As things stand, Schwartzel looks set to finish the better of the two and starts the day at one-under-par for the tournament at TPC Boston. The world No 21 is in a tie for 40th place and according to the PGA Tour website, the 30-year-old could move into the top 50 on the standings.
Els on the other hand could drop slightly should he fail to make an impact in the final round of this event with his current total of three-over-par, which equates to a current share of 61st, set to move him down five places to 44th.
The South Africans will be among the early groups to tee off for today’s round.
Tim Clark, the only other South African still in the race to the FedEx Cup play-offs was forced to withdraw before the opening round last week as a result of his ongoing struggle with an elbow injury.
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