Top 10? That was never the goal.
Scottie Scheffler has finished inside the top 10 in 17 consecutive PGA Tour events, but keeping that streak alive wasn’t on his mind Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Beginning the final round under decent conditions, with weather forecast to deteriorate throughout the day, Scheffler was seven back of 54-hole leader Akshay Bhatia. The world No. 1 then went birdie-eagle-birdie over his first three holes at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
After missing a 4-footer for birdie at the fourth but then saving par from 14 feet at the fifth, Scheffler made his second eagle of the day at the par-5 sixth. His approach shot from 256 yards finished 25 feet from the hole, into which he buried his putt with little emotion.
A tee shot to 9 feet on the short par-3 seventh set up another birdie, getting him to 18 under for the tournament (7 under through seven holes on the day) and one behind Bhatia, who was just starting his final round.
That deficit quickly changed, however, as Bhatia birdied the par-5 second and Scheffler bogeyed the par-4 eighth, putting the latter three back. After a par at the ninth to turn in 30, Scheffler regained his momentum with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11.
Again, he found himself one off the lead, this time held by Jacob Bridgeman, who birded four of his first six holes Sunday. Bhatia lost ground with bogeys at the fourth and sixth holes to fall two off the pace.
Scheffler is making his third start of the season. He won in his debut at The American Express and overcame a slow start at the WM Phoenix Open to tie for third.