(Reuters) – The third round of the PGA Championship got underway on Saturday at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky where Scottie Scheffler, set to play a day after being released from jail, will be chasing halfway leader Xander Schauffele.
World number one Scheffler put himself into the mix on Friday shortly after being arrested on four counts, including second-degree assault of a police officer, after what he said was a “big misunderstanding” as he tried to enter Valhalla.
Scheffler, who is three shots back of reigning Olympic champion Schauffele and in a four-way share of fourth place, will go out in the penultimate group from the first tee at 1:29 p.m. ET (1729 GMT) with Belgian Thomas Detry and Mark Hubbard.
World number three Schauffele, who is seeking his first major championship title, leads the way at 12-under on the week, which matched the lowest 36-hole score in relation to par at a PGA Championship that was set by Brooks Koepka in 2019.
Schauffele will go out in the final group from the first tee at 1:40 p.m. ET in the company of twice major champion Collin Morikawa, who is one shot off the lead, and Sahith Theegala who is a further shot adrift in third.
LIV Golf’s Koepka, looking to become the PGA Championship’s first repeat winner since he successfully defended in 2019, will set out at 12:45 p.m. ET and is five shots off the lead.
Sitting seven shots back of Schauffele and in a share of 23rd place is Rory McIlroy, who is looking to snap a 10-year major drought and arrived at Valhalla among the favourites.
A further shot back is Jordan Spieth, who needs a win this week to become only the sixth player to complete the coveted career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors.
Friday’s action was suspended due to darkness with 17 players still on the course and the resumption of the second round on Saturday was delayed due to heavy fog.
As a result, organisers sent players out in groups of three from the first and 10th tees for the third round at Valhalla where 78 golfers from a starting field of 156 made the one-under cut — the first under-par cut in PGA Championship history.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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