: Scheffler chases title and World No. 1 ranking, Rahm in close chase; Korean Sungjae best Asian at sixth #IndiaNEWS #Sports,Golf Scottsdale, Ariz, Feb 12 (IANS) Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion

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Scheffler chases title and World No. 1 ranking, Rahm in close chase; Korean Sungjae best Asian at sixth #IndiaNEWS #Sports ,Golf
Scottsdale, Ariz, Feb 12 (IANS) Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion held onto the lead at the WM Phoenix Open in a bid to successfully defend his title and regain the No. 1 spot in the world.
Scheffler, the World No. 2, shot a 3-under 68 in front of some 200,000 fans at TPC Scottsdale to get to 13 under, two strokes ahead of third-ranked Jon Rahm and Nick Taylor.
Scheffler is chased by Canadian Nick Taylor (67) and Spaniard Jon Rahm (68), who is aiming for a third TOUR victory in four starts. Jordan Spieth (69) and Adam Hadwin (71) share fourth place on 203 in what is the second designated tournament of the year.
Scheffler would take the No. 1 spot from Rory McIlroy tied for 28th at 3 under after a 70 with a victory, as long as McIlroy finishes worse than solo third. Scheffler also could get to No. 1 by finishing solo second if McIlroy is 36th or worse and Rahm doesnt win.
Rahm, the former Arizona State star from Spain, would go to No. 1 with a victory if McIlroy finishes worse than a three-way tie for second, or by finishing solo second if McIlroy finishes worse than solo 47th and Scheffler doesnt win.
Jordan Spieth and Adam Hadwin were 10 under.
Scheffler, who is defending a PGA TOUR title for the first time, birdied Hole Nos. 2, 4, 14 and 17 to offset a lone on 13 to retain his overnight lead. The American will also be seeking to become the seventh player to successfully defend the WM Phoenix Open, with Matsuyama being the last player to do so.
I havent been thinking about it too much, said Scheffler about his thoughts on the first title defence bid. I didnt start at a couple under this week. Everybody started even. Had to go out there and do my best. Im in the position now. Something I talked about at the beginning of the week was I felt like Ive been on the outside looking in on Sundays. To be in the final group with a two-shot lead, I believe, is definitely a position I want to be in.
Korean Im stays in contention
Koreas Sungjae Im started fast and finished strong to remain in contention after the third round. A second successive 4-under 67 at TPC Scottsdale moved the 24-year-old into a share of the sixth position on 9-under 204, four adrift of Scheffler.
Im, a two-time PGA TOUR winner, birdied two of his opening four holes which included a 38-footer on the par-3 4th hole before marking his scorecard with three more birdies and a lone bogey over the five-hole stretch starting from Hole No. 13. He made birdies on all the three par-5 holes.
The Korean star was happy to remain the hunt despite an errant driver, hitting only seven fairways. In the front nine, there were not many opportunities due to poor tee shots, but as my driving improved on the back nine, I was able to create more opportunities.

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