3M Open: Shoeless Scott Piercy Leaves Door Ajar After Mishap On 18

Scott Piercy leaves door ajar going into the final round of the 2022 3M Open after mishap on the 18th.  

Scott Piercy was lost, the decade-plus PGA Tour veteran had recorded just two top 10 finishes since 2020 prior to this week, and he hasn’t been in the winner circle since 2015.

But after a multitude of changes over the past week, Scott Piercy suddenly finds himself in contention at this week’s 2022 3M Open.

The 43-year-old held a share of the lead after opening with a 65 on Thursday, he would extend his lead at the top following a Friday 64, and now he will take a four-shot lead into the final round at TPC Twin Cities following a bizarre Saturday in Blaine, Minnesota.

Piercy, who is looking for a first win this week since the 2015 Barbasol Championship, had to endure a six-hour-plus weather delay and he spent the better half of his third round walking around without one of his shoes.

It was certainly one of the more bizarre sights this season.

Scott Piercy was dealing with a blister that had formed on the back of his heel on Friday; he said following the completion of his third round.

"“Yesterday I wore a new pair of shoes and kind of rubbed my heel, kind of a dime-sized, nickel-sized blister on the back of my heel. Tried to do some stuff last night to doctor it up to get ready and just every move the shoe made was painful, so I just took it off. Didn’t hurt to walk without it, so I just put it on when I hit and seemed to do okay.”"

The Nevada native’s best finish this year up to this point came back at the RBC Heritage in April where he was 12th, and he has recorded just three top 20 finishes this season while missing the cut in four of his previous six starts prior to this week.

The rejuvenated Piercy missed a golden opportunity, however, to all but put a bow on his 6th career win on Saturday.

Scott Piercy leaves door ajar following mishap on 18.

Scott held a six-shot lead as he made his way up the last and after safely finding the fairway with his tee shot on the Par 5, 18th hole, he had given himself a real opportunity of potentially extending his lead at the top.

He then proceeded to do the one thing he didn’t want to do with his second, he sent his approach shot directly into the water hazard after what appeared to be a poor mishit.

Piercy would go on to make bogey while playing partner Emiliano Grillo trimmed the lead down to four after the Argentine birdied the last.

A lead that could have been as large as 6 or 7 was cut down to four on just one hole, leaving a win on Sunday anything but guaranteed now for Piercy.

Had he gotten the margin to seven Scott would have joined Webb Simpson as the last player to have taken such a large lead into a final round. Simpson accomplished that feat prior to his victory at the Players Championship back in 2018.

Emiliano Grillo, Doug Ghim, and Tony Finau will all aim to apply pressure on Piercy during the final round at this year’s 3M Open, with the hope being that a player who hasn’t won in over seven years will begin to feel the nerves of a Sunday lead and come back to the pack.