Players: Scottie Scheffler says winning at TPC Sawgrass is more important than regaining world No. 1 | Golf News

Scottie Scheffler will be world No. 1 again if he finishes in the top 5 at TPC Sawgrass after Jon Rahm withdraws; Scheffler leads Min Woo Lee twice in the final round – watch live on Sky Sports Golf from 2pm on Sunday

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Nick Dougherty and Rich Beem consider the best from leader Scottie Scheffler’s third round at the Players Championship

Scottie Scheffler says winning The Players was more important to him than regaining world No 1 as he advanced to the finals at TPC Sawgrass with a two-stroke lead.

The world No 2 will overtake Jon Rahm if he finishes in the top 5 at Ponte Vedra Beach on Sunday with Rahm withdrawing from The Players before the second round due to a stomach virus.

Scheffler is at 14 under 14 after 54 holes, with Min Woo Lee, his closest challenger at 12 under, and British trio Tommy Fleetwood (9 under), Aaron Rai (9 below) and Justin Rose (seven below) below) are also scrambling to be the first player from their home country to win the tournament.

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Scheffler scored a beautiful hole-punch from the start of the third half

Scheffler said: “I think the rankings are just an algorithm. I would rather win the tournament than go back to the No. 1 in the world.

“My focus is to go out and have a solid round of golf and the ranking will be the ranking.”

Scheffler: Hard work pays off

Scheffler is aiming for a second win in 2023 after successfully defending his WM Phoenix Open title last month, while Sunday’s victory in Florida will make the 2022 Masters champion a sixth time in more than a year. .

He added: “I’m prepared to be in these moments. I’m prepared to come out here and play well.

“As I stay home to prepare for tournaments, I hope that I get the position, and I’ve been lucky so far this year that the hard work is continuing to pay off.

“I’ve been on a lot of leaderboards and it’s a lot more fun to be at the top than at 20. It’s a lot more fun to be in the arena and be in the moment.”

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Tommy Fleetwood wants to be the first Englishman to win The Players

Fleetwood: ‘It’s great’ to be contested at The Players

Fleetwood is still looking for her first PGA Tour win in six DP World Tour appearances.

Asked if that would give any extra motivation, the Englishman said: “No, not really. That’s the goal, the dream, the motivation as long as I’m here.

“I’d love to do it now. I’d love to do it many times. But I haven’t. Sunday is another chance.

“I think it would be great to be out there teeing off on Sunday with the chance to win The Players. It’s a great feeling.

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England’s Aaron Rai took 17th place at TPC Sawgrass on Saturday

“But it’s important for me to play like the player I want to be, and at that standard with the best players in the world, to continue to give myself more opportunities.

“I didn’t put myself in the competition enough earlier this year, so this is the best time to start. The more I can play as I want, the more opportunities I give myself, and my hopes, my. time will come.”

Rose: Winning at Pebble Beach took the pressure off

Rose is two places behind compatriot Fleetwood after making a bogey in 18th on Saturday.

The 42-year-old is looking to add to the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm title he won last month, his first win since 2019.

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Justin Rose says he almost had a ‘special’ third round at The Players

“Obviously I’ve had a lot of success on the PGA Tour and the past two seasons have not been easy,” Rose said.

“The results are not so good so sometimes you have to scratch your head. I think that can lead to a bit of disappointment.

“Hopefully winning takes a bit of the valve out of the pressure cooker. You can go a little deeper into it, play a little more free.

“When you confidently top the charts week after week, you play in a slightly different style.”

Watch the Players’ final round live on Sky Sports Golf from 2pm on Sunday.

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