In just 25 minutes, Scottie Scheffler shot into U.S. Open contention

LOS ANGELES – Everyone knew world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was hitting it better than anyone coming into the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

He was first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, first in SG: Approach the Green, first in SG: Tee-to-Green, and first in SG: Total. But forget all that. One crazy sequence said it all.

Languishing at 1 over par in the third round, Scheffler holed out for eagle from 196 yards on the 17th hole at Los Angeles Country Club, then birdied the 18th hole for a 2-under 68. In a span of 25 minutes, he had gone from seven shots behind leader Rickie Fowler to just four back.

And with Fowler later bogeying 18 to shoot 70, tied with Wyndham Clark (69) at 10 under, Scheffler will start the final round just three back.

“No, could not see the ball go in,” he said of the 7-iron shot that landed on the front apron and rolled into the cup, the fans around the green erupting as Scheffler chest-bumped his caddie, Ted Scott, and high-fived his playing partner, Cameron Smith.

“But there was a nice crowd there on the grandstand behind the green,” Scheffler continued. “I saw where it landed and I thought it would funnel out on to the green and I'd have a look for birdie and then you could see everybody as the noise started to kind of rise, got excited, and then they erupted, which is always nice when you're standing back there in the fairway.”

It was the second-longest hole-out of Scheffler’s PGA TOUR career (219 yards, 2014 AT&T Byron Nelson, Rd. 3, Hole 2) and sent a tremor across the grounds at LACC. Scheffler, one of the most dangerous players in the game, was suddenly very much in the mix.

This, despite switching out his putter to start the tournament, and later bringing in his backup driver after the face of his gamer caved in and he started hitting everything left Friday night.

“Yeah, I mean, I was fighting all day today, trying to just get myself back in position, starting the day six or seven shots back or whatever it was,” said Scheffler, who began the third round five shots behind Fowler. “Just trying to make some birdies and avoid the bogeys.

“I didn't do a great job of that for most of the day but I grinded it out pretty hard,” he added.

The PGA TOUR Player of the Year last season, when he was T2 at the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, Scheffler has followed it up with yet another stellar campaign. He came into this U.S. Open with 12 top-10 finishes in his last 15 starts. He’s also won twice, at the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship.

The only thing holding him back: He started this week 148th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Now, though, after playing the last two holes in 3 under, his second major title is well within reach. He’ll play in the penultimate group with Rory McIlroy (69) on Sunday.

“Definitely a huge momentum boost going into tomorrow,” Scheffler said of the 25 minutes that changed everything, “and hopefully I'll just keep it rolling.”