{"id":537288,"date":"2026-03-15T04:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T04:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/537288\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T04:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T04:25:08","slug":"scheffler-searches-for-form-with-masters-looming-as-aberg-leads-the-way-at-players-pga-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/537288\/","title":{"rendered":"Scheffler searches for form with Masters looming as \u00c5berg leads the way at Players | PGA Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a robotic element to Scottie Scheffler<\/a> during periods of success but observing the world No 1 in times of adversity is far more intriguing. There is more \u2013 much more \u2013 to the American than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

This is a golfer who was once reduced to tears after a Ryder Cup trouncing. While all charges were eventually dropped, the mere fact Scheffler found himself in a prison jumpsuit<\/a> before a round at the 2024 US PGA was highly unusual. Last summer, he was filmed in long and histrionic discussion with his coach amid struggles at the US Open.<\/p>\n

The rediscovering of some form in round three of the Players Championship did not meaningfully improve Scheffler\u2019s mood. When asked whether he \u201cfound anything\u201d during a late Thursday range session, the 29-year-old jabbed back. \u201cDid I find anything? I think that would imply that I was lost, which is not the case,\u201d Scheffler said. This was a needless riposte to a run-of-the-mill, mundane inquiry which is put to golfers all the time. Did something click, did a penny drop, did a swing thought emerge? There was no need for the snippiness. It did, however, depict a touchy golfer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m always just trying to get a feel for where things are at,\u201d Scheffler added. \u201cSometimes a little practice helps, and sometimes a little rest helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scheffler was questioned on the scrap to make the cut, which he unusually encountered late on Friday. \u201cIt is more fun fighting to be near the lead is how I would describe it,\u201d he said. We are hardly in the domain of searing insight here. A grim element of the modern world of golf media means players are praised for speaking after rounds, even if answers are monosyllabic. One wonders how Scheffler will react if he ever finds himself in the golfing doldrums.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this sums up Scheffler: a sportsman subject to intense scrutiny that he doesn\u2019t much fancy. His Ryder Cup troubles suggest the hullabaloo attached to that event does not sit well.<\/p>\n

Ludvig \u00c5berg is 18 holes away from the biggest victory of his career. Photograph: Kevin C Cox\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Scheffler has already won in 2026 but is clearly in the midst of a tricky spell in the context of his own lofty standards. He finished in a share of 12th at the Genesis Invitational, tied 24th at last week\u2019s Arnold Palmer Invitational and is outside the top 20 of the Players with 18 holes to play. This is a golfer with 79 top-10 finishes from 155 PGA Tour<\/a> starts. He has been the dominant, undisputed No 1 in the sport for some time. Yet for now \u2013 and presumably only for now \u2013 something is amiss.<\/p>\n

Analysts have picked up on a Scheffler technical change, where an alteration of wrist position has triggered a shorter swing. He is using a driver model from 2024 after failing to find comfort with the latest issue. Scheffler says he is \u201cundecided\u201d on whether to add a competitive stop between Sawgrass and the looming Masters. Saturday\u2019s 67 was his best round of Players week by five.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little sharper today than I was the first two days,\u201d Scheffler explained. \u201cI felt like I was swinging it better each day of the tournament. Today I hit a few more fairways and was able to give myself a few more looks for birdie.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Scheffler makes up the numbers, Ludvig \u00c5berg sits 18 holes from the biggest win of his career. The Swede will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Players after his 71 on day three. \u00c5berg has reached 13 under par, with a dropped shot at the last giving the field cause for hope.<\/p>\n

Michael Thorbjornsen is \u00c5berg\u2019s closest challenger after Xander Schauffele faded. Cameron Young is one further shot back. Matt Fitzpatrick was in an excellent position at 10 under before suffering a painful double bogey at the last. Viktor Hovland is alongside his Ryder Cup teammate at minus eight. Robert MacIntyre is one shot further back after a fine 65, which included an inward half of 32.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a robotic element to Scottie Scheffler during periods of success but observing the world No 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-537288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}