If Saturday is anything to go by, the final round of the $8 million Genesis Scottish Open will be unmissable viewing and especially so for fans of Dubai resident Rafa Cabrera Bello.
The 38-year-old Spaniard has given himself a shot at a second Scottish Open title after a topsy-turvy 67 on moving day at The Renaissance Club took him into solo second place at -5, two strokes adrift of Olympic gold medalist and major champion-in-waiting Xander Schauffele (66).
But for a bogey-bogey finish, Schauffele would have lead by four heading into the final round of the Rolex Series event. But the untidy finish hints at the late drama likely to come on Sunday in North Berwick; the Tom Doak-designed Renaissance is a layout that taketh just as quickly as it gives up birdies and eagles.
They’re forecasting a balmy 21 degrees with a gentle 11-knot breeze (21kmph in new money) for Sunday which means anyone down to 54-hole leader Cameron Tringale, fellow American Alex Smalley and reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick at -2 will seriously fancy their chances.
Former Open champion Jordan Spieth (66), Ryan Palmer (67) and Englishman Jordan Smith (69) on -4 will definitely like their chances of posting a clubhouse target for the last pairing of Schauffele and Cabrera Bello to chase, especially with the testy par-3 17th and even stiffer par-4 challenge at 18 to negotiate under the blowtorch.
How things stand with 18 holes to play 📈#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2022
Cabrera Bello, who won the 2017 Scottish Open in a playoff over Callum Shinkwin at Dundonald Links, counts the 2012 Dubai Desert Classic and last year’s Acciona Open de España among his four DP World Tour wins. But after a share of second place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links in January, the world No 159 has struggled ever since, missing five of his last seven cuts including four weekends off on the trot. After rounds of 75-69 at the Irish Open, he cannot have expected great things in Scotland although found a little something in rounds of 71-73 at the intervening JP McManus Pro-Am which was won, coincidently, by Schauffele.
“Obviously very happy now,” Cabrera Bello said when asked to assess his opening 54-holes.
“Actually didn’t know we had three rounds in the 60s but hopefully can make it four. I mean, I’ve been working on the long game a lot this year. I got off to a beautiful start in Abu Dhabi, but since, I haven’t really got any finishes that I want to.
“Didn’t feel that I deserved it in the fact that I wasn’t hitting the ball as good as I wanted. I felt a few good things at the JP McManus Pro-Am and a lot of balls have been hit on the range. So happy to feel more in control and to be understanding in my golf like that.”
2017 Scottish Open champion @RCabreraBello is looking to claim his second Scottish Open title.
He’s in the final group on Sunday.#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/PbJV5URhoT
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2022
How would you rate a second Scottish Open, especially given the depth of field this week which started with 14 of the world’s top 15?
“It would be double good, I guess. I mean, of course always winning is a dream. I’ve been lucky enough to have won here before. I always want to win, if not the Home of Golf, the country where golf was invented playing links golf and with beautiful, sunny and windy conditions, it just makes it even more fun.
“But Xander, he’s been playing really, really good lately and he has quite a lead. So I’m just going to focus on my ball and one shot at a time and see what happens.”
Cabrera Bello’s comments on Schauffele were spot on but also premature, coming before he was aware of the 28-year-old world No.11’s late blemishes.
“Yeah, I had pretty much everything going,” Schauffele said of his otherwise impressive 66. “I was judging the bounces well and making sort of the putts I need to and getting up-and-down when I was missing the green. Six birdies through 16, no complaints, and a tough finish.
“I’ll go to the range, get some better feels going into tomorrow but those are hard finishing holes. So overall, pretty okay with the day.”
After winning the Travelers Championship last month for his sixth PGA Tour title, Schauffele will start Sunday the clear favourite but his 3.40pm local time (6.40pm UAE time) tee time is an uncomfortable curve ball.
“Yeah, I don’t want to think too far ahead but it would be very nice. It would be very special,” Schauffele said of what a win in the birthplace of the game would mean.
“It just proves that the game can travel, and beating an incredible field, one of the best of the year. I’m just going to focus on what I can do now and not get too carried away.
“I think so, getting more [comfortable leading]. Haven’t done it too often. 3 o’clock tee times are a bit of a stretch for me. Be nice if it was closer to noon to get the ball going but we’ll figure it out.”
Few names on the front page of the leaderboard will provide the leaders with to think that that Spieth, the 2017 Open champion at Royal Birkdale, and Fitzpatrick, the freshly minted U.S. Open winner from Brookline. The Englishman eagled the par-5 16th on Saturday to reverse a moving day round going featuring four bogeys, including back-to-back dropped shots on 14 and 15. Fitzpatrick eventually settled for a 70 and will be out in the fourth from last group alongside Tringale who started the third round with a three-stroke lead, eagled the 3rd but then stumbled home with six bogeys including Schauffele-Esque dropped shots on 17 and 18.
Smith is a player having absolutely no issues with Renaissance’s penultimate hole, thus-far book-ending a hole-in-one on the par-3 with a pair of birdies. It means he’s four-under on the hole as well as -4 for the championship although bogeys on 18 in the past two rounds will be pause for thought.
Same hole, almost the same result.
No Genesis car for @Jsmithgolf but a tap-in birdie.#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/xM5DChJKHk
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2022
Sharing the same lofty position is Spieth who had two eagles in his 66 including this hole-out for two on the par-4 15th:
Hole out eagle! 🎯
Two eagles in six holes for @JordanSpieth.#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/D4F1N5m7jo
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2022
Tied lowest round of the day ✍️
Two eagles and two birdies moves @JordanSpieth to -6.#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2022
Every golfer wants to win in Scotland. What would it mean for you to win here at the Home of Golf?
“Yeah, I had to think. I guess my open was in England, so it wasn’t in Scotland,” said Spieth.
“I think links golf is arguably my favourite kind of golf and I don’t know of any country that has more fantastic links courses than Scotland, obviously being the Home of Golf. Rich history. It is the history in golf.
“It would be meaningful to win Scotland’s National Championship, but the fact that it’s now a co-sanctioned DP World Tour, PGA Tour and Rolex Series Event, I think I just mentioned it earlier, having said that, it seems like it’s one of the biggest international events of the year.
“I’m just happy to be in position. Certainly a lot better position than I was when I finished yesterday’s round.”
