Germany’s Matti Schmid and American Ben Griffin each fired a two-under par 68 to share the lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
Schmid, chasing his first PGA title, and Griffin, who captured his first victory in a pairs event last month, both stood on 13-under 197 after 54 holes at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I’m a PGA Tour winner now, so that helps. Going into tomorrow very confident,” Griffin said. “I feel like I’m in a really good spot. It seems like me and Matti are going to duel it out a little bit tomorrow, at least try to take advantage of our leads.
“So the pedal is going to be down. I’m excited to get back out there. Excited to go at it and see what I can do.”
American Rickie Fowler was third on 201 after a 67 with Scotsman Robert MacIntyre and Americans Nick Hardy and Akshay Bhatia on 202 and world number one Scottie Scheffler in a pack sharing seventh on 203.
“I think I’ll have an outside chance,” Scheffler said. “I’ll see if I can get out a little earlier than the leaders and post a number.”
Schmid’s best career PGA Tour finish is third, which he has managed three times, most recently last October in Las Vegas.
“A lot of things could happen, so I was just focused on my game trying to execute as good as I can,” Schmid said. “I’ve had a few close calls also on the European Tour. I also played some nice final rounds this year too, so hopefully I can just put one more up there tomorrow, and hopefully that’s enough.”
Griffin took his first PGA title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairs event with Andrew Novak and comes in off his best major result, a share of eighth at last week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
There was drama late as Schmid sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to grab the solo lead while Griffin went over the green at 16 but sank a par putt from just beyond seven feet to stay within one.
But the German found trees left off the 17th tee and punched out into the fairway on his way to bogey, salvaging that on a 13-foot putt to share the lead. Both closed with pars to stay tied at the top as they were when the day began.
Schmid opened with three birdies, on a five-foot putt at the par-five first, a 10-footer at the second and the last from just inside 40 feet at the dogleg par-four third.
Griffin matched Schmid with birdies at the first three holes on putts between four and just over seven feet to stay level for the lead until losing a ball in the right rough and making double bogey at the par-four fifth followed by a bogey at the sixth.
But Griffin birdied the par-three eighth from 11 feet and sank a 34-foot par putt at the 10th to battle back. When Schmid made bogey at the par-five 11th after finding a greenside bunker with his third shot, the two were tied at the top again.
McIlroy skips Memorial
Scheffler, chasing a third straight tour win after the PGA Championship and CJ Cup Byron Nelson, fired a 64.
He reeled off five birdies in the first 10 holes and eagled the par-five 11th but fell back with bogeys at 11 and 12 and followed birdies at 16 and 17 with a closing bogey.
“I made some sloppy bogeys on the back nine, but overall I did some good things,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler is set to defend his title at next week’s Memorial tournament, which second-ranked Masters champion Rory McIlroy will skip as he did this week’s event. McIlroy is expected to play the following three weeks, including next month’s US Open at Oakmont.
