Rookie Austin Eckroat grabs share of lead as Scottie Scheffler falters

A 3rd spherical 63 catapulted rookie Austin Eckroat right into a share of the lead heading into the ultimate spherical of the AT&T Byron Nelson close to Dallas as dwelling favorite Scottie Scheffler slipped again.

Eckroat, chasing his first PGA Tour win and a spot within the USPGA Championship which begins at Oak Hill on Thursday, heads into the closing spherical tied with China’s Zecheng Dou and fellow American Ryan Palmer.

They maintain a two-stroke cushion over Scheffler, former USPGA champion Jason Day, Si Woo Kim and Sweden’s Vincent Norrman with England’s Tyrrell Hatton amongst these a shot additional again.

Eckroat blended seven birdies and a double bogey in his entrance 9 and had no doubts about what profitable would imply.

“A variety of job safety,” he stated. “A variety of issues include profitable a PGA Tour occasion and simply hoping to get that performed.”

Palmer missed an eagle putt on the final to take an outright lead whereas Dou, taking part in on his dwelling course TPC Craig Ranch after settling in Dallas, fired a 64 after contrasting opening rounds of 63 and 70.

“There’s a complete lot extra golf to play, so I’m good within the place like this, creating extra possibilities. That’s all I’m considering,” he stated.

World quantity two Scheffler had opened with a pair of 64s and missed a brief birdie putt to take a two-shot lead on the twelfth however squandered possibilities coming dwelling earlier than needing two goes to get out of a fairway bunker on the 18th.

Hatton, the second-highest ranked participant behind Scheffler at 17, moved into rivalry with three closing birdies to spherical off a bogey-free 65 that leaves him alongside South Korean Sung Yang and Individuals Richy Werenski and Patton Kizzire.