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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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With the world’s top golfer not necessarily playing at his best level lately, many continue to believe he’s a strong contender for a comeback in most tournaments where he makes the cut.
With Round 3 underway on Saturday, Ludvig Aberg currently held the tight lead over second-place contenders that included Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, and Jacob Bridgeman.
As of this writing, Scheffler still appeared on the leaderboard after a bogey-free third round. While still significantly below the top spot, he is tied for 24th with several other golfers, including Ashkay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, and Chris Gotterup.
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That said, he seems to always be a legitimate threat to begin playing out of his mind on the course and surprise everyone with an impressive comeback.
More news: Rory McIlroy Gives Injury Update Ahead of The Players Championship Tee Time
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The first several days weren't Scheffler's best performance, and he seemed in jeopardy of missing the cut. However, on a beautiful Saturday at the course, he reminded everyone what makes him the world's best golfer, connecting on a highlight birdie on the 17th island green.
That was just part of his stellar third round, which helped him reach No. 24, seemingly keeping him alive for another strong round and a potential comeback on Sunday.
As he climbed up the leaderboard, it likely had some of his opponents worried about him catching fire at The Players Championship.
However, Scheffler seemed to cast doubt on his own chances of doing something pretty amazing at TPC Sawgrass this weekend.
"Not unless it starts blowing 30 miles an hour," he joked of his comeback chances, referring to the wind conditions at the course.
When a reporter mentioned that "winning is pretty difficult right now" for him, Scheffler agreed that there's a "pretty low" chance of him getting his third victory at The Players.
"I was a little sharper today than I was the first two days. I felt like I was swinging it better each day of the tournament. Today hit a few more fairways and was able to give myself a few more looks for birdie," he commented after his third round performance.
Scheffler previously won The Players in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024), including a one-stroke margin of victory in his most recent win over Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele.
He entered this year's event as the favorite again, although he's been the favorite in all of the other events he's participated in this year. Unfortunately, many other contenders are looking to get those wins, secure that prize money, and claim their spots among the best golfers in the world.
While he’s highly unlikely to win The Players Championship, he has an impressive record, finishing in the top 25 in every event since the Phoenix Open last year.
More news: Scottie Scheffler Makes Key Change for The Players Championship
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