Xander Schauffele is in contention for another major championship win after another impressive round at the PGA Championship.
Schauffele started the tournament with a two-under 68 on Thursday, but failed to back that up on Friday with his 73.
He is, however, heading into Sunday on three-under after a third-round 66 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
Schauffele was among a number of players making positive use of the reworked hole locations at Aronimink , which had come under plenty of criticism from his fellow players over the first two rounds.
Scottie Scheffler called the Aronimink pins “absurd” on day two, with Schauffele now using the word “diabolical” when describing the early pin setup at the PGA Championship .
When asked how different the challenge was in round three concerning the conditions and pin positions, Schauffele replied: “Yeah, I thought the pin locations the first two days were pretty diabolical.
“Last night I actually thought it wasn’t playing very hard at all. I was just playing really bad golf.
“Happy to sort of make a birdie there and kind of limp in in that fashion. So it was nice to hit more quality crisp shots today and make some birdies.”
And sharing how aware he is of such a congested leaderboard, especially in round three, he said: “Yeah, I was pretty aware today and tomorrow, I called an absolute free-for-all, you know what I mean?
“Just the way the course plays, I mean, someone early goes and shoots something 6-7-under, they might just have a chance to win the whole thing, depending on how windy it gets out there.
“So with that in mind, try to really stay in my lane with Austin [Kaiser, his caddie] and control what we can control.”
Schauffele certainly knows what it takes to win the tournament, having triumphed at the PGA Championship in 2024.
The American won The Open Championship the same year, but is currently without a victory on the PGA Tour this season.
He has, however, just finished his third round at Aronimink within the top 10 and not far off the lead, having evidently preferred Saturday’s setup over the first two days.
Giving his take on the better test between difficult pins or the more generous scoring chances, and sharing which of the two he wants to see on Sunday, Schauffele said: “Yeah, you know, it’s tricky.
“I think tricky or quirky could be the correct word. I mean, man, some of those pin locations are pretty gnarly.
“I really hope they don’t put them there for the members on any day, because, whew, it’s a grind. I think discipline was the biggest thing I could think of the first two days.
“I mean, you have a wedge in your hand, and you’re like I’ve got to hit this to 50 feet or 40 feet, or I can make a 6 or the quickest 5 ever.
“It’s very tricky, and I think that’s why you’re seeing the leaderboard so dense and so compact and everyone within striking distance, but, hey, I’m just here to compete, and I’m enjoying the challenge.
“Like you said, the first two days presented something different. Today was a little bit easier with the pins.
“Tomorrow could be whatever they decide it to be. So I’m just here to compete and enjoying it so far.”
It remains to be seen what the organizers do with the pins on Sunday, with Schauffele’s fellow PGA Tour player Shane Lowry criticizing the Aronimink setup on day three after his even-par 70.
But the American should certainly be full of confidence regardless of the pins after his third round 66, which comprised six birdies, 10 pars and two bogeys.
