Scottie Scheffler is looking up at a few competitors on the leaderboard at the AT&T Byron Nelson who aren’t quite as accomplished as the Dallas resident has become over the previous 15 months.
In fact, Austin Eckroat and Marty Dou of China are aiming for their maiden PGA TOUR triumph. After the third round of the Nelson on Saturday, Eckroat, who was raised in Oklahoma, had an 8-under 63, one better than Dou, and the two of them shared the lead with Texan Ryan Palmer at 16 under.
After the hometown favorite bogeyed the 18th par-5 when his second shot hit the lip of a fairway bunker and stuck in it, Scheffler joined the group at 14 under.
On hole 18, Palmer had a chance to take the lead with an eagle putt, but his 35-foot attempt came up just short, putting him at 68. Following his greatest two-round start to his career with a pair of 64s, Scheffler scored an even-par 71.
Dou, a resident of the Dallas region, and Scheffler, 26, are playing on the same course at the TPC Craig Ranch. The former Texas Longhorn and Eckroat, who is only two years younger, claim to have played a lot of golf together “from all ages.”
Dou, a resident of the Dallas region, and Scheffler, 26, are playing on the same course at TPC Craig Ranch. The former Texas Longhorn and Eckroat, who is only two years younger, claim to have played a lot of golf together “from all ages.”
On pedigree, they could as well be years apart.
Scheffler has six career victories, all since February of last year, including the 2022 Masters title, and he is confident he will compete in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill the following week.
Eckroat would value his place in the field at Oak Hill, which would come from winning the Byron Nelson. However, the former Oklahoma State player has a lot at stake.
“Winning a PGA TOUR tournament entails several benefits, including job stability, and I’m just hoping to do that,” Eckroat said.
Dou, who moved to the Dallas area around five years ago to pursue a golfing career, doesn’t even want to consider what success would entail in his native nation.
“It will undoubtedly be significant. There is still a lot of golf to play, so I’m in a great position to create more chances. That’s all I can think of right now.” Dou who has won on the Korn Ferry Tour three times said.
Along with Scheffler, Jason Day (66), and Si Woo Kim (68), Swedish golfer Vincent Norrman shot 65 and was at 14 under par. 25 players were within five strokes of the lead at the time.
Along with Patton Kizzire (64), Sung Kang (66), and Richy Werenski (68), who were all at 13 under par, Tyrrell Hatton, who was rated No. 17 and second in the field behind No. 2 Scheffler, shot 65.
Eckroat only had one par on the front nine, but before the turn, he made up for a double-bogey at the seventh par-3 with his sixth and seventh birdies. With six pars and three birdies, the back nine was considerably more conventional.
“Unlike it normally would, I wasn’t particularly fazed by it. I’m very pleased with how I handled that.” Eckroat said.
A course record-tying 60 from South Korean S.Y. Noh overshadowed Dou’s opening round score of 63. Noh finished at 73 with two over par and was eliminated from contention.
Dou slowly climbed the leaderboard after two rounds of 1-under 70 left him five shots down of Scheffler, but a 28-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole put him again in a tie for first.
Given that Scheffler missed the final group due to a last-minute error, Dou won’t have to worry about the massive fans that followed him. But for the first time, Dou leads after 54 holes.
“I equate having nerves with me performing on the Korn Ferry. No matter what, once you start, you’ll be anxious.” Dou mentioned.
At the second-toughest hole, the 12th par-4, which played as a par-5 in Byron Nelson’s first two years at the TPC Craig Ranch, Scheffler could have grabbed a two-shot lead but missed a short birdie putt.
Prior to the difficulty on hole 18, where he also missed the green on a simple approach shot after eventually emerging from the bunker, he wasted two more good opportunities to make birdies on the back nine.
“I merely thinned it. The lip was the last thing on my mind. Just now, I made a bad shot.” Scheffler explained about his first bunker shot.
After a rocky beginning to the back nine, Palmer, a four-time TOUR champion who hasn’t won by himself in 13 years, finished with three birdies in five holes, highlighted by the tap-in at 18.
“The day required patience. In the worst scenario, I was going to be one or two back. Being in the last group once more will be enjoyable, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.” said Palmer, 46, a Dallas-area resident who was born and raised in West Texas.
K.H. Lee, a two-time defending winner, was 7-under after shooting a second straight 68. Steve Stricker, who won the John Deere Classic three times between 2009 and 2011, was the most recent contestant to accomplish this feat.
