“You’ve got to be inside the top 10 if you’re going to compete in these tournaments. Very rarely do you see people coming nowadays from well back. Years ago, it used to happen. But I think they’re pretty much showing you want to be in the top 10 nearly after day one. If not after day two, to have a chance of winning a tournament,” this is what Padraig Harrington said when asked about his chances at the Senior PGA Championship. At that point, he was just two strokes off the lead at T4. But based on his experience, what he said holds for the PGA Tour as well.

This will be the ideal push for pain-ridden Scottie Scheffler on the last day at the Charles Schwab Challenge, especially considering that $1.7 million as a winner’s payout is at stake. Playing in his backyard does give him a slight edge and impetus to finish strong, but it is easier said than done. You see, currently, Scheffler is at T7 with a score of 7 under par. Ben Griffin and Matthias Schmid are both tied on top with a score of 13 under par. Six strokes are not impossible and have been done before. And with the form Scheffler is in, no one is likely to count him out. No one except Doug Bell, the veteran sportscaster, maybe!

Bell gave his two cents on the Wrap hosted by the Sirius XM PGA Tour radio, wherein he professed that Ben Griffin is likely to stave off challenges from the rest of the folks on the leaderboard and claim his first individual title on the Tour at Fort Worth. “I think Ben Griffin is the favorite going into tomorrow, and I think he’s likely to win his first individual event on the PGA Tour tomorrow,” Bell stated.

The American golfer is in the midst of a decent spell of golf, having recently clinched his first ever PGA Tour title with Andrew Novak and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He also recorded his best-ever finish at the PGA Championship, landing at T8 with a score of 4 under par. Heading to the last day, this should be enough of a boost for the golfer, but Scottie Scheffler is part of the chasing pack.

Bell acknowledges that, but he also feels that if Griffin focuses solely on his game, it will be difficult for the  #1 to catch him under the present circumstances. “Scottie’s 7 under. If Ben Griffin goes on and shoots even par tomorrow, then for Scottie to catch him, he is going to have to shoot six under. He did that today. Can he do it back-to-back?” Bell further explained. Scheffler shot 64 on Saturday to climb 42 spots on the leaderboard.

Another American golfer, Davis Riley, was also in a similar situation last year at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Riley went into the last day with a 4-stroke lead over Scottie Scheffler and maintained his composure to go even par for the last round. Scheffler could only manage a 1 over par round, allowing Riley to claim a five-stroke victory in the process. Bell believes that the formula for Griffin’s victory is more or less the same. But Scheffler is in a league of his own and will be in no mood to wave the white flag.

Scottie Scheffler is ready to compete

Scottie carded seven birdies and an eagle on day 3 to push himself towards the upper end of the leaderboard. An unfortunate bogey on the last hole did compromise his position slightly, but his performance nonetheless leaves him just within striking distance of Griffin. A very good start on day 4 is necessary for the 2025 PGA Championship winner.

“I’m going to try to get the two shots back as quickly as possible, and then we’ll go from there. We’ll see what happens this afternoon. Yeah, right now, what am I, at 7-under and, let’s see what we have, 14? So right now, seven shots back. We’ll see what happens,” he stated. “Right now things are out of my control, but we’ll see. I think the conditions will be pretty challenging again tomorrow, so there’s always an outside chance.”

The lack of control is true. He will need to play a near-perfect game while also relying on Griffin and Schmid to slip in the crucial moments of the challenge. The best Scheffler can do is to keep the pressure on and not let up. If that is the case, an interesting fourth day is in the works.

Who do you think will win the Charles Schwab Challenge? Will it be Griffin or Scheffler? Or will another golfer surprise everyone and claim the title?