Schauffele hits the front at Sentry Tournament of Champions
Xander Schauffele. Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America
Defending champion Xander Schauffele carded a two-under 71 to take a one-stroke lead over Justin Thomas into the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
He leads on 11-under par from Thomas, who is seeking a 12th PGA Tour win that would make him the most prolific winner under 30 on the US circuit.
US Open champion Gary Woodland lies third on eight-under but Graeme McDowell could not make a birdie in a three-over 76 and slipped back to tied 26th on level par. Scores
“I'll have to have some sort of number in mind,” said Schauffele, who shot an 11-under 62 in the final round last year to overcome Rory McIlroy. “It'll be a fun day tomorrow, and we'll see how it goes.”
Schauffele has won four times but with all those wins coming from behind, he’s keen to turn the 54-hole lead into a victory.
His only previous experience came in 2018, when he was tied for the lead with Kevin Kisner and Jordan Spieth heading into the final round of The Open at Carnoustie but turned in 40 before rallying to finish tied for second behind Francesco Molinari.
“That sucked,” Schauffele recalled. “It was a really cool learning experience… I'm not surprised I lost it just because I was a rookie and I panicked and freaked out and did everything that I wasn't supposed to do, looking back on it now.
“It was really difficult conditions and I was playing really well and then all of a sudden I wasn't. That kind of goes to show where I was mentally and what I was capable of at the time. If I just kind of weathered the storm better and had a better mindset, it could have looked a lot different.
“But those are just things you look back on and kind of laugh just because it needs to happen in order for you to move on and learn as a player. Certain experiences will either knock you down or build you up. So try to roll with the punches and kind of learn from everything I can do, whether it's good or bad.”
2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions(12th of 49 events in the PGA TOUR Season)
Kapalua, Maui, HI, January 2-5, 2020
Purse: $6,700,000 ($1,340,000)The Plantation Course
Par/Yards: 36-37—73/7,596
FedExCup Points: 500 (winner)
Third-Round Notes – Saturday, January 4, 2020
Weather: Scattered morning showers with rain decreasing in the afternoon. High of 79. Wind NE 15-25 mph, with gusts over 30 mph.
Second-Round Leaderboard
Xander Schauffele 69-68-71 – 208 (-11)
Justin Thomas 67-73-69 – 209 (-10)
Gary Woodland 73-69-69 – 211 (-8)
Things to Know
Defending champion Xander Schauffele could become the youngest player since Daniel Berger at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic to successfully defend a title
With a victory, Justin Thomas will have 12 career PGA TOUR wins, marking the most TOUR wins for a player currently under 30 years of age
Two past champions of the event are inside the top three (Schauffele and Thomas)
Due to heavy downpours overnight, preferred lies were utilized for the second consecutive day
Third-Round Lead Notes
27 Third-round leaders/co-leaders at Sentry Tournament of Champions to win (since 1983)
Most recent: Dustin Johnson/2018
9 Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on TOUR in 2019-20; Most recent: Brendon Todd/Mayakoba Golf Classic
Xander Schauffele (-11/1st)
Age: 26 (October 25, 1993)
Turned Professional: 2015
#21 FedExCup
#9 OWGR
2 Starts at Sentry Tournament of Champions
1 Win at Sentry Tournament of Champions (2019)
80 PGA TOUR starts
4 PGA TOUR wins
19 Top-10s on PGA TOUR
2 PGA TOUR starts in 2019-20
2 Top-10s in 2019-20
Hit 12/15 fairways, 16/18 greens and required 33 putts en route to a 2-under 71
Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green (+8.630); Scrambling (7 of 8) and Putts (GIR)
Holds the third-round lead/co-lead for the second time (2018 Open Championship/T2)
With a victory, would become the youngest player since Daniel Berger at 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic to successfully defend a title
Seeking to become the first repeat winner of the event since Geoff Ogilvy (2009, 2010)
Making his third start at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (T22/2018, Won/2019)
Miscellaneous Notes
2017 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas (2) collected six birdies and two bogeys en route to 4-under 69; currently leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (+4.231) and Proximity to the hole (36’9”)
With a win, Thomas will have 12 PGA TOUR victories, marking the most PGA TOUR wins for a player currently under 30 years of age
Gary Woodland’s 4-under 69 highlighted by three consecutive birdies on Nos. 4-6; sits in solo-third place
In his fifth start at the event, Kevin Kisner posted a 5-under 68 highlighted by six birdies; qualified for the event with win at World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play
Bogey-free rounds:
R1: Matt Kuchar (68), Joaquin Niemann (66), Justin Thomas (67), Xander Schauffele (69)
R2: Xander Schauffele (68)
R3: None