Scheffler storms into contention with eight-under 64 at Procore Championship

Scottie Scheffler shot an eight-under-par 64 in the third round of the Procore Championship to move to within two shots of leader Ben Griffin at Silverado Country Club in Napa, California.

Ben Griffin retained the 54-hole lead with a steady 70 and stood at 16 under, one shot ahead of amateur Jackson Koivun, who carded a 68 and sat on 15 under. Scheffler was at 14 under after his bogey-marred but dazzling round.

The world number one produced 10 birdies — five on the front nine and five on the back — and surged from 14th overnight into outright third. A chip into a bunker on the par-four 14th resulted in a double bogey that prevented Scheffler from sharing the lead.

Scheffler, who has won four major championships, had opened the tournament with a 70 that ended a streak of 21 consecutive sub-70 rounds and followed with a 68 in the second round before his 64 on Saturday. "There's definitely some tricks to this golf course, things you've got to get used to," he said. "There are things that are hard to notice in the practice rounds. But when you start playing under tournament conditions you start seeing a little of those nuances."

Griffin, a United States captain's pick for this year's Ryder Cup, is one of 10 U.S. Ryder Cup players participating at Silverado as final competitive preparation for the match against Europe in New York from Sept. 26-28. Griffin, who will make his Ryder Cup debut, said he was adopting an aggressive leader's mentality. "I've got to have that chasing mindset as a leader because I know all those guys behind me are going to stay aggressive and I've got to do everything I can to stay in front," he said.

Twenty-year-old Jackson Koivun, an Auburn University student and playing as an amateur, moved into outright second and drew attention with his 68. Among the other Ryder Cup players in the field, JJ Spaun and Russell Henley were best placed heading into the final round, each at nine under.

The leaderboard after three rounds showed Griffin at 16 under, Koivun at 15 under, Scheffler at 14 under and Garrick Higgo of South Africa at 13 under. Several other notable names, including Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay, were further back as players prepared for a final 18 holes that could reshuffle the top positions ahead of the tournament's conclusion.

Play resumes for the final round with the leading group set to tee off as contenders aim to close out the tournament and finish their tune-ups ahead of the Ryder Cup, where several players in this event will make the trip to New York later this month.