Adam Scott and third-round co-leader Tyrrell Hatton are connected for 3rd at 11-under, 5 shots behind Clark. Tommy Fleetwood, Harris English and Sungjae Im are 6 shots off the speed.
Defending champ Max Homa shot 68 and is 8 under for the competition.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., are both connected for ninth at 8-under with 5 other golf enthusiasts.
Clark is within striking range of the competition’s 72-hole scoring mark (in relation to par) of 21-under 267 set by Rory McIlroy in 2015. That was when Quail Hollow played to a par 72; it is now a par 71.
But today, Clark would happily go for his very first win on trip.
“I’m excited to see how I handle the pressure,” Clark said. “It’s going to be a fun challenge. Obviously it’s going to be tough, I have one of the best players in the world right behind me and a bunch of other good players. I’m just really looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.”
At one point Saturday, there were 11 gamers connected for the lead.
Then Clark stepped on the course and shot 31 on the front 9 and published birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15. He struck his very first 17 greens prior to his method shot on No 18 arrived at the fringe, less than 2 inches off the green. He required simply 28 putts on Saturday, finest in the field.
Still, Schauffele wouldn’t let Clark retreat.
Schauffele put his 260-yard method shot on No. 15 to within 27 feet to establish an eagle, and after that included a birdie on 16 to cut Clark result in 2.
He said watching Clark playing so well just motivated him to play much better.
“Once these guys out here see someone do it, they just end up doing it,” Schauffele said. “Like when it’s really cold and rainy, you feel like, man, I feel like 3 under would be a good score, then someone shoots 7 under and then all of a sudden 3 under is like 30th. So guys are really good out here. Monkey see, monkey do is definitely a thing that happens out here.”
While he has actually never ever won, Clark’s ascension on the leaderboard doesn’t come as a big surprise provided his recent play. He has actually completed in the leading 6 in 3 of his last 5 competitions and hasn’t missed out on a cut given that last October’s Shriner’s Open.
The closest Wyndham concerned winning remained in 2020 when he lost to Brian Gay in a playoff at the Bermuda Championship. He said he’s a far better golf enthusiast now since he’s much more powerful psychologically.
Wyndham credits meditation and reading books to enhance his psychological focus for his enhanced play.
“I’d say it’s one of the parts of my game that I’ve worked on in the past, but this time I kind of went all in and said, ‘This is kind of the last straw for me,’” Wyndham said. “So I kind of went all in on working on the mental game.”
One of the books he has actually checked out is called “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon.
“It was all about self talk, positive self talk and what that can do to your life and just perspective,” Wyndham said. “I had a lot of other books that I’ve read thus far. I mean, really it’s just more of making an effort to put in a lot more time on it and off the golf course.”
Scott, who has actually won 14 times on the PGA Tour and 11 more on the European trip, understands the pressure Clark is feeling and how winning the very first competition can look like an overwhelming task.
Scott said the secret is to keep your nerves under control.
“I know that’s easier said than done, but that’s kind of what it felt like,” Scott said of his own very first profession win. “You’ve got to just do the same stuff that got you to that position through three days.”
Brendon Todd was among the huge movers Saturday, shooting a 65 to get to 9 under.
McIlroy’s quote for a 4th win at Quail Hollow is basically over after the world’s third-ranked gamer stopped working to make a relocation on Saturday, shooting an irregular 71 that left him at 1 under for the competition. McIlroy had actually formerly won the occasion in 2010, 2015 and 2021.
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Steve Reed, The Associated Press
