Charlotte (USA), May 18 (IANS) World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler stormed into a three-shot lead at the PGA Championship ahead of Sunday’s final round at Quail Hollow. He carded a superb round of 65 – playing his final five holes in five under – to end the day on 11 under par for the tournament.

Sweden’s Alex Noren holds solo second spot on eight under, making birdies on four of his final five holes to shoot 66. Spain’s Jon Rahm and American Bryson DeChambeau both briefly held the lead before finishing at six under and five under par, respectively.

Scheffler stood on the 14th tee, 304 yards from the hole. It was nearly perfect, the ball climbing onto the green and settling just inside 3 feet away. The eagle put him atop the leaderboard for good and started a closing stretch that was nothing short of a clinic, 5 under over the last five holes. It sent him to a 6-under 65 and a three-shot lead as Scheffler closed in on a third major championship, PGA Tour reports.

Time moved quickly once that ball was in the air for Scheffler, both for him and the combatants surrounding him on the leaderboards lining the Green Mile. Scheffler stood on the 14th tee at 6 under, having just dropped a shot on the par-3 13th to fall two shots off the lead of Bryson DeChambeau. But DeChambeau found the water on No. 17 just minutes before Scheffler made eagle on No. 14, and the cascade of momentum went in opposite directions.

DeChambeau played closing three holes in 3 over to finish at 5 under, while Scheffler was only getting started in his effort to distance himself from an otherwise crowded leaderboard that at one point featured a five-way tie at the top. He followed with a birdie on the par-5 15th, played the difficult 16th to perfection and birdied the last two holes of Quail Hollow’s infamously difficult closing stretch – lacing his tee shot on No. 17 to 18 feet and rolling in a 9-foot birdie on the last green despite finding a divot off the tee.

DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion who has been a major force at golf’s biggest events, briefly took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 15th. And then it all came undone. He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th.

DeChambeau was stunned to see his ball find the water on the 17th that led to double bogey. He had to scramble for par on the 18th and a 69. He was three behind when he finished, six behind when Scheffler got done with his masterful performance.

–IANS

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