.
“Thursday was only a dud,” Harman rued. “A type of days – I don’t know, just a few dangerous oatmeal.
“The final two days have felt extra like what my preparation was like. So irritating that I couldn’t get off to a greater begin, however at the very least I do know that with the prep that I used to be doing, I knew I used to be going to play effectively in some unspecified time in the future.”
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Harman shot the very best spherical of the event thus far on Saturday.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and American Maverick McNealy each shot 68 to finish Saturday 4 photographs off the lead, one stroke forward of world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
Having battled via a neck damage for many of his second spherical, Scheffler shot 68 as he bids to grow to be the primary golfer to ever win back-to-back Gamers titles.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy’s rollercoaster week took much more twists and turns, as a superb late rally stored his faint hopes of a second triumph on the event flickering.
The Northern Irishman had reduce an exasperated determine following a double-bogey on the par-four 14th, however roared house with three consecutive birdies to card 69 – a rating precisely in-between his good opening 65 and error-strewn second spherical 73.
Solely Webb Simpson had bettered McIlroy’s 21 birdies and (or) eagles via three rounds within the event’s 50 year-history, in accordance to golf journalist Justin Ray.
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It has been a turbulent week for McIlroy in Florida.
But when Simpson poured in his 22 in 2018, it constructed him a seven-stroke benefit that he used to clinch the trophy.
In contrast four-time main winner McIlroy, will start Sunday eight photographs behind chief Schauffele, his possibilities harm by six bogeys and three double bogeys within the event.