Patrick Reed OK with being bad guy but leave his family out of it

FORT WORTH, Texas — The quiet of Colonial made Xander Schauffele feel as though he were back home in San Diego playing with his friends. In this case, his buddies happen to be some of the biggest stars in golf. Schauffele made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to break out of a six-way share of the lead with a 4-under 66, giving him one-shot lead over an all-star cast going into a final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. RELATED: Leaderboard | ‘Who’s who’ leaderboard heading into weekend at Colonial Jordan Spieth took only 10 putts on the front nine and had the lead until he didn’t hit the 15th green from 81 yards away, leading to bogey. He had a 68 and was in a chasing pack that featured Justin Thomas, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa and Branden Grace. The PGA TOUR returned after three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it didn’t take long to show its fan base just what it was missing. Fourteen players were separated by three shots, including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Patrick Reed, who made the cut with one shot to spare and shot 63 to give him a chance. Golf fans should be in for a treat — in front of the TV, anyway. Colonial is the first of five tournaments in the return to golf that doesn’t allow spectators. Players have had three days to adjust to the lack of sound. Sunday is different, everyone trying to generate their own momentum without the energy typically delivered from outside the ropes. Schauffele was at 13-under 197. Woodland birdied his last two holes for a 66 and will play with his Presidents Cup teammate in the final group. Right behind will be Thomas, the former PGA champion and world No. 1, who went 11 holes without making a birdie in good scoring condition until two over the final five holes in a 66 that put him right in the mix. He played alongside Grace, who also had a 66. Spieth passed a big test. Stuck in a slump, he had five tournaments last season when he started with two rounds in the 60s and was left behind when he couldn’t break par on Saturday. There were a few anxious moments for him, such as an iron off the fifth tee that would have finished on the practice range if not for a fence in place for the tournament. He got up-and-down from short of the green to escape with birdie. His next tee shot was right and banged off a cart — one the loudest sounds of the day — leaving him blocked by a tree. He punched it low into a back bunker and saved par. But he didn’t make a birdie over the final nine holes, and the 15th cost him when his lob wedge came up short. No matter. He was one off the lead, and his tie for second is his best 54-hole position since the Colonial last year. He shot 72 in the final round and tied for eighth. Harold Varner III, still looking for his first PGA TOUR victory, started with a one-shot lead and birdied the opening hole. That was his last birdie. Varner couldn’t get putts to fall, including two birdie chances inside 8 feet toward the end. He had to settle for a 70, but was still only two shots behind. Looking up at Schauffele is not the issue. It’s looking around at everyone else. McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, were among the players who went into Sunday with a realistic chance. The field was the strongest Colonial has seen, not surprising because so many players stuck at home for the last three months were eager for competition. And this week has made clear that so many of them came to play.

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Bubba Watson hasn’t played well in the U.S. Open. But he goes into the weekend in this one in position. Can he do it?

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Tom Lehman played in ten Buick Open’s dating back to his first in 1983 so he knows exactly what Warwick Hills offers – a lot of birdie opportunities. It led to a bunched leaderboard at the top that includes Lehman after he sank a 7-foot birdie on 18 to get in the clubhouse at 10-under par. After a second straight 5-under, 67, he’ll try to protect his spot at the top heading into Sunday. “There’s so many guys close and there’s so many good scores being shot, the guys are bunched up here at the top,â€� said Lehman, who won The Open Championship in 1996. “I think when you’re in or near the lead, that’s really good.  Whether you’re tied for the lead or a shot behind or two shots behind, you know, it’s all the same.â€� Lehman will go for his 12th PGA TOUR Champions victory. He won the Principal Charity Classic in early June. Lehman was sharp on Saturday with six birdies and just one bogey. He’s made just two bogeys through 36 holes. The five-time PGA TOUR winner shares the lead with Scott McCarron and Jeff Maggert heading into the final round. The leaders will play together starting at 1:35 p.m. “If you drive it well, you’re going to be able to attack pins, and the greens are so perfect, you’re going to make putts.  Scores tend to be low here and there’s going to be a lot of guys shooting low, so there’s the possibility for fireworks tomorrow.â€� Maggert will aim for his first win since the 2015 DICK’S Sporting Goods Open and will be relying on his 14 years playing the Buick Open at Warwick Hills. “I did play a lot of good rounds here in the Buick Open days, so looking for one more good round tomorrow.  I feel like I left a good one out there today, so hopefully I’ll make it up tomorrow.â€� Scott McCarron Notes • It’s the second time he shot 63 in his last three rounds, as he won the Shaw Charity Classic after carding a 7-under 63 on Sunday. • Should he go on to win, McCarron would be the first player to win back-to-back events since Bernhard Langer, who did it twice in 2017. • Entering this week, McCarron has four wins in nine tries when he starts the final round as a leader/co-leader. He is 0-for-2 when in that position this year (T3/KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, T4/Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship). • All eight of McCarron’s wins on PGA TOUR Champions have been by one stroke or by playoff. In two of his victories, he opened with a score in the 70s (70/2018 American Family Insurance Championship, 71/2017 DICK’S Sporting Goods Open). • McCarron will play in Sunday’s final group for the fifth time in 20 starts this season. Mark O’Meara Notes • O’Meara started on No. 10 and birdied seven of his first eight holes en route to a 6-under 30. The round of 8-under 64 is one off his career-best on PGA TOUR Champions, and it’s his best score since he shot 7-under 64 at the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship. •    His career-low round in 18 starts at the Buick Open was 64 (R3/1984), and his best finish was T2 in 2002. • O’Meara is the fifth-oldest player in the field (he will be 61 years, 8 months, 3 days on Sunday). Should he go on to win, he would be the seventh-oldest winner in PGA TOUR Champions history. Entering this week, 19 players have won 26 tournaments at the age of 60 or older. • O’Meara has two career wins on PGA TOUR Champions, the last being the 2010 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. If he wins Sunday, it would mark the second-longest gap between victories in Tour history (7 years, 11 months, 6 days). • In 13 starts this year, his best finish was T13 at the Regions Tradition and Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, and he is currently 66th in the Charles Schwab Cup To come play on the PGA TOUR Champions and finish 40th or 50th is not my cup of tea. Now, I have to go out and practice, come out and compete a little more and that’s my goal for next year.

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