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Players Championship 2021 Prize Money: Purse and Payout Info for TPC Sawgrass

Mar 11, 2021
Cameron Champ, Nate Lashley, Kevin Tway and their caddies, walk the 17th green, during the first round of The Players Championship golf tournament Thursday, March 12, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Cameron Champ, Nate Lashley, Kevin Tway and their caddies, walk the 17th green, during the first round of The Players Championship golf tournament Thursday, March 12, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

While it's not the single-most prestigious tournament on the PGA tour calendar, the Players Championship offers both a coveted trophy and lucrative payout.

TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, hosts the event, which is slated for March 11-14, 2021. The course is famous for the "Island Green," a 137-yard par three that is surrounded by water and provides a nerve-testing finish to every round.

And players know it for the massive purse.

Other than the Tour Championship to close the FedEx Cup, the Players Championship has the largest payday on tour.

Last year, a total of $15 million would have been distributed to the 50-person field with $2.7 million to the winner. The purse and winner's prize money are the same in 2021.

Since the coronavirus pandemic halted the 2020 Players after the first round, Rory McIlroy technically enters as the defending champion. He shot a 16-under 272 in 2019, edging Jim Furyk by a shot and earning $2.25 million of a $12.5 million purse.

McIlroy, who didn't win a tournament last year, is hoping the return to Sawgrass also brings back his winning form.

"It's good to be back," he said, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. "It's nice, like I get another bite at the cherry."

McIlroy at The Players in 2019
McIlroy at The Players in 2019

McIlroy is a top contender, but 2020 FedEx Cup champion Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau are among the early favorites. They're paired together for the opening rounds, too.

DeChambeau, the winner of last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, has already forced some changes at Sawgrass. After he suggested trying to drive the ball up the ninth fairway—left of the lake—on the 18th, the PGA nixed that idea.

"In the interest of safety for spectators and other personnel, the Players Championship Rules Committee has installed an internal out of bounds left of the lake for play of hole 18," a statement said.

DeChambeau, Johnson and Collin Morikawa are slated to start Thursday's round at 1 p.m. ET on the first hole. They'll follow Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth at 12:49 p.m.

Additionally, three notable groups start on the 10th early in the morning. Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland hit the course at 7:29 a.m., followed by McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Webb Simpson at 7:40 a.m. and Tyrell Hatton, Xander Schauffele and Paul Casey at 8:02 a.m. local time.

The battle for $2.7 million should be highly entertaining, particularly if the Island Green comes into play Sunday.

          

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

Video: Jordan Spieth Makes Hole-in-1 on No. 2 at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Mar 6, 2021
Jordan Spieth tees off on the 10th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
Jordan Spieth tees off on the 10th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

Jordan Spieth's attempt to move into contention at the Arnold Palmer Invitational got off to a great start Saturday. 

After a birdie on the first hole, Spieth hit an ace on the par-three second hole to bring his score to eight under par:

Spieth began the day tied for seventh at five under par. The 27-year-old is looking to end a winless drought on the PGA Tour that dates back to July 2017 at the British Open. 

He has come close to ending that streak multiple times this season. The Texas native finished two shots behind Brooks Koepka at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and three shots behind Daniel Berger at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month. 

While there's still a lot of golf left to play, Spieth's historic moment at Bay Hill Club is a positive sign for the rest of the weekend.

Genesis Open 2021: Sam Burns Leads Before Play Suspended in Round 3

Feb 20, 2021
Sam Burns watches his second shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
Sam Burns watches his second shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

Sam Burns (10-under) remains in the lead after Saturday's action at the Genesis Invitational as Round 3 was cut short due to darkness after an earlier weather delay kept golfers off the course for nearly four hours due to dangerous winds.  

Gusts along the Pacific Palisades reached 35 miles per hour on Saturday morning, adding a new level of chaos to an already eventful moving day. 

Keegan Bradley suffered as much as anyone due to the wind and became a prime example of why a pause in play was necessary after a lightly-tapped putt caught a breeze and rolled yards away from the pin and off the green. 

Play was ended for the day at 5:58 p.m. PT is slated to resume at 6:50 a.m. PT Sunday with final round action to immediately follow.

Here's a look at the leaderboard as the horn blew on Saturday.

    

Genesis Invitational Saturday Leaderboard

1. Sam Burns (-10)

2. Matthew Fitzpatrick (-8)

T3. Wyndham Clark (-7)

T3. Dustin Johnson (-7)

T3. Max Homa (-7)

6. Patrick Cantlay (-6)

T7. Matt Jones (-5)

T7. Talor Gooch (-5)

T7. Tony Finau (-5)

T7. Alex Noren (-5)

T7. Jason Kokrak (-5)

Notables: T12. Jordan Spieth (-4), T16. Viktor Hovland (-3), T19. Xander Schauffele (-2), T19. Jon Rahm (-2), T19. Collin Morikawa (-2), T39. Rickie Fowler (+1), T50. Brooks Koepka (+2), T64. Matthew Wolff (+5)

Full leaderboard available via PGA Tour

Recap

Burns began the day with a five stroke lead and now finds himself fighting to hang onto first place as he tries to go wire-to-wire. The Louisiana native didn't even commit his first three-putt of the weekend until the back nine on Saturday, where he ended the day with back-to-back bogeys on par fours. 

He'd played an even round until that point, balancing out a bogey on No. 8 with a birdie on No. 10. Now the field will see how he plays on Sunday after entering the clubhouse on a down note for the first time all tournament. Fortunately, Burns still has five holes left in his third round and can try to add back to his lead a bit. 

Unfortunately, some of his biggest challengers have the same amount of holes left, including world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (seven-under) and Max Homa (seven-under), who remain tied for third. Johnson told the broadcast he didn't believe he'd even get back out on the course Saturday with the way the wind was whipping. Now he finds himself in prime position to move into the lead. 

Matthew Fitzpatrick (eight-under) had just one hole left to complete his round when play was halted. The 26-year-old from England but together one of the more turbulent days of anyone in the top ten, netting seven birdies with four bogeys. 

Fitzpatrick put together five birdies in seven holes on the front nine, but the other two were bogeys. That led him to a back nine where he's played rather even and can get to nine-under par on the weekend with a birdie at the par-four 18th hole. 

One of the most intriguing stories to watch on Sunday will be the play of Jordan Spieth (four-under). 

The Texan has put together strong showings over the last three weeks but is still looking for his first victory since 2017.

He'll have his work cut out for him on Sunday when he picks up play on the 16th tee after his third round began to fall apart. Despite three early birdies to move him into second place on Saturday, Spieth began to collapse on the green at No. 7, stringing together five bogeys on his last nine holes of the day. 

If this is truly the beginning of a Spieth comeback season, Sunday's play should tell plenty about whether he can brush off bad rounds and stay in his rhythm. 

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2021: Daniel Berger Earns Victory After Eagle on 18

Feb 14, 2021
Daniel Berger follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Daniel Berger follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

More than three years after falling to Jordan Spieth in a playoff at the 2017 Travelers Championship, Daniel Berger got his revenge. 

Berger broke out of a five-way tie for second place to move ahead of Spieth, who had paced the field for two days, to earn his fourth PGA Tour victory. After grabbing a pair of eagles in his first three rounds of play, he grabbed two more on Sunday—hitting his fourth of the tournament on the 18th hole to clinch the victory that had already fallen well out of Spieth's hands. 

This is the second week in a row that Spieth has had a late-tournament lead spoiled. He was tied for the top spot on the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open before Brooks Koepka claimed the title. Last week, Spieth finished in a tie for fourth. 

Maverick McNealy started the day in seventh place but used an eight-birdie round to put himself in contention to earn his first PGA tour victory, finishing at 16 under to hold a piece of the lead before Berger put it away. 

Entering the final round, there was a five-way tie for second place, with Nate Lashley, Tom Hoge, Russell Knox, Patrick Cantlay and Berger all chasing Spieth from two strokes back. Spieth, whose last victory came at The Open Championship in 2017, sat at 13 under after commanding the leaderboard for two consecutive days. 

On Sunday, he bogeyed twice on the front nine, and while he made up or it with a pair of birdies, Berger and Lashley climbed out of the second-place tie with spectacular play to open.

Berger hit an eagle and a two birdies to take over the lead. 

And on No. 9, Lashley completed a run of three birdies in his last four holes on the front nine to take the outright lead at the turn. 

A triple-bogey on No. 16 sealed the fate of Lashley. 

Final Leaderboard and Prize Payouts

Winner: Daniel Berger (-18), $1,404,000

2: Maverick McNealy (-16); $850,200

T3: Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth (-15); $460,200

T5: Paul Casey, Nate Lashley (-14); $301,275

T7: Charley Hoffman, Cameron Tringale, Max Homa, Jason Day, Russell Knox (-13); $228,930

12: Tom Hoge (-12),  $181,350

13: Kevin Streelman (-11),  $165,750

T14: Cameron Davis, Tom Lewis (-10); $146,255

Full leaderboard at PGATour.com.

Purse payouts via Golf Digest.

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2021: Jordan Spieth Leads Entering Final Round

Feb 13, 2021
Jordan Spieth follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Jordan Spieth follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Jordan Spieth is 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour win in over three years.

Spieth remains in sole possession of the lead at the 2021 Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the second straight day. His score of 13 under par is two shots ahead of a group of five players tied for second place.

It looked like Daniel Berger was going to be sitting alongside Spieth with both players heading to No. 18 at 13 under. Spieth made par to keep his score intact. Berger cost himself off the tee when his drive landed out of bounds. He wound up carding a seven on the par five, dropping his score to 11 under.

Here's the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes remaining from Pebble Beach, via PGATour.com:

1. Jordan Spieth (-13)

T2. Nate Lashley (-11)

T2. Tom Hoge (-11)

T2. Russell Knox (-11)

T2. Patrick Cantlay (-11)

T2. Daniel Berger (-11)

T7. Brian Stuard (-10)

T7. Maverick McNealy (-10)

T7. Jason Day (-10)

T7. Paul Casey (-10)

Berger was virtually flawless in the tournament prior to his gaffe on the final hole. He hit just two bogeys in 53 holes and had his second eagle in as many days Saturday. The Florida native's third-round eagle came on the par-four fourth hole:

That turned out to be the high-water mark of the round for Berger. He is still very much in the mix to win, but Saturday's closing sequence put a stain on what had been an otherwise terrific tournament.

Spieth took what was looking like a disappointing outing and turned it into a solid performance with his own eagle on No. 16. The 27-year-old seemed as if he were going to end the round over par and two shots off the lead, but he found the bottom of the cup from 160 yards out to get under par for the day:

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1360719455517614086

The biggest problem for Spieth on Saturday was on the green. He cost himself 1.29 shots with the putter, but it didn't completely sink his overall game. That trend will likely have to get better Sunday if he wants to win.

Prior to the eagle, Spieth was playing the back nine at three over with bogeys on Nos. 10, 12 and 14.

Nate Lashley looked like he was going to be in the mix with Spieth for the lead heading into the final round. The 38-year-old was playing at six under for the day going onto No. 17. He had to three-putt the par-three hole to take his first bogey of the day.

Things snowballed for Lashley at No. 18 when his first three shots hit the rock outline, fairway bunker and greenside bunker. He finished the hole with a six, his first time bogeying a par five this weekend.

Despite the rough ending to his third round, Lashley's 68 was tied with seven other players for the second-lowest Saturday score.

Being in the lead heading into the final round hasn't been good for Spieth in recent years.

It was just last week that Spieth was tied for the lead after three rounds at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He finished with a 72 on Sunday to finish tied for fourth place, two shots behind Brooks Koepka.

Spieth is chasing his first win since the 2017 Open Championship. He hasn't posted a final-round score under 72 since the ZOZO Championship in October.

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2021: Jordan Spieth Takes Lead with 2nd-Round 67

Feb 12, 2021
Jordan Spieth reads the sixth green of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Jordan Spieth reads the sixth green of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The Jordan Spieth comeback tour is gaining momentum.     

One week after he entered Sunday atop the leaderboard at the Phoenix Open en route to a fourth-place finish, the 27-year-old finds himself back in first place after two rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. Spieth shot a 67 on Friday after an opening-round 65 on Thursday. 

Nearly four years after his last PGA Tour victory, the 2021 season is looking like a reawakening for one of the sports most invigorating talents. 

Here's how the field looks as moving day looms. 

                              

Pebble Beach Pro-Am Friday Leaderboard

1. Jordan Spieth (-12)

2. Daniel Berger (-11)

3. Henrik Norlander (-10)

T-4. Patrick Cantlay (-9)

T-4. Tom Lewis (-9)

T-4. Paul Casey (-9)

7. Russell Knox (-8)

T-8. Brian Stuard (-7)

T-8. Maverick McNealy (-7)

T-8. Cameron Percy (-7)

T-8. Nate Lashley (-7)

T-8. Tom Hoge (-7)

Notables: 14. Jason Day (-6), CUT. Harold Varner III (E), CUT. Luke Donald (+1), CUT. Rickie Fowler (+3), CUT. Phil Mickelson (+10), CUT. John Daly (+13).

Full leaderboard via PGA Tour's official website.

                       

Recap

Spieth played a nearly flawless round, notching six birdies with one bogey. That lone bogey came on hole No. 1, a par-five, after Spieth was forced to three-putt his way out of trouble. 

From there, he tapped in back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 as well as 7 and 8. The final two birdies came on 14 and 17. With the Texas native well ahead of the cut line of one under par, his focus will turn to maintaining his lead over the next two rounds—something the three-time major tournament winner has struggled with in recent years. 

The day's biggest mover was Sebastian Cappelen (four-under), who rose 110 spots on the leaderboard. Cappelen followed up a first-round 75 with a 65, good for the lowest completed score of the day. Daniel Berger (11-under) was right behind him with a round of 66.

Berger caught fire on the front nine, sinking three birdies and an eagle before adding two birdies on the back nine. Only a bogey on the par-four No. 16 kept Berger from sharing the lead with Spieth after two rounds. 

It was a much rougher day for Phil Mickelson. 

Back-to-back bogeys near the end of the front nine proved too tough to come back from as he made the turn. Despite shooting even par through 13 holes, Mickelson unraveled with a double bogey on the par-five No. 14 and recorded bogeys on the next two holes. 

He netted a quadruple bogey with nine strokes on the par-five 18th hole. Mickelson finished the round eight-over to miss the cut.         

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2021: Patrick Cantlay Leads After Record-Tying 62

Feb 11, 2021
Patrick Cantlay follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Patrick Cantlay follows his shot from the seventh tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

It's rare that a player could finish atop the leaderboard and not be the main storyline on the day, like Patrick Cantlay did at the AT&T Pebble Pro-Am in California, shooting a 10-under 62. It's even rarer that a player could tie the course record and not be the main attraction. 

But that was the case on Thursday. Sorry, Cantlay fans, but Akshay Bhatia was the story. 

The 19-year-old sponsor exemption is just two strokes behind Cantlay and in a tie for second place alongside Henrik Norlander, posting a fantastic round to vault himself into the running after the first day of action. 

Bhatia hit some fantastic shots and provided a few of the round's best highlights:

"It was a good day," Bhatia told reporters. "I hit a good amount of fairways and that's relatively easy to do out here just because it's pretty wide. And, yeah, 18 greens gave me a lot of good looks today."

"A good day" was something of an understatement for a player appearing in just his 10th PGA Tour event. If that seems like a lot for a 19-year-old, it's because Bhatia made the decision to bypass college and turn professional, a fairly rare decision for top PGA players, who generally spend some time in college.

But after struggling in the 2019-20 season, the decision appears to be paying dividends. 

"I just gained a lot of confidence playing mini-tour events," he said Thursday. "I won my first one and that was a huge stepping stone for me. Then I made my first cut, finished top-10, which was great. Just doing that over the course of a year was really big for me, and I just know that I'm progressing every time I'm teeing it up."

So far, he's progressed enough to give Cantlay a run for his money. It's no small feat to stay in striking distance of a player who finished the day with 10 birdies and posted some ridiculous shots of his own:

"I feel like I'm in a groove right now," Cantlay told reporters.

He also credited Thursday's excellent conditions for his big round.

"I think we got Pebble in pretty much ideal conditions and I don't think it's going to be like that the rest of the week," he said. "The greens were good this morning and receptive, and so I hit a lot of good shots just right out of the gate and made everything. I didn't have very many long putts, but the mid-range putts that I did have I made all of them."

Among the other notable finishers, Jordan Spieth is in the running after shooting a seven under, while Jason Day (-3), Rickie Fowler (even) and Phil Mickelson (+2) left themselves holes to dig out of over the next three rounds.

"Today you needed to step on the gas pedal and take advantage," Spieth, who tied for fourth at the Phoenix Open last week, told reporters. "I got bested by three today. I'm going to have to keep my foot on the gas."

So will the rest of the field if they hope to keep up with Cantlay. 

Phoenix Open 2021: Brooks Koepka Earns 1-Stroke Victory After Late Surge

Feb 7, 2021
Brook Koepka hits his tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Brook Koepka hits his tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Brooks Koepka earned his first PGA Tour win of the year with a first-place finish at the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The American shot 65 in the final round Sunday to finish 19 strokes under par for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Xander Schauffele in second place. 

Though there was a jumbled leaderboard as the round closed, Koepka went five under in his final six holes, including a clutch chip-in on 17:

A par on 18 was then enough to seal the win, overcoming a five-stroke deficit entering Round 4 behind co-leaders Schauffele and Jordan Spieth.

In a tournament with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas also finishing inside the top 15, it was an impressive win for Koepka at TPC Scottsdale.

        

Final Leaderboard

1. Brooks Koepka (-19)

T2. Kyoung-Hoon Lee (-18)

T2. Xander Schauffele (-18)

T4. Carlos Ortiz (-17)

T4. Steve Stricker (-17)

T4. Jordan Spieth (-17)

T7. Andrew Putnam (-16)

T7. Matthew NeSmith (-16)

T7. Scottie Scheffler (-16)

10. James Hahn (-15)

Full leaderboard and stats of PGATour.com.

         

Spieth was the hottest in the field entering Sunday after shooting 61 in Round 3, but it didn't guarantee any success on the final day.

The three-time major champion instead got off to a slow start early and left the door open for numerous other competitors to stay in contention.

James Hahn took control for a good portion of the round, carding six birdies in his first 10 holes to give himself a solid cushion early:

This didn't last as some bogeys brought him back to earth, including a wild 13th hole:

With Schauffele also struggling to find birdies, it left a wide-open back nine with double-digit competitors within one stroke of the lead at one point.

Carlos Ortiz put up the score to beat early on by getting into the clubhouse at 17 under, going four under in his final four holes.

Steve Stricker, Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Scottie Scheffler also put themselves in the running by hitting this mark.

However, it was Koepka who pulled away thanks to his incredible hole-out from 97 feet:

It was his second eagle of the day after also carding one on No. 3.

Pars on his next nine holes put him out of mind compared to the other surging players, but he was apparently just lying in wait until his red-hot finish.

Even if his putting could have been better overall, he was consistent with 16 greens in regulation in each of his final three rounds.

Lee and Schauffele each had a chance to catch the leader on the final hole but fell short, giving Koepka's his first win since July of 2019.

After some injury-filled seasons, the 30-year-old appears back on track as one of the best in the sport.

Phoenix Open 2021: Jordan Spieth Fires Career-Best 61, Tied with Schauffele

Feb 6, 2021
Jordan Spieth hits off the first tee of the South Course during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Jordan Spieth hits off the first tee of the South Course during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

With three rounds of the Waste Management Phoenix Open finished, Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele are tied at 18 under.

Spieth caught fire Saturday, carding a 10-under 61—the best single round of his career—to rocket up the leaderboard. Schauffele led Steve Stricker and Keegan Bradley by one shot heading into the day, and his six-under 65 helped him keep pace with Spieth.

Having missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, Spieth put together two solid rounds at TPC Scottsdale. He explained Friday how his confidence was "probably higher than it's been in a long time."

"Still certainly not at 100, not feeling like I have my A-game, but I feel like it's trending that direction, which gives me a lot of confidence," the three-time major winner told reporters.

Those weren't empty words as Spieth made the turn at five under and collected back-to-back birdies to start his back nine.

Everything clicked for the 27-year-old. According to PGATour.com, he averaged his furthest distance off the tee (320.4 yards) of the tournament while reaching all but two greens in regulation and gaining 2.490 putting strokes.

Spieth's birdie on No. 10 was a prime example of how he benefited from his fair share of luck when things did go wrong. His tee shot sailed well past the fairway and into the native area, and his second-shot approach wound up in the rough to the left of the green's top edge.

He still managed to find the bottom of the cup from 68 feet out.

Spieth's last PGA Tour win came in the 2017 Open Championship. Plenty of golf fans will be rooting the Texan on come Sunday, and TPC Scottsdale will be rocking if he's in a position to win on the final hole.

That puts Schauffele in the role of the spoiler.

The 27-year-old had a somewhat uneven front nine, bogeying No. 2 before three birdies got him to two under. Things really turned around as he approached the 13th tee.

Schauffele reeled off three straight birdies to climb to within a shot of Spieth. Another birdie on No. 17 gave him a share of the lead.

His approach on No. 18 left him with a 12-foot birdie putt to take first place for himself. The ball rolled to the left of the cup, forcing him to settle for par.

As the final round plays out, the Waste Management Phoenix Open may not be a two-horse race between Spieth and Schauffele. Scottie Scheffler and Kyoung-Hoon Lee both shot five under to sit at 15 under, and Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Thomas are sitting four shots back at 14 under.

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