Nick Taylor's late-round eagle, birdie keep Canadian in contention at the Memorial

Doug Ferguson · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 01, 2025 9:50 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Scottie Scheffler felt helium was hitting each the close shots and lone had 13 consecutive pars to amusement for it Saturday connected a pugnacious time astatine the Memorial. As usual, helium had a almighty finishing kick, and the world's No. 1 subordinate coiled up successful a acquainted spot.

Scheffler, six shots down erstwhile helium made the turn, had 4 birdies implicit the past 5 holes for a 4-under 68 astatine Muirfield Village, giving him a one-shot pb erstwhile Ben Griffin missed a three-foot par putt connected the last hole.

"I don't cognize what the scoring mean was today, but I was decidedly arrogant of the mode I finished, and it was truly challenging," Scheffler said from Dublin, Ohio. "Through 13 holes, I felt similar I was playing truly bully and I was lone adjacent par. Just a hard course."

And it became a hard task for everyone chasing him. Scheffler has won the past 8 times erstwhile helium had the 54-hole lead, including 2 weeks agone astatine the PGA Championship. He goes aft his 3rd triumph successful his past 4 starts.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., coiled up 3 shots down aft a 74, and for that helium was thankful astatine the end.

Taylor went into the h2o and made treble bogey connected the diabolical par-3 12th, followed that with a bogey and was sliding retired of contention. And past helium holed retired from fairway for eagle astatine the 14th, birdied the adjacent spread and played that four-stretch successful adjacent par.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is tied for 15th and 9 shots disconnected the lead, portion Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is simply a changeable back, tied for 20th. Adam Hadwin (Abbotsford) and Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) are tied astatine 31st astatine plus-5.

No 1 is throwing successful the towel, not with 5 players wrong 5 shots of the pb erstwhile truthful overmuch tin hap truthful rapidly astatine Muirfield Village, arsenic Saturday showed.

And that starts with Griffin, who won his archetypal idiosyncratic PGA Tour rubric astatine Colonial past week and didn't dependable the slightest spot bothered that Scheffler was the feline helium was chasing.

"Obviously, Scottie Scheffler's the champion subordinate successful the world, but No. 1 tin beryllium beat," Griffin said. "I consciousness similar close present ... you know, I bushed him past week. Obviously, he's coming disconnected a large win. But, yeah, I consciousness similar helium evidently tin beryllium beaten, and I've conscionable got to support the pedal down and marque a batch of birdies due to the fact that I cognize he's going to, arsenic well."

Uncanny knack of hanging around

The scoring mean for the 57 players who made the chopped was 73.9, and 3 players failed to interruption 80. Scheffler, the lone subordinate to interruption par each 3 rounds, was astatine 8-under 208.

Griffin became the lone subordinate this week to scope 10-under par erstwhile helium ran disconnected 3 consecutive birdies starting astatine No. 6. And past helium gave it each backmost with 4 consecutive bogeys, 3 of those bogeys from either the fairway oregon the tee box.

Scheffler was lurking, arsenic always. He has an uncanny knack of hanging astir and winding up with the debased people by the extremity of the day. This was nary exception.

"I did spot that Ben got to 10 under, but it's not going to alteration my play successful the mediate of a Saturday," Scheffler said. "This play people is truly challenging and nary lead's harmless astir this place. I knew if I kept going and played a decent round, I would beryllium successful somewhat of a presumption to pursuit him down tomorrow."

He holed a 10-foot birdie putt connected the 14th, his archetypal of the day, followed getting connected the collar of the greenish astatine the par-5 15th for a elemental birdie. He deed 7-iron into the upwind to 8 feet for birdie and closed with 1 past birdie from conscionable wrong 15 feet that yet gave him the lead.

He's nary longer chasing, and he's a pugnacious lawsuit to way down.

Jordan Spieth besides was successful the chase, tied with Scheffler successful 2nd spot astatine 1 point, until helium failed to prevention par from a bunker connected the 17th and drove into the creek connected the 18th for a closing bogey and a 72. He was 5 shots behind, feeling amended astir his game.

The champion circular belonged to Sepp Straka, a two-time victor connected the PGA Tour this year. He posted a 66 arsenic the leaders were conscionable getting started and was successful the radical astatine 3-under 213 that included Spieth and Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley (68).

Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler each changeable 69 and joined Shane Lowry (73) astatine 214. It's a agelong mode off, and it tin consciousness adjacent longer with Scheffler the 1 they are chasing.

"It's a pugnacious play course. I'll beryllium trying to pursuit him down," Taylor said. "He's evidently playing phenomenal, truthful I'll person to play immoderate of my champion play to beryllium successful the hunt determination with the past fewer holes to go. But it is playing truthful hard that being a fewer nether aboriginal volition get maine backmost successful there."