How did defending champion Scottie Scheffler perform in Round 3 of The Masters?

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler closed Moving Day of the ongoing Masters at even par. He is currently ranked T6 after Round 3 with a total score of 5-under.

Scheffler posted two birdies and two bogeys on Saturday (April 12). He started his day on a high note after recording a birdie on the par-4 second hole. However, that didn't translate throughout the day as he struggled to score birdies. The ace golfer hit his last birdie of the day par-4 15th hole.

Here is his scorecard:

1. 4 (Par)
2. 4 (Birdie)
3. 4 (Par)
4. 3 (Par)
5. 4 (Par)
6. 3 (Par)
7. 5 (Bogey)
8. 5 (Par)
9. 4 (Par)
10. 4 (Par)
11. 4 (Par)
12. 4 (Bogey)
13. 5 (Par)
14. 4 (Par)
15. 4 (Birdie)
16. 3 (Par)
17. 4 (Par)
18. 4 (Par)

The World No. 1 is currently trailing leader Rory McIlroy by seven strokes. LIV Golf Bryson DeChambeau is ranked second.

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"I had to scramble a lot today, actually" - Scottie Scheffler on his performance in Round 3 of the Masters

Scottie Scheffler at the 2025 Masters (Source: Imagn)

After his third round, defending champion Scottie Scheffler gave a review of his play at Augusta National on Saturday.

"At times I felt good, at times I felt bad. I just couldn’t really get anything going. I had to scramble a lot today, actually. I got off to a good start (with a birdie on No. 2), but after that I didn’t really feel like I gave myself enough opportunities, and the opportunities that I did have, I didn’t really quite take advantage of," he said via AP News.

However, despite his disappointment with his play on Saturday, Scheffler will not change his game plan for the final round on Sunday (April 13). He cited examples of his "two big comebacks" from last year at the Players Championship and the Paris Olympics.

"There is a school of thought when it comes to that, but when I think about last year, I had two big comebacks, one at The Players Championship and one at the Olympics. Did I press or force things? Did I play more aggressive? Not really. I just gave myself the most amount of opportunities and I hit a lot of good shots and was able to hole some putts," he added.

The World No. 1 is not out of contention yet and can still retain his title at the Masters this year. However, the margin between him and Rory McIlroy is not narrow. Not only would Scheffler need to catch up on the seven-stroke deficit but also score better than the Northern Irishman on Sunday to win the iconic tournament.

Scheffler said he would practice on Saturday night and hinted at a possible comeback in the final round.

"I’m going to go hit a few balls tonight, see if I can get a good feel going into tomorrow — and then you never know,"

If Scottie Scheffler manages to defend his title, he would be the fourth golfer after Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, and Jack Nicklaus to win the Masters consecutively.