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Here’s what you missed from Round 3 of The American Express

January 19, 2020

What a difference a day makes. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last three rounds, it’s this: At The American Express, if you don’t keep your foot on the gas, it’s easy to get left behind when it comes to your spot on the leaderboard.

Here’s everything you missed from Saturday’s action in La Quinta.

It’s STILL a two-way tie at the top

While the co-leaders changed between the end of the first round and the end of the second, one player maintained his position heading into the final round: PGA Tour rookie Scottie Scheffler, who fired a six-under-par 66 to reach 21 under par overall (!) and share the lead with Andrew Landy, whose seven-under-par 65 lifted him two spots up the leaderboard into T1.

Incredibly, Scheffler hasn’t made a bogey in three rounds, but he has made one double. The 23-year-old won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour last year in 2019 seeking his maiden Tour victory this week.

Landry (66-64-65) has one win on his resume: the 2018 Valero Texas Open.

What happened to Rickie?

After co-leading with Scheffler after Round 2, a slow start on Saturday was costly for Rickie, who was two over par through his first seven holes on PGA West’s Stadium course. He made four birdies on his remaining 11 holes, but the deficit was already too great, and he fell back into third at 17 under par overall and four shots shy of the lead.

Are any big names in striking distance?

Scheffler and Landry have separated themselves from the field impressively. After the four shots that separate them from Rickie, there are only two other players within five shots and three players within six shots.

The closest big names are Paul Casey and Tony Finau (-14, seven shots back) and Cameron Champ (-10, 11 shots back).

Who missed the cut?

After three rounds, the cut was finally made, and you had to go low to earn your way into the final round. There were 74 players who finished at nine under par or better (T56), meaning plenty of players who had three solid rounds were sent packing on Saturday night.

Big names who failed to make the cut include Jimmy Walker (-8), Zach Johnson (-4), Phil Mickelson (-3) and Francesco Molinari (E).

Anything else of note?

How about this: If Scheffler does indeed go on to win on Sunday, we’ll likely be watching this incredible break on repeat from Saturday’s third round until the end of time.

How can I watch the final round?

Golf Channel will be airing coverage of the final round from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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