South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel enters the final round of The Masters seven shots off the lead held by world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Schwartzel posted a third round of 73 to place him on two under and chasing the nine under par lead of Scheffler, who leads by three shots over his nearest challenger Cameron Smith.
“It wasn’t easy. I thought I played exceptionally well. If you count the fringe on 18 as a green hit, that would have been 15 greens in regulation for me. Just had a real poor day with the putter. Normally in the cold I struggle, and today I played beautifully. So just a bad day with the putter,” said Schwartzel.
The winner of the 2011 Masters refuses to accept that it’s a fait accompli that Scheffler will claim this year’s green jacket.
“You know, Scottie’s playing good golf, but there’s 18 holes to go. You never know. I’m going to have to shoot something around the 66 mark, I would think, to maybe have a chance. Then it’s up to him what he does. If he plays well tomorrow, then he determines his own destiny.
“It’s a tough course and a lot of things can happen, as we’ve seen guys shoot 50 on the back nine. This course gives you some opportunities if you can get in the right spots. So I’ll keep swinging and create some opportunities just to see if I can make some putts.”
Christiaan Bezuidenhout is tied 34th on five over par, while Tiger Woods is tied 41st on seven over par.
