Scottie Scheffler has won three of the past five events he's contested - the WGC-Dell (worth $2.1 million), Arnold Palmer Invitational ($2.160 million) and Waste Management Phoenix Open ($1.426 million), and has put $5.736 million in the bank. 

    He's threatening to make it four of the last six as he heads into today's third round of The Masters at 8 under par (69-67-136), five strokes ahead of Charl Schwartzel, Sumjae Im, Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama. Scheffler has tied an elite group of five others who have held a 5-stroke lead at the halfway point. 

    Tied for sixth at 2 under are Harold Varner III, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na and Cameron Smith, who opened with 68 Thursday and fell to 74 yesterday. 

    After an opening 76, Ocala's Louis Oosthuizen bowed out without playing yesterday, his problem back acting up again. 

    After his eye-opening 71 on Thursday, Tiger Woods began by making four bogeys on the first five holes and looked like the fairytale scenario was over. But he rebounded with four birdies and two more bogeys and wound up at 2 over for the day and 1 over for 36 holes; he's tied for 19th. So, the mammoth galleries he's attracted for two days will continue. 

    Seminole Daniel Berger is alive at 2 over as is Gator Billy Horschel at 3 over. Brooks Koepka is among those who missed the cut at 6 over. The cut see-sawed all day and finally wound up at 4 over. On the sidelines for the weekend will also be such as Sam Burns (+5), Zach Johnson (+5),  Abe Ancer (+6), Jordan Spieth (+6), Xander Schauffele (+6), Justin Rose (+8), Gary Woodland (+8) and Bryson DeChambeau (+12). 

    Every past winner now playing the Champions Tour was unable to make it inside the cut line.  

    Today will be a telling time for the trailers. Only a major fall by Scheffler is going to draw the rest of the field closer, and the way he's playing, it doesn't look probable.  

 

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