Scottie Scheffler now has a realistic chance of winning The Masters on Sunday despite reaching the halfway stage of the event 12 shots off the lead.
Scheffler is one of the names who now has a fantastic opportunity to triumph at Augusta National today. The world number one is just four shots back of both Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy.
Obviously, McIlroy opened the door for the rest of the field with his 73 on Saturday. However, Scheffler produced the joint-best round of the day to leave himself tied for seventh.
It must not be forgotten that Scheffler also has very good memories of playing alongside Haotong Li, his playing partner on Sunday, with the Chinese star joining the 29-year-old in the final group at The Open Championship last year.
What Scottie Scheffler needs to shoot on Sunday to win The Masters
You would imagine that Scheffler will need to be on the attack on Sunday if he hopes to win The Masters for a third time.
And speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman explained what he believes Scheffler needs to shoot in the last round if he is going to be one to take the title.
“I thought that if Scottie could get within four shots of the lead once he started making that run, I said he’s going to have a chance tomorrow,” he said.
“He needs to shoot six-under par tomorrow. I think 13’s the number unless, of course, Cam Young or Rory McIlroy go and run away. There’s a lot of pressure on a Sunday. We’ll see.”
The two players Smylie Kaufman can see making a Sunday charge at Augusta National
The only reason why it is hard to see 13 under par being the winning score is the fact that there are so many elite players in the mix.
Sam Burns is one shot off the lead, while Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Jason Day are just above Scheffler on the leaderboard.
Kaufman went on to suggest why Burns and Day may be the two names best placed to make a significant charge on Sunday.
“Of all these players, Sam Burns and Jason Day, if they have good ball-striking days, all of a sudden, you have two of the best putters in the world trying to move themselves up the leaderboard, with Sam Burns being one back and having an excellent ball-striking week. It’s a huge reason why he’s contending. He’s one of the best iron players in the field, which I felt like that was one of his things that was holding him back all these years at these major championships, and especially at Augusta National,” he said.
It is shaping up to be a fascinating and enthralling final day at The Masters. You could make a strong case for one of at least 11 players.
If Scheffler can go anywhere near matching his 65 on Saturday, he is going to be incredibly difficult to stop.
