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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida: Inter Miami was in a midseason slump just a week ago. Lionel Messi made sure it didn’t last long.

Messi scored for the fifth time in three Major League Soccer matches to help Inter Miami rout the Columbus Crew 5-1 on Saturday night for its second straight win.

Messi played a role each of Miami’s goals. He scored twice – in the 15th and 24th minutes – giving him 10 goals this season, which leads his team and is tied for third in MLS. He set up Tadeo Allende’s goal in the 13th, Fafa Picault’s in the 89th and was also involved in Luis Suarez’s score in the 64th.

That makes it two straight matches that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has recorded at least two goals and an assist. His 16 goal contributions are the most in the league.

“I see him every game. We see the same thing,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said through an interpreter. “We try to help him as much as we can. … Clearly he is the best player that has ever played this game. And we have to understand that when he is not brilliant, that’s because one of us is failing. That’s the reality.”

Miami was the more aggressive team early. The Herons had seven shots – four on goal – in the first 25 minutes against a Columbus team that does not give up many. The Crew entered Saturday ranked eighth in MLS with just 19 goals allowed.

Allende opened the scoring with a cross-body finish set up by Messi’s long ball over the top. A few minutes later, Messi took advantage of a poor decision by goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and lofted the ball over despite the keeper getting a hand on it.

On Messi’s second goal, Sergio Busquets set up his former Barcelona teammate for the second straight game, sending a long pass to a streaking Messi for an easy finish over Hagen.

It was an important win for Miami, which entered Saturday with just two wins in its past eight matches and was sixth in the Eastern Conference. Miami beat Montreal 4-2 on Wednesday, and Saturday’s win over Columbus put last year’s Supporters’ Shield winner in a tie for third place with 29 points in their final match before the start of next month’s Club World Cup.

“Winning this way gives us confidence,” Mascherano said. “It shows that we’re brave and calm and can play against anybody, especially in the MLS. The tournament is another story. The rivals are are different level.”

Miami will face Al Ahly of Egypt on June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium, the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Before that, Messi will join the Argentina national team for World Cup qualifiers against Chile on June 5 and Colombia on June 10.

Saturday was the second match of the season between Columbus and Miami, winners of the last two League’s Cup tournaments. Inter Miami also beat Columbus to win the Supporters’ Shield in 2024.

They were the only remaining undefeated teams in MLS when they met in front of a record crowd of 60,614 fans to Huntington Bank Field on April 19. It was a single-game record for a Crew home match and the largest non-NFL event in stadium history. Miami won 1-0.

Columbus made it 3-1 when Dylan Chambost’s corner was headed home by Cesar Ruvalcaba against goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, who replaced Oscar Ustari in the second half. Mascherano said Ustari was experiencing discomfort in his leg and the team didn’t want to risk an injury.

Suarez restored Miami’s three-goal lead with his second goal in as many matches. And Messi fed a through ball to Picault in the closing minutes, stamping one of Miami’s most dominant wins of the MLS season.

Miami played without veteran left back Jordi Alba, who suffered a lower-body injury against Montreal on Wednesday.

DUBLIN, Ohio: Scottie Scheffler was at his best on a tough day at Muirfield Village, opening with 13 straight pars and then pouring it on at the end for a 4-under 68 that gave him a one-shot lead Saturday over Ben Griffin at the Memorial.
Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes, finishing with a birdie from just inside 15 feet. He took the lead when Griffin missed a 3-foot par putt on the final hole.
At stake for Scheffler is a chance to win for the third time in his last four tournaments and join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners at the Memorial.
“I don’t know what the scoring average was today, but I was definitely proud of the way I finished and it was really challenging,” Scheffler said. “Through 13 holes, I felt like I was playing really good and I was only even par. Just a hard course.”
The scoring average for the 57 players who made the cut was 73.9, and three players failed to break 80. Scheffler, the only player to break par all three rounds, was at 8-under 208.
Griffin, who won last week at Colonial, made five birdies and five bogeys over his last 13 holes.
Scheffler was six shots behind Griffin at one point in the cool, blustery weather. And then it all changed so quickly.
Griffin, who became the only player this week to reach 10-under par when he ran off three straight birdies, gave it all back with four straight bogeys. He was in the fairway or on the tee when he made three of those bogeys.
Scheffler was lurking, as always. The world’s No. 1 player has an uncanny knack of hanging around and winding up with the low score by the end of the day. This was no exception.
“I did see that Ben got to 10 under, but it’s not going to change my play in the middle of a Saturday,” Scheffler said. “This golf course is really challenging and no lead’s safe around this place. I knew if I kept going and played a decent round, I would be in somewhat of a position to chase him down tomorrow.”
He holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th — his first of the day — followed getting on the collar of the green at the par-5 15th for a simple birdie. He hit 7-iron into the wind to 8 feet for birdie and closed with the last one that gave him the lead.
He’s no longer chasing, and he’s a tough customer to track down. Scheffler has won the last eight times when he held the 54-hole lead.
Jordan Spieth also was in the chase, tied with Scheffler in second place at one point, until he failed to save par from a bunker on the 17th and drove into the creek on the 18th for a closing bogey and a 72. He was five shots behind, feeling better about his game.
There was just one problem. Spieth talked about the fun of being in the mix, of making six birdies on a tough course, of needing to keep moving in that direction. And then he paused.
“The bummer for me is Scottie’s at 7 or 8 (under) and he just ... you can’t count on him shooting even tomorrow,” Spieth said. “So it would take something special. But all in all, just trying to shoot a few under each day out here.”
Nick Taylor of Canada wound up three shots behind after a 74, and for that he was thankful at the end. Taylor went into the water and made double bogey on the diabolical par-3 12th, followed that with a bogey and was sliding out of contention. And then he holed out from fairway for eagle at the 14th, birdied the next hole and played that four-stretch in even par.
The best round belonged to Sepp Straka, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year. He posted a 66 as the leaders were just getting started and was in the group at 3-under 213 that included Spieth and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68).
Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler each shot 69 and joined Shane Lowry (73) at 214. It’s a long way off, and it can feel even longer with Scheffler the one they are chasing.
“It’s a tough golf course. I’ll be trying to chase him down,” Taylor said. “He’s obviously playing phenomenal, so I’ll have to play some of my best golf to be in the hunt there with the last few holes to go. But it is playing so difficult that being a few under early will get me back in there.”