PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Scottie Scheffler’s pain in the neck still isn’t causing him many headaches.
Though limited in his range of motion by a neck issue that popped up Friday, Scheffler managed to come home with three consecutive birdies to shoot a 4-under 68 Saturday and give himself an outside chance to become the first player to successfully defend his title at The Players Championship.
Scheffler is at 12-under 204, five shots back of Xander Schauffele.
“My reflections on today would just be how I was proud of how I battled out there,” Scheffler said. “I’m not one to ever really give up. So to finish the round the way I did and still give myself a chance in this tournament is very good, and I’m definitely going to use that momentum going into tomorrow.”
After an opening 66, Scheffler said that he felt a twinge in his neck while playing his second shot into the par-5 11th hole, his second of the day. For the next hour or two, he was continually worked on by a PGA Tour masseuse, and he skipped his post-round media obligations in order to receive treatment.
Scheffler said he woke up in better shape Saturday than the previous night, and, while wearing KT tape, his neck loosened up a bit as the third round progressed.
But that doesn’t mean he was fully healthy.
“When I get the club to about halfway back, I start feeling a lot of pain in my neck,” he said, “Curving the ball right to left with longer clubs is very difficult, just because I can’t get fully turned back. Overall, I’m just using my hands a lot, trying to hit shots. I’m just kind of slapping it around out there. Get it up there somewhere near the green and hopefully get up and down or make some putts.”
Even while “slapping it around,” Scheffler still ranks fourth in the field this week in strokes gained: tee to green – only slightly worse than his usual proficiency. He said he didn’t believe the issue would affect his upcoming schedule, with the Masters less than a month away; his next expected start is in two weeks, at the Houston Open.
“It’s unfortunate timing,” Scheffler said, “but outside of that, it’s nothing serious. It’s just a little pain in the neck.”
