The wind that had made the morning treacherous became his ally
On the eve of a final round in the Nevada desert, a journeyman from Indiana finds himself one stroke from the thing he has spent a career chasing. Adam Schenk's late surge at the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas placed him atop the leaderboard at 18-under par, one shot clear of the gifted and hungry Matthew Wolff, with a half-dozen others still close enough to rewrite the story. In golf, as in life, a single day can confirm a man's belonging — or defer the question once more.
- Schenk, who has stood on the final-round precipice before only to finish fourth, now carries the weight of a first tour win into Sunday with a one-shot lead at 18-under 195.
- Matthew Wolff — dynamic, powerful, and haunted by a playoff loss at this very venue last year — is breathing down Schenk's neck after a 65 that included a casual-looking eagle from 18 feet on the 16th.
- Defending champion Sam Burns briefly seized the lead Saturday before the back nine exacted its toll: a missed birdie on 15 and a drive into the water on 16 dropped him two shots back.
- Six players remain within three shots of the lead, meaning Sunday's final round at TPC Summerlin is less a coronation than a collision waiting to happen.
- Lanto Griffin, who nearly packed his bags after an opening 72, quietly shot 64 on Saturday to lurk five back — a reminder that this leaderboard is far from settled.
Adam Schenk came alive late on Saturday at the Shriners Children's Open, rattling off three birdies in his final four holes — capped by a gap wedge birdie on 18 — to shoot 66 and take a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round in Las Vegas. The 29-year-old from Indiana sits at 18-under 195, one stroke clear of Matthew Wolff. It is the second time in his career Schenk has led going into a final round on Tour; the first ended in a fourth-place finish at the Barracuda Championship in August.
Wolff, who lost in a three-man playoff at this event last year, answered with a 65 of his own, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 16th — a hole he reached so easily off the tee that a pitching wedge was all he needed for his second shot. He has never shot worse than 69 in 11 rounds at TPC Summerlin, and with family in town from California, he feels his game building toward something.
Defending champion Sam Burns briefly held the lead with a birdie on 11, but the back nine unraveled him — a missed opportunity on the reachable 15th followed by a drive into the water on 16 left him two shots back after a 68. Andrew Putnam and Chad Ramey also sit two behind, with Sungjae Im three back. Lanto Griffin, who nearly missed the cut after a Thursday 72, shot 64 on Saturday to sit five off the pace and quietly remind the field that the week is not yet written.
Schenk's own round was not without turbulence — two early bogeys in the wind made the opening holes feel hostile — but he steadied himself with three consecutive birdies on the front nine and found his rhythm by the time the back nine arrived. Sunday at TPC Summerlin will decide whether this is the day he finally belongs.
Adam Schenk arrived at the 15th hole on Saturday afternoon with the wind at his back and something to prove. A driver into the par-4 green, then three birdies in his final four holes—a finish that carried him to a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead over Matthew Wolff at the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas. The wind that had made the morning treacherous became his ally by day's end, helping him set up a gap wedge for birdie on 18 and positioning him one stroke ahead heading into Sunday.
Schenk, 29, from Indiana, now sits at 18-under 195 for 54 holes. This is the second time he has held the lead going into a final round on the PGA Tour. The first came in August at the Barracuda Championship, where he finished fourth. The math is simple: he has one more day to finally claim his first tour victory.
Matthew Wolff trails by a single shot after a 65 that included a spectacular eagle on the 16th. From 18 feet out, after hitting a pitching wedge into the 514-yard par-5, Wolff made the putt look routine. He is one of golf's more dynamic young players, comfortable in his own skin and in his game. He has never shot worse than 69 in 11 rounds at this course dating back to his rookie season. He lost in a three-man playoff here last year. This week, with family from California in town, he feels his game sharpening—more athletic, more powerful, more ready to score.
Six players sit within three shots of the lead, a cluster that includes Sam Burns, the defending champion. Burns came into Saturday riding momentum from a victory in Mississippi the week before, and he seized the lead briefly with a birdie on 11. But the back nine at TPC Summerlin punished him. He missed his birdie chance on the reachable 15th, then drove into the water on the 16th for a bogey. A 68 left him two shots back, and he had little to say when he finished. Andrew Putnam and Chad Ramey also sit two behind, while Sungjae Im, mixing birdies and bogeys throughout, finished three back.
Schenk's path to the lead was not smooth. He opened with two bogeys in his first five holes, the wind early in the round making the course feel hostile. But he knows TPC Summerlin well enough to trust that opportunities would come. They did on the front nine, where he strung together three consecutive birdies, including a 6-iron to five feet on the 213-yard eighth. By the time he reached the back nine, he was in rhythm. This marked his 10th consecutive round in the 60s at this venue.
Wolff took longer to find his footing on Saturday. His first birdie didn't come until the par-5 ninth. But once he reached the scoring holes on the back nine, he made his move. On the 13th, he hit 3-wood off the tee and 7-iron from 251 yards with the wind at his back, then executed a difficult up-and-down from behind the green. He drove the 15th green with a 3-wood and crushed his drive on the 16th so far that a stock pitching wedge was all he needed for his second shot.
The low round of the day belonged to Lanto Griffin, who shot 64 to sit five shots behind. After a 72 on Thursday, he thought his week might be short. Instead, he followed with a 64 on Friday before the wind arrived, then handled the wind beautifully on Saturday to stay in contention.
One shot separates Schenk from Wolff. Six players separate Schenk from the sixth-place group. Sunday at TPC Summerlin will sort out who belongs and who doesn't.
Notable Quotes
Wolff felt his game was getting more athletic and more powerful, and he was in a good position to score.— reporting on Matthew Wolff's mindset
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made Schenk's finish so decisive? He was struggling early.
The wind turned. Early on it was just noise, making the course harder. But by the time he reached 15, he'd learned the rhythm of the day. Three birdies in four holes isn't luck—it's reading the moment.
And Wolff? He seems like the more talented player.
He probably is. But talent doesn't always show up on Saturday. Wolff was slow to start, didn't birdie until the ninth. By then Schenk had already seized momentum. Wolff's eagle on 16 was spectacular, but it came after Schenk had already built his lead.
Burns looked like he had it figured out coming in.
He did. Leading after 11 holes. But the 16th—that par-5 with the pond—it's a trap disguised as opportunity. He came up short into the water. One bad swing and suddenly he's two back instead of tied.
Is Schenk the favorite now?
On paper, yes. But he's been here before. August, Barracuda Championship, same position. He finished fourth. Wolff has never shot worse than 69 here in 11 rounds. The lead is real, but it's thin.
What does Wolff have that Schenk doesn't?
Youth, maybe. Confidence that comes from never failing at a place. He lost in a playoff here last year—that's not failure, that's proximity. He knows he can win here. Schenk knows he can too, but he hasn't yet.