Staff Reporter.
Ben Griffin fired a two-under par 70 on Saturday to stay atop the leaderboard at the PGA Procore Championship, with amateur Jackson Koivun and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler in pursuit.
Griffin, who won twice this year and is a captain’s pick for the US Ryder Cup team, led by three going into the round.
Koivun, a 20-year-old Auburn University student, moved into outright second with a 68.
Scheffler and Griffin are two of 10 US Ryder Cup players taking part as they prepare to face Europe in New York from 26-28 September.
Scheffler stormed from 14th overnight into third with 10 birdies – five on the front nine and five on the back.
He was denied a share of the lead only after a chip into a bunker on the par-four 14th led to a double bogey.
Scheffler shot 70 in the first round, which ended his run of 21 successive sub-70 scores, and 68 in the second.
“There’s definitely some tricks to this golf course, things you’ve got to get used to,” he said.
“There are things that are hard to notice in the practice rounds. But when you start playing under tournament conditions you start seeing a little of those nuances.”
US Open champion JJ Spaun and Russell Henley are best placed of the remaining eight Ryder Cup players on nine under.