The Players Championship Round 3: Xander or Wyndham – who ya got?! | Golf Channel Podcast

In this third-round recap from The Players, the guys discuss Xander Schauffele’s impressive Saturday, Wyndham Clark’s ugly chunk on 17, and who could surprise on the final day at TPC Sawgrass. #ThePlayersChampionship #PGATour #GolfChannel
0:00: Biggest takeaways from Round 3 of The Players
03:30: Xander Schauffele taking his game to the next level
07:00: What to make of Wyndham Clark losing the lead
12:00: Brian Harman’s surge into contention
14:00: Typical eclectic Players leaderboard – but the stars shine in March
20:00: Scottie Scheffler’s gritty play through injury
Welcome to Golf Channel’s official YouTube channel. We are the #1 destination for everything golf – 24/7. Find golf instruction tips, sneak peeks to our original series, news and tournament coverage. We are part of the NBC Sports Group.

Discover what else Golf Channel has to offer:
Live Coverage on Peacock: https://peacocktv.smart.link/v82e9dl56
Live Scores: http://bit.ly/GCScores
TV Schedule: https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/schedule
Instructional Tips: https://www.golfpass.com/learn
Golf Course Reviews: http://bit.ly/GCCourseReviews

The Players Championship Round 3: Xander or Wyndham – who ya got?! | Golf Channel Podcast https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1

Hello and welcome into this edition of the Golf Channel podcast with Rex and lav we have a new leader at this Players Championship Xander chafl sh a 7even under 65 on Saturday to Leap Frog Windam Clark and take the outright 54 hole lead Windam Clark is now a shot back after a

Saturday 70 Brian Haron go dogs is Two Shots behind Rex you’ve had a very long day we’ll certainly get into that at the end of this podcast what’s your takeaway right now though uh it it it actually turned around late in the day it looked

Early and you and I kind of talked about this yesterday it was starting to feel like web Simpson year right and this is not meant as a SLA to the web Simpson at all it’s just runaway victories aren’t the most exciting things to cover and we

Were saying that all right web led by five through two rounds and seven through three rounds and we were like if Windham is leading through by seven through three rounds one of us should probably go home we were joking we didn’t mean it but I was taken well by

Two things one Xander played pretty much a Flawless round and he did it From the Rough I mean he kind of told me after the round when I asked him what did you do well and he said well I was just told I only hit 12 Fairways so apparently I

Didn’t drive the ball very well and I I kind of halfheartedly said I’m sorry and he goes don’t feel sorry for me I I think it kind of speaks to the dynamic between those two and I am actually very much looking forward to this Sunday

Round and this is how I I want to sell it like we seem to have a hard time on the PGA tour in professional golf selling final rounds based on the ratings from last week at Bay Hill so I’m going to try to sell this one a

Little better uh just for context this is the eighth time that Xander and wendam have been paired together on the PGA tour you may want to know that Windham actually holds the head-to-head Advantage four two and one and those head-to-head pairings now the most important one biggest one obviously goes

Back to last year at the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday wind him out D Xander to win his first P blew the doors off him it wasn’t even close last year it wasn’t it wasn’t and Xander’s defense he was two strokes back going into to that final round but you’re right it

Wasn’t and I caught it with Xander this afternoon and and I’m trying to manufacture something here so work with me a little bit and I asked him what did you remember about that Sunday at Quil Hollow and he said look I like Windam you know we get along he actually called

It a jovial time but he kind of paused and he goes quote it was a little too laidback and when he kind of expanded on that he said look he has a tendency he wants to ramp up his intensity he wants to ramp up his focus and he said he

Could start feel it slipping away about Midway through that round and he said what happens when he’s not playing his best is he has a tendency to let his mind wander and that happened on Sunday and I said well did you learn anything from that final round that you can apply

On Sunday at CPC SASS and he kind of gave you that Xander smirk you know you’ve seen it a lot I’ve seen it a lot and he goes absolutely like so I would not expect there’ to be a lot of chitchat it’s gonna be jovial but I I

Don’t think those two are going to spend much time talking to each other I think it’s going to be all business and wendam clearly did not have his best stuff on Saturday after opening up with just a 6565 just a bar it looked like he was

Going to blow the doors off the field we we have an event as you pointed out there’s a lot of guys all the way down to Scotty Sheffer that I would argue if they have a good day and they get a little bit of help who knows what could

Happen yeah I wonder if wendam Clark will receive that bulletin because they I mean they were very chatty again on Saturday even though Windam was not necessar best and Xander was playing very well I think you know Xander kind of has this Burning intensity where he doesn’t really acknowledge the crowd all

That much he he keeps the even the convers ation with his caddy Austin Kaiser to a bit of a minimum as well I you almost think that he’s that he’s that he’s trying too hard right like it doesn’t seem necessarily natural the way that he’s approaching the final rounds

And I think when you look at his record at least until recently he was 0 for four with a 54 hole lead he’s actually won his last two so that his career record is is two for six perhaps he has stumbled upon a better way to approach

Those final rounds uh and we’ll see how how how it goes on Sunday here at TBC Saw Grass the thing about Xander to me Rex is he’s just so relentless like he has absolutely no weaknesses in his game which is why I thought it was so interesting that he even made the move

From his father Stefan uh to Chris KO just a couple of months ago this was a player in Zander Shuffle who was third last season in Strokes game total in other words he does everything exceedingly well and when I asked him about that on Friday he said there’s

There’s basically just one thing that he’s trying to do and that is to creep up his ball speed from kind of the upper 170s to the low to mid 180s it’s not it’s not I want to get bigger in the gym you know I want I want to work on my

Putting it’s I want to increase my ball speed his rationale being we have we have access to all these stats and he has been proven through his stats guys that if you are at that ball speed and hitting the ball at a certain trajectory it’s going to give you a distinct

Advantage on the courses that they play on the PGA tour the risk Xander said is that by adding speed and adding distance you know that can that can creep into other aspects of your game most notably your approach play and in particularly your wedge play that’s why I think it’s

Been so impressive what Xander schafle has been able to do so far in 20124 he has four top 10 it’s second most on tour behind only Scotty sheffler and he’s leading here at arguably the most penal golf course that these guys are going to face all year in terms of just the

Trouble that they’re going to face a left or right Miss on a lot of these holes is is punished severely like you’re essentially looking at at least one drop shot just ask Windam Clark in the 17th hole here and so uh when when Xander was asked you know how he’s able

To do this playing this caliber of a golf course against this caliber of a field in the midst of going through a swing change he said quote just full trust he trusts Chris Como a lot but and yet you still see sander shaffle making a lot of sort of motions trying to mimic

The positions that he’s trying to get into I’ll be very curious Rex to see if these swing changes hold up in The Cauldron of Sunday pressure and trying to win the PLAYERS Championship worth noting he headed straight to the range to go work with Chris KO after his round

So to your point I think there’s still a little discomfort there it’s obviously new in the relationship so I think it’s going to take a little while I just looked it up I was curious you asked him yesterday like like what’s the threshold you pointed out to him that you’re third

Last year Strokes gain total like what’s the threshold and he kind of shrugged and he goes second and then first like it’s very quintessential stupid question laugh well even say that he just kind of gave you that smile it’s worth pointing out he’s first in Strokes game total

This week and he also made 138 feet of putts today like he really puted well he hit a lot wind including a 58 58f footer on on on 14 that gave him the lead uh for the first time like he’s he’s doing everything well but one shot margin I I

Mean if we had Jay Ray on this podcast Justin Ray stat Guru he would tell you that the closing percentage of a one shley on the PG tour is probably very small uh so it’s going to be very interesting to see what he does what you

What do you think Rex of Windham Clark’s day he obviously didn’t have it with his long game and yet he’s still just a shot back well I think the 17th hole speaks to to all of it right like he could have kind of crumbled a little bit there and

I granted we have a whole round to go tomorrow and you’re right like you can make up Strokes really really quick on this golf course but to put it in the drink in a very very tough situation still not exactly sure what happened there it seems like he didn’t just put

It in the drink uh he was 20 yards short yeah it was really bad with with a full sandwich you never see a a player of that caliber hit a a shot as shockingly poor as that uh I think that’s the shot I hit last time I played here I mean it

Was a good 20 yard short it wasn’t even necessarily close but to be able to save bogy there you kind of saw the emotion when he made that putt like that was that was big because you didn’t want to give two away because that actually probably would have opened the door for

Brian Haron to be paired with Xander in that final round it kind of goes to the stat that I just told you the intensity that Xander burns with I that’s why I was kind of thrown with the idea that head-to-head Windham seems to have his number four2 and one in those

Head-to-head matchups going into tomorrow I I really think it’s going to be fun watching these two because again I don’t expect much chitchat I also don’t expect wendam to come out and struggle like he did today now that’s again taking like I did earlier in the

Week a bit of a a leap of faith but when he is on he’s proven it I mean we saw it certainly on Saturday at Pebble Beach when he shot a 60 to win the 54 hole event certainly last year at the US Open LACC in Wells Fargo even last week I

Mean he did finish second to Scotty Sheffer but when he’s on he’s really really tough to beat because he doesn’t make mistakes he and he blazes just red hot I mean he can just catch fire in a in a in a hurry I mean he can rip off

Three four birdies in a row and really put a lot of pressure on you and I’ll say this I just did live from with with Todd Lewis and I was listening to the segment before us and it was brandle and Paul McGinley and actually I will say

This Paul McGinley made a really really compelling argument of why statistically he felt like Brian Haron is the guy to beat tomorrow now I don’t know if I particularly agree with that but I do like where Brian Harmon is talking with him after the game he went straight to

The idea that this is his favorite PGA Tour event for one reason and you and I have talked about it all week long it really doesn’t favor one style of play we’ve seen bombers win here we’ve seen plotters win here and certainly harm sort of Trends towards the ladder on

That front so it it gives him sort of some Freedom that he doesn’t have on the vast majority of PGA Tour golf course is when he goes to Quail Hollow he knows he’s already making up Strokes because guys are hitting at 20 yards by him 30 yards by him and they’ve got shorter

Clubs in and all those things compound over 72 holes he doesn’t have to deal with this tomorrow so I thought Paul made a really good argument and again I’ll go all the way down to Scotty sheffler depending on how it works out we could have a shootout just just touching on on

Windham Clarks I I still like Windham Clark to win this golf tournament because he did not clearly have it with his long game today he actually lost Strokes to the field off the T and his approach obviously none worse than the the Chunk on 17 I was sitting right

Behind it and like he it he hit that shot so fat rex that he was literally brushing off like dirt and debris from his cheeks in his for like like you and you and I have done that we’re slapping it off you know kind of a wet soggy golf

Course and it sprays all over you like you never see the fifth ranked player in the world a doing that but but Windam Clark’s putter kept to minut a great putts on 7 11 uh 12 obviously 17 to stay in it and talking to his caddy John Ellis

Afterward he he said that he told Windam walking off the golf course like this was your bad round you you you got it out of the way you still shot 70 you’re still in the final group you’re GNA be able to stare Xander right in the eyes

And see exactly what he does let’s refocus and get after it on Sunday you see this all the time tarer Woods talked about it endlessly back in his prime like you’re not going to play 72 Flawless holes ideally you play 63 or 67 but this was clearly windham’s poor

Round clearly did not have it from a full swing standpoint but I still like him a lot just a single shot back you mentioned Brian Harmon I mean no one’s played better over the past two days combined uh than harm 6564 the last two days his approach play has been razor

Sharp he’s filling it up on the greens again just like he did last year at at the Open Championship how much of a threat do you realistically think he is Two Shots back not in that final group not going to have the intense glare of the spotlight either he shot a 64

Hitting a right-handed shot for those who don’t know Brian Haron is Left-Handed he actually told me after the round that he can actually play pretty decent right-handed so we might actually see more of that I I do like his chances I don’t know if I’m quite as

Bullish as although he made aent I mean again he’s done everything here he’s finished 30 he’s missed the cut and pretty much done everything in between and I I just feel like he came into this week I reached out to his swing coach Justin Parsons He said he didn’t have a

Good prep week he had a great prep week he actually sent me some videos of his swing pointing out everything he’s doing perfectly he’s perfectly on plane his spine angle is perfect through impact can you can you can you actually send JP a couple swings of mine because I’m

Doing absolutely nothing sure nothing well that’s what he wants to see he wants to see that big upright chunk that gave you uh arthritis in your elbow that’s exactly what JP sure I’ll send it to him but I there’s just a tremendous confidence there and and Todd brought up

Something on our live from hit that I hadn’t even thought of he’s the only guy in this field or he’s the the guy in the field that’s won a major championship most recently like there’s no reason for us to look at him and dismiss him for whatever reason you think you want to

Apply to it he’s playing well he has a good history on this golf course it’s a golf course that suits his game and there aren’t too many of those on the PGA tour and if anyone should have confidence right now I would say after a Scotty sheffler or wam Clark it would be

A Brian Harmon I am concerned because I know I I for those of you who want to get the kind of the inside how the sausage is made I’m sitting between Ryan lavner and mark sball from ESPN and you will not find two bigger Georgia homers

And I’m not quite sure if I can make it through an entire afternoon of dealing with that if Harmon wins today lot of woing a lot of barking uh a running joke in the media center is that when schay is is filing tournament previews he always has like a little subsection of

Of of low Bulldog of the week I think Brian Hartman actually would have been a a good a good pick this week at TBC Saw Grass just because he’s so position oriented he is so precise he’s coming off a good week last week at Bay Hill he

Basically said if I could play well at arie’s place which is a bomber’s paradise uh then he should be able to absolutely mop it up at TPC Saw Grass and he has certainly played well over the last two days I I love this leaderboard right this is this is the the most

Prototypical uh Stadium Course leaderboard where you have Zander sha wam Clark two of the top five players in the world Brian Haron also a top 10 player in the world reigning open champion and then it gets a little bit wacky right you you have a you have a

Maveri mcney who has never won on the PJ tour you have Matt pittz Patrick a former US Open Champion you have sah thala who is one of the most erratic drivers of the golf ball on the planet and yet you and yet you have him succeeding here at a place that is that

Is quite schizophrenic in certain spots you have Scotty sheffler you have Nate Lashley you could not find two players uh kind of more desparate ends of the spectrum what are what are your impressions of this leaderboard because it certainly looks like ever since this tournament uh went back to the March

Finish it looks potentially like another top 10 player in the world is going to win here I was kind of against it because keep in mind like go back a little bit in time the PGA Tour put the hard cell on everyone when they initially moved it from March to May

That it would play better in May and I think I bought in on that and having watched a couple of May players I actually do think it plays better in May it doesn’t look as good and the scores aren’t nearly as low and I we probably

Don’t end I think it’s a better test it is it’s a better test not sure it should be played it on Bermuda it should be should be hard and bouncy it should be firm and fast and I think we’ll get a version of that tomorrow because they’ve gotten absolutely perfect weather this

Week so they have that going for them but what you end up with a March players is exactly what you said I mean it’s such an Eclectic leaderboard when you consider that Fred Funk went on this golf won on this golf course and Phil Mickelson won

On this golf course and I can keep doing those comparisons down the list you can’t find more golfers who are on opposite ends of the spectrum and I just think that’s the beauty of TPC Saw Grass it’s probably why and I kind of dug into this a little bit earlier in the week

It’s probably why you’ve never had a a repeat champion and look I I do think Scotty has a chance tomorrow but it’s very much a Longshot I mean based on what wendam and Xander does it just does not favor one style of play I I mean

When you look at the list of winners since this tournament moved back to march in 2019 it’s it’s Rory it’s JT it’s cam Smith Scotty Sheffer and in all likelihood you’re looking at a top 10 player in the world winning whether it’s Brian Harmon whether it’s Windham Clark

Or whether it’s Xander schaa like that’s that’s pretty stout I think it’s inarguable uh that this has been kind of a resounding Home Run for the PJ tour to move it and have this quote unquote Championship season I don’t know if that’s the official billing for it uh

Anymore but to have season remember they used to call it the championship season like a year or two ago like they wanted to it was all it was it was all caps like a Capital C capital S I think it’s kind of hard I don’t think it ever

Actually caught on just on this podcast but no I think it’s I think the Signature Events it’s kind of that yeah but I do remember what you’re saying yeah is it like is it Signature Events with capital S and capital E who really knows but the idea was to obviously have

The Cadence of of one big event uh starting in I think I think it’s been I think it’s been great I don’t think it’s necessarily the best test that TBC sress can be especially when you have sort of these bumpers of rough on on some of the

Holes uh eliminating some of the the potential drama like remember back in may like this place was a house of horrors if it was baked out and brown uh you saw guys kind of ping ponging it back and forth like I think it was it

Was more fun that way uh but I think it’s it’s it’s hard to quibble with the list of winners we’ve had so far well and I did want to Circle back around on something you said a couple of minute minutes ago about this being so one of

The most penal tests on the PGA tour I I tend to disagree with that it wasn’t even in the top 10 of toughest golf courses last year on the PGA there’s water every single hole it it is but if you’re a PGA tour pro for you and I yeah

It’s very intimidating I I don’t want to play hate hate playing this golf course but on air 10 was my favorite t- shot I completely lied I went and watched 10 the other day and I’m thinking absolutely not I never want to hit that t-shot again it’s not even in the top 10

Though for these guys because they understand they can play point A to point B I didn’t say the most difficult I said the most penal the the the the penalty for an errant shot is severe I think that’s inarguable I I mean there’s there’s water on literally every single

Hole yes but also Pete dy’s signature is kind of playing with your mind which he does a really good job on this golf course and doing it and making it look like you have room to hit it when in fact you have probably a lot more Fairway than you think I think that’s

What most players who’ve been here enough times realize like yeah visually for you and I standing on the tit T that looks like a house of I I don’t even want I just want to throw my ball in the water and walk to the green for these

Guys they have an idea that as long as you’re playing well and most of these guys are playing well that you’re going to hit it where you’re looking and go from there it’s a point A to point B golf course it kind of handcuffs guys like I’m always amazed at and again we

Talked about Brian Harmon really really loving this golf course well of course he does because this takes away the bomber’s advantage and brings him closer to the middle of the pack where he probably should be but I’ve heard it from the other side too the bombers don’t particularly like showing up here

I think that’s part of what we’ve seen Roy maro’s frustration the last couple of days and there has been nothing but frustration coming from Roy maare no he’s not driving the ball well and clearly he is stuck in between two two kinds of swings but this could probably

Get very very confining very very aggravating for someone like that who depends on being able to use his driver as a weapon as an advantage let’s play a fun game Rex Scotty sheffler is currently in a tie for sixth he’s five shots back uh he said that he was

Feeling better because of the neck issue that popped up on his second hole on Friday he got more treatment he said it loosened up as the round went on he said he’s still at 100% kind of slapping it around out there so what will Scotty sheffler finish give me the over under

What would you put it three and a half three three 3.5 Scotty’s eventual finish on this leaderboard again he’s five shots back and then currently in a tie for six uh you’re you’re learning gambling so well uh yeah I think three and a half’s a good number and I

Probably take the over just a little maybe i’ I’d buy a half a point and go to four and then take the under I if that’s the way I want to do it I think that’s the way it works uh I think top five is probably right there in the

Radar so yeah it’s the reason I won’t go any higher than that is because I think as it stands now he has to shoot a 62 right if either one of those guys at the top of the leaderboard Xander and Windam have a decent day not a great day if

They shoot somewhere in the 68 69 70 category man a 62 is really really hard I mean the golf course has been getable this week and it’s going to be similar weather tomorrow uh and I will say this he shot 68 today and he’s clearly still

Hurting so I think you have to give him a monsoon of respect because not only is he gutting it out and look he completely dismissed the idea that this was somehow heroic he’s like look this happens all the time this is golf I’m just going out

And I’m doing my job please don’t make me a superhero that’s I don’t feel comfortable in that rapping but I think what he did yesterday with a 69 when clearly we saw how much pain he was in and today where he actually said he felt

Like as he got more and more into the round his neck actually loosened up I can see him coming out tomorrow and shooting something closer to 65 but man 62 is asking so much yeah there’s there’s so much grit in Scotty Shuffle I think the more we learn about Scotty uh

The more golf fans should actually respect him even more than they do like I think it’s easy to just kind of boil him down to this this prolific uh ball Striker who occasionally struggles with his putter uh but there’s a lot of substance there and a lot to admire if you’re actually paying

Attention all right Xander Shuffle is leading this tournament 17 under who wins the golf tournament and why on Sunday I think Xander does win the golf tournament I think and it goes back to the story I told off the top I I think there was something that he learned

About himself last year during that final round of qu Hollow and I don’t want to make this about Windham Windham didn’t try to get in his head like this had nothing to do with it he admitted like Windham just played better than me he said I played well but Windham played

Better I think he learned something about himself last year and look I think he’s going to wrestle with the things that you talked about about maybe the intensity can burn a little bit too bright maybe he can sort of lose the plot a little bit but I I think when he

Puts himself into this position with a one-stroke lead on a tough golf course I mean I think everyone will tighten up a little bit tomorrow I don’t expect the scores to be quite as low who my guess is you’re going to go with wend I am going to go with Windam I

Think it will be close I think it will be compelling uh but to me I think I’m probably listening a little bit too much to what CAD his caddy John ell said like this definitely felt like the usual bad round that a player has and the fact

That he still made enough puts that he did in shooting 70 I can easily see him shooting a 66 and nipping Xander chaet at the end I do think it’ll be a very compelling final round Rexx you’ve been on site for about 14 hours on Saturday

Do you care to let let the folks at home know exactly what you were doing for so long uh myself and Todd Lewis had to show up here kind of early this morning there was a Comcast business like a business executive form and there’s a lot of important people in there and I’m

Not going to lie that was the most nervous nerve-wracking uh stressful morning I’ve had in a long time it turned out to be a lot of fun and they just kind of wanted to be relaxed and talk off and it was a really really cool

Crowd we had a great time but man it was stressful going in there bill was was Bill list to the podcast Bill Gates was not in attendance but there was enough as everyone should know if you don’t know NBC Sports owns the golf channel NBC Sports is owned by Comcast

So put the food chain together there are a lot of bosses who were sitting in that room that probably didn’t even realize they were bosses of you and I so it it And for those of you who listen to the podcast you know how easy it is for me

To say something stupid to say something I probably regret so I was kind of tiptoeing around early in this and it only went on for about 30 or 40 minutes and it ended up turning into really cool kind of Q&A with a lot of really cool questions but it was stressful thanks

For sucking it up for this podcast I’m not sure how much you had left the tank especially on day six Scot play hurt me and me and Scotty play Hurt uh but a gamer to be sure thank you also for not sipping an adult beverage during this

Podcast that the folks in the comment section we’re a ghast at how unprofessional you were sorry uh on Friday how dare you have an adult beverage at your age happen I’m sorry 56 it’s definitely going to happen again and it’s definitely going to happen on Sunday night here at TPC sass as always

Thank you guys for listening to this edition of Golf Channel podcast with Rex and lav we’ll be back on Sunday night for a full recap not one of these mini pods we be given the full recap probably going 45 minutes or longer on the PLAYERS Championship uh make sure you

Guys go to NBC Sports uh.com golf for the latest news updates Rex and I will be on live from tomorrow morning I think this said like 10:30ish for our final hit of the week that’ll be the last time you see us together doing live television until the Masters think

About that folks soak it in and savor it that’s probably not going to be true because we’re going to do we’re going to do a round table between now and then so but okay who knows probably not probably probably not wearing suits though uh thank you guys for listening we’ll be

Back tomorrow night enjoy the rest of your Saturday evening thanks for the hoodie