Reflecting on his chances of victory after narrow defeats earlier this season, Tommy Fleetwood stated that repeated setbacks help diminish the fear of failure. “Experience is something you can’t practise,” he said. “It’s all to play for and an amazing opportunity. Everybody competing this week wanted to be in that final pair on Sunday and I’m one of those guys. Hopefully I am stood on the 18th green with the trophy.”
The leaderboard at East Lake is rich with compelling narratives, none more so than that of US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. He sits at 13 under after firing the low round of the day, a seven-under 63. Currently 11th in the US rankings, Bradley faces what he calls “the decision of his life” in choosing whether to use one of his six captain’s picks on himself for next month’s contest against Europe. The last playing captain was Arnold Palmer in 1963, when the event was a fraction of its current scale.
Also in Bradley’s thoughts for a captain’s pick will be Patrick Cantlay. The 2021 Tour Championship winner finished his round with a hat-trick of birdies for an impressive bogey-free 64. Cantlay, who needs a pick to make his third consecutive US team, has slipped from 5th to 23rd in the world rankings since the last Ryder Cup, where he became a controversial figure for his decision not to wear a team cap. “I feel like I’m striking it well and in control of my golf ball,” Cantlay said. “I’m exactly where I want to be going into Sunday.”
The leaders will also be wary of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who is positioned at 12 under following a 66. After opening with two bogeys, Scheffler rallied with five birdies in his next eight holes. However, his frustrations mounted after missing several short birdie putts, culminating in him angrily throwing his putter at his bag after a wayward attempt on the 16th.
Other contenders faded during the third round. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre surged to 11 under but found water on the 15th for a double bogey, carding a 72 to finish on eight under. Rory McIlroy briefly reached nine under before a poor finish with two straight bogeys left him at six under overall.
While both MacIntyre and McIlroy have secured their Ryder Cup spots, several other Europeans are hoping for a strong final round to impress captain Luke Donald. Ireland’s Shane Lowry, at nine under, is best placed among them but is likely to lose his automatic qualifying spot to Rasmus Hojgaard. Lowry cannot improve his ranking points this week, while Hojgaard needs a top-29 finish at the British Masters to claim the final spot.
Others requiring a captain’s pick include Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (five under) and Norway’s Viktor Hovland (four under). Austria’s Sepp Straka, despite winning twice on the PGA Tour this year, has had a difficult week in Atlanta and is last in the 30-man field at six over par.
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