Ben Griffin, Matti Schmid lead at Charles Schwab golf event with shot at first individual wins
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Ben Griffin of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.
PHOTO: AFP
FORT WORTH – Even with a couple of PGA Tour stars eager to emerge into the mix at the top of the Charles Schwab Challenge leaderboard, Ben Griffin and Germany’s Matti Schmid will keep the focus on their tasks.
They each shot two-under 68s in the third round on May 24 to maintain the top spots in their quests for breakthrough victories at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
The duo have been tied at the end of all three rounds this week. They are at 13-under 197 with a four-shot lead.
“I feel like I’m in a really good spot,” Griffin said.
“It seems like me and Matti are going to duel it out a little bit (on Sunday) based on the way the leaderboard is, at least try to take advantage of our leads that we currently have over third and fourth.”
Rickie Fowler and Scottie Scheffler are hanging around. Fowler posted 67 to move to third place at nine-under 201, while world No. 1 Scheffler ploughed his way through the field with a 64, putting him at seven-under 203.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre shot 64 to sit at eight-under 202 and was joined in a fourth-place tie by Nick Hardy (67) and Akshay Bhatia (69).
Scheffler, who won the PGA Championship and is seeking to extend his winning streak to three tournaments, is up to a tie for seventh. He had an eagle on the 11th hole, but three bogeys and two birdies the rest of the way zapped some of the momentum.
“I felt like I definitely rolled it better than I did the first two days,” Scheffler said.
“Outside of that, I wouldn’t say there was really a huge difference. I just hit a couple of better shots.
“You are always going to hope to go play a perfect round. It basically never happens.
“I mean, three bogeys definitely hurts, especially when you are trying to chase, but overall I did some good things today. I’m definitely going to need to do more of the same (on Sunday).”
Griffin is bidding for his second PGA Tour victory, but the first in an individual competition. He was part of the pairing with Andrew Novak to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April.
Schmid, in his 79th tour event, is seeking his first victory. His best finishes are a pair of third places.
“I had a few close calls also on the European Tour,” Schmid said. “I played some nice final rounds this year too, so hopefully I can just put one more up there.” REUTERS