Scottie Scheffler BMW Championship: T16 at -5

Scottie Scheffler BMW Championship Saturday is a live climb at Bellerive, not a Friday leftover. PGA Tour's Round 3 board has the world No. 1 tied for 16th at 5 under through 17, 2 under on the day, after opening 72-65. He started the morning at 3 under. Golfweek's live blog, carried by Central Oregon Daily, had him bounce from a bogey at the fourth with a birdie at No. 5, then back-to-back birdies at 8 and 9 to 5 under and into the top 15. The live board now has him 5 under through 17.

That is six shots behind Wyndham Clark, who is 11 under through 6 at 1 over on the day. Gary Woodland is 10 under through 6. Scheffler is still a long way from the last group. He is also still in this golf tournament, which is more than Thursday suggested when he sounded hoarse, skipped his usual media stop, and told reporters he was sick on the way to the locker room.

Scottie Scheffler BMW Championship live: T16 at 5 under

The numbers that matter are on the PGA Tour board. Through 17 holes of Round 3: 5 under for the week, 2 under today, T16. ESPN had him 4 under through 16 a few minutes earlier. The next snapshot was 5 under through 17. Par 70, 7,448 yards. A 72 on Thursday was 2 over. The 65 on Friday was 5 under, all of it on the back nine, Golf Channel reported, after birdies on four of the first five holes coming in and another on the par-5 17th.

"I'm a ways back, but I'm not out of it by any means," Scheffler said Friday. "I'll probably have to have four nines like I did on the back nine today and that will give me a chance to win." He has one of those nines in the bank for Saturday if the front nine holds: bogey at 4, birdie at 5, birdies at 8 and 9, Golfweek wrote. The live board through 17 says he has not given it all back.

Clark at 11 under, and how far 5 under still is

Wyndham Clark's BMW Championship lead is no longer 12 under. PGA Tour has him 11 under through 6, 1 over today. Gary Woodland is 10 under through 6, also 1 over on the day. J.J. Spaun, Chris Gotterup, and Sungjae Im are bunched at 9 under. Rory McIlroy is 8 under through 8, 1 under today. Scheffler is looking up at all of them. Five under through 17 is a made cut in a normal week. This is a 50-man playoff event with no cut. It is a chase.

He won this tournament a year ago at Caves Valley. He won last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight. Thursday's 72 was the hangover plus the illness. Friday's 65 was the reminder. Saturday through 17 is the middle of the story. If he holes the 18th and posts 2 under or better, the Sunday tee sheet still has him in range of a low one. If he does not, 5 under is the floor until he signs.

Scottie Scheffler BMW Championship FAQ

Where is Scottie Scheffler on the BMW Championship leaderboard? Tied for 16th at 5 under through 17 in Round 3, 2 under on the day, per PGA Tour's live board. He opened 72-65.

Did Scottie Scheffler birdie 8 and 9 on Saturday? Golfweek's Round 3 live blog said he bogeyed the fourth, birdied the fifth, then birdied 8 and 9 to reach 5 under and the top 15. PGA Tour now has him 5 under through 17.

How far back is Scottie Scheffler at Bellerive? Six shots behind Clark at 11 under through 6. Woodland is 10 under through 6. Scheffler told Golf Channel on Friday he was not out of it.