PGA Boilers: Adam Schenk in Contention to Win 1st Tour Event at CJ Cup Byron Nelson
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Former Purdue golfer Adam Schenk has swung his way into prime position entering the final round of the of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday. He sits in a tie for second place with 18 holes remaining.
Through the first three rounds at TPC Craig Ranch (Texas), Schenk has carded a 15-under-par, tied with Erik van Rooyen and Ricky Castillo. He trails 13-time PGA Tour winner Scottie Scheffler by eight strokes, who is 23-under-par so far.
Schenk is in the second-to-last pairing for Sunday's final round at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He tees off at 1:45 p.m. ET with coverage on CBS, ESPN-Plus and Golf Channel. The former Boiler is paired with Castillo.
Schenk got off to a hot start in Thursday's opening round, carding a 5-under-par 66 to begin the tournament. He had a streak of four consecutive birdies from holes No. 7-No. 10 in that round.
The former Purdue standout then notched a 4-under-par 67 in the second round, putting him at -9 for the event. He scored five birdies and just one bogey for the round.
Saturday, Schenk had his best outing of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, finishing with a 65 to put him at 15-under-par for the tournament. He closed out the third round with seven birdies and a bogey, putting him in position to contend for a championship.
There's still a lot of work to be done, but Schenk is in an excellent position entering the final round. If he figures out a way to bypass Scheffler — one of the top players on the PGA Tour — it will be his first win as a member of the Tour. Schenk's only victory came on the Web.com Tour, winning the Lincoln Land Charity Championship in 2017.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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