CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Looks like order has been restored at the season's second major.
Jhonattan Vegas was a nice story for two days, but a 2-over 73 wasn’t a good recipe for Moving Day. Instead, your 54-hole leader is none other than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who fired a Saturday-best 65 to move into the lead by three over Alex Noren.
If you think Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow will be a five-hour coronation, you might not be wrong. But the SI Golf staff is considering all the possibilities for the final round of the PGA Championship and is debating this in our Round 3 edition of Fact or Fiction:
Bryson DeChambeau Is Scottie Scheffler's Biggest Threat Sunday.
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: FICTION. Bryson played himself out of the tournament when he hit his ball in the water at the 17th hole. He was the solo leader just a hole earlier and given Scheffler’s finish, now finds himself six shots back. Jon Rahm is a long shot but he’s got the best chance. He’s five behind but has fewer players to catch.
John Pluym, SI.com Managing Editor: FICTION. As much as I’d like to see DeChambeau give Scheffler a run for his money, I don’t think it’s likely. Scheffler is the best ball striker in the world and good enough off the tee. DeChambeau, on the other hand, is not consistent with his driver and has struggled with his irons. Both of these guys struggle with the putter, too, so it’s difficult to say DeChambeau has an advantage over Scheffler on the greens. If anyone is going to chase down Scheffler, I like Jon Rahm. He’s playing terrific golf and Sunday could be the day he breaks through since he won the Masters and takes it from Scheffler.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: FACT. The sportsbooks say that Noren is the second betting favorite at the moment, and they are wrong. Rahm is tempting but still has so much to prove since joining LIV, (seems like it’s all he talks about) and I think that added pressure could catch him on Sunday. DeChambeau shockingly faded in the Green Mile Saturday, but he still has the firepower to toss up a 64, whip up the crowd and put a scare in Scheffler.
John Schwarb, SI Golf Senior Editor: FACT. “Threat” may not be the right word on a day where Scheffler can take care of his own business and not need to peek at leaderboards, but I’ll agree that DeChambeau could make it interesting. He has nothing to lose (not like he’s protecting FedEx Cup points) so he can unleash the driver (again) all over Quail Hollow, where the Sunday setup should allow for some fireworks. If the putter heats up too at least it will give CBS a show, which execs would appreciate.
Matt Vincenzi, SI Golf Contributor: FACT. It’s extremely likely that Scheffler wins on Sunday at Quail Hollow, but if someone can catch him, it’s probably DeChambeau. It would take a special round for that to happen, but Quail Hollow is such a long course that I don't see anyone outside of him (and to a lesser extent Rahm) having the ability to do that on the Sunday of a major. In 2020, DeChambeau trailed Matthew Wolff by two at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open and won by six strokes. He would likely need to shoot at least 7-under 64, which would match the low round of the tournament shot by Jhonattan Vegas in Round 1 and Si Woo Kim and Max Homa in Round 2.
.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: Bryson DeChambeau Is Scottie Scheffler's Biggest Threat at the PGA.