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Is Scottie Scheffler ready to break yet another record? After a spectacular R3 of the Hero World Challenge, he sits at a solo second, one shot behind the lead. But, he might have a little “bad luck” to waive off first. As he walked off the course, his scorecard said one thing, but his confused face said another. It was, yet again, a break on the 16th that left him baffled.

When he was at the par-5 15th hole, he shot a birdie and propelled his score to a nine under for the round. But the wind changed its direction on the next hole. Scheffler took a swing, the shot was good, but there was one problem.

“I hit the drive in the fairway today, and I basically didn’t have a stance,” he says in the post-match presser. “So you explain that one to me. That’s not really on me, it’s just poor luck.”

The routine tee shot, which had a scoring opportunity, was in such an awkward stance that it compromised his ability to play a normal shot. Eventually, he tried to tug his approach left into a bunker, but the ball got buried in the sand. It turned into a bogey. When asked about the same, his frustration was palpable. The reason for his annoyance was missing the one golden chance he had after failing it in the first two rounds.

In R1, he had started strong with a 6-under. But when he pulled a tee shot, it went left of the 16th fairway, eventually tying him with four others for the first-place lead. Similarly, in R2, which was actually the most damaging, he had shot an eagle on the par-5 15th to get a score of five under. But on the 16th, his “bad luck” ensued, and his golf ball found itself stuck in a bush, which cost him a double bogey.

When the reporters asked him if the drives on the first two days did not fit his eyes, Scheffler’s had already reached his boiling point. Earlier, he had also raised some concerns about the course conditions.

“So you’re asking me about two drives I’ve hit in the last three days?” asks the world No. 1. When the reporter nods in affirmation, Scheffler fumes, “Next question. That’s ridiculous.”

His Saturday actually had started spectacularly. He had shot five consecutive 3s on his scorecard in the beginning. His iron play was exemplary, as he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. At one point, he held a two-shot lead and could have walked off the course as the solo lead. But then the unlucky 16th happened. His next hole was an equal par, and on the 18th, he again registered a bogey. At the end of the day, he walked off the course with a total of 16-under 65.

“It’s a dream start,” he says later. “Going into the day, you’re trying to get off to a good start, and I did a good job…was able to get rewarded for some nice shots…”

By Sunday evening, it will be clear if Scottie Scheffler will be able to chase his three-peat at Albany. Because if the same mistakes are replicated, he might as well hand over the trophy to the scoreboard leader, Sepp Straka.

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Sepp Straka takes control as Scottie Scheffler slips

Sepp Straka had a flawless 64 on Saturday that pushed him passed Mr. Inevitable at exactly the moment when the tensions were high. For most of the day, Scottie Scheffler had the upper hand, but after his debacles, the script changed.

Straka chipped in for eagle on the par-5 6th, then added another eagle on 15, and maintained a completely clean slate while his rival stumbled. When Scheffler finally reached the 16th hole and caused a bogey, Straka saw an opportunity, and his mistake-free round lifted him for a solo lead at 17 under. This is the kind of performance that makes him the most consistent player on the PGA Tour.

“Yeah, I played pretty nice,” he said later. “Iron play was really good; I just struggled with the driver a little bit. Hopefully, clean that up for tomorrow.”

If Sepp Straka maintains his lead on Sunday, he will close his year off with a third win. Prior to this, he had dominated the courses at the American Express and the Truist Championship.