Despite not hitting the golf course competitively for a few months, Scottie Scheffler picked up where he left off from the FedEx Playoffs as he surged into a two stroke lead at the Hero World Challenge.
Reaching the halfway stage of the tournament holding a two stroke lead, the -13 total that the Texan has been able to reach is the lowest in the tournament's history and there could be more to come over the weekend.
Trying to chase down the world number one is the supremely talented Akshay Bhatia and Justin Thomas. The pair will start their third rounds two behind on -11.
Ahead of what looks to be an exciting weekend in the Bahamas, here are the talking points that have arisen through the first two days of play.
Scottie Scheffler continues to prove that he is a class apart
With the fractured nature of the men’s professional game and with the numerous different tours, you could be forgiven in wondering who the best player in golf is. However, the answer is easy as it’s clearly Scottie Scheffler.
The world number has won an astonishing seven PGA titles and also took home an Olympic gold medal. A two time major winner, Scheffler is one of the hardest workers in the game and if he is playing at his best, few can keep up with him.
His full array of talent has been on display through the first two rounds and after a solid opening round 67, the world number one made his move yesterday with a bogey free round of 64. Nearly all of the damage was inflicted on the front nine with the American birdieing seven of the nine holes and putting himself in a dominant position.
Hoping to continue his fine scoring and perhaps break even more scoring records, Scheffler cooled down on the back nine, only finding one birdie, however importantly he kept his scorecard clean and maintained a two shot lead to the chasing pack.
Playing golf from another planet, it will be hard for Scheffler to top his achievements from this year but he seems hellbent on trying. Ahead of the tournament starting this week he declared that he would be playing in five of the first seven tournaments of the year and will be playing one of his biggest ever seasons since turning professional.
Scheffler will have one ultimate aim for 2025 and that will be to win more majors. Despite being the top force in the game for the last three years, the world number one would be slightly disappointed that so far he has only been able to win two majors, with both of those wins coming in the heavenly setting of Augusta.
With Scheffler being the most legitimate contender when it comes to comparisons to the great Tiger Woods, Scheffler will hope to emulate the fifteen time major by becoming far more consistent at the majors.
Over the last few years Scheffler has proven that he can win on every type of course and it’s almost guaranteed that he will start as the favourite for every major event next season. Wanting to cement his legacy as an all time great, he will hope to set up an exciting 2025 with a victory over the weekend.
Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia hope to sign off year in style
Starting the third round as Scottie Scheffler’s nearest challengers in the third round are the American duo of Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia.
It’s easy to forget that Justin Thomas is still just 31 years old. A veteran of the PGA Tour, Thomas has scaled the heights, a former world number one and two time major winner, the man from Kentucky has had a turbulent time recently and is without a win since landing his last major championship back in 2022.
Now ranked 25 in the world, Thomas will be desperate to end that losing streak this weekend and he has put himself in a brilliant position to challenge.
Posting two rounds of 66 and 67, Thomas looks to be in control of every element of his swing and when he is in this mood he can be a tough man to stop.
The problem for Thomas over the last two seasons is his ability to string four good rounds together. Inconsistent off the tee, errors have crept into his game and it can often lead to him tumbling back down the leaderboard. The third round will be a good test as to where he stands mentally as he hopes to remain close to his Ryder Cup teammate.
If Justin Thomas has been trending in the wrong direction, one man who is emerging as a real player on the professional scene is Akshay Bhatia.
Having turned professional when he was just 17, Bhatia is still just 22 and is without doubt one of the brightest young sparks in the game.
Twice a winner on the PGA Tour including at the Texas Open earlier this season, the tall and rangy left hander has been steadily climbing the world rankings and finds himself ranked at 31 in the world.
Considering the world class field in attendance this week, Bhatia is a surprise name at the top of the leaderboard but he carries a lot of positive momentum into the third round following a great second round 66.
Setting himself up for numerous birdie opportunities thanks to an array of booming drives and superb wedge shots, when the young American is in full flight there are few finer sights in the game.
Bhatia has already proven that he has the class to hang with some of the best players in the world, but a win this weekend will take his career to a completely new stratosphere. It will be fascinating to see how he handles the occasion.
Others will hope to force their way into contention
Although Scheffler could be tough to overhaul at the top of the leaderboard there will be plenty who will hope to have a solid third round and force their way into contention.
Keegan Bradley will start today at -9 and four off the lead. The U.S. Ryder Cup Captain for the event in 2025, Bradley has hopes to make history by becoming the first playing captain and a win this weekend could enhance those prospects.
A second round 67 didn’t contain a bogey and has set himself up nicely for him to muster a challenge today. The winner of the BMW Championship just a few months ago, Bradley knows what it takes to win and is in good form. He could be one to watch with real interest over the weekend.
Ludvig Aberg, Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala are all within seven strokes of the lead and will all hope to use the third round to vault themselves into contention ahead of the final round.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
