World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is an amazing eight shots clear and with daylight second heading to the final round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Dallas, Texas.
Scheffler added a third round 66 to move to 23-under with three players a distant second on 15-under under a ‘preferred lie’ rule on the host TPC Craig Ranch course in the Lone Star State.
Scheffler capped his third round with seven birdies but also two bogeys.
“It was good golf. I did a good job getting it around today”, he said.
“I definitely wasn’t as sharp as I was the last two days, but overall I posted a pretty good score.
“Over a 72-hole tournament you’re going to have days, or typically at least one day where your swing’s not firing on all cylinders like it was the first two days. It’s all about how you battle through that.
“Today I did a good job and hopefully tomorrow I’ll swing a little better”.
After finishing the third round, Scottie signed autographs in the dark for every fan waiting pic.twitter.com/SwP9nHZBgG
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 4, 2025
And if Scheffler were to win what would be his 14th PGA Tour title and his first ‘W’ since last December’s Hero World Challenge?
“It would mean a lot”, said Scheffler.
“This tournament has been good to me over the years. It was my first professional start in 2014. They gave me a spot when I was in high school. Had a great week. This tournament means a lot to me. I grew up coming out here to watch.
“Yeah, tomorrow should be a fun day and a good opportunity for me to go out and have a good round and hopefully win a tournament”.
Third-Round Notes – Saturday, May 3, 2025
Weather: Sunny. High of 72. Wind N at 10-15 mph, gusting to 20 mph.
Note: Preferred lies were in effect for the third round.
Third-Round Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 61 | 63 | 66 | 190 (-23) |
| T2 | Erik van Rooyen | 66 | 67 | 65 | 198 (-15) |
| T2 | Adam Schenk | 66 | 67 | 65 | 198 (-15) |
| T2 | Ricky Castillo | 65 | 66 | 67 | 198 (-15) |
| T5 | Two players | 199 (-14) |
Scottie Scheffler (1st/-23) – with the 54-hole lead/co-lead
- Holds an eight-stroke lead with a 54-hole total of 23-under 190
- Eight-stroke 54-hole lead is the largest on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open (8/Won)
- 10th opening 54-hole score of 190 or better in PGA Tour history
Lowest opening 54-hole scores in PGA TOUR history (since 1983)
| Score | Player | Tournament | Finish |
| 188 | Justin Thomas | 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii | Won |
| 188 | Steve Stricker | 2010 John Deere Classic | Won |
| 189 | Seven instances | Most recent: Nick Dunlap
2024 American Express |
All Won |
| 190 | Scottie Scheffler | 2025 CJ CUP Byron Nelson | TBD |
- 15th career 54-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play events on TOUR; 8-for-14 to date converting to victory
Results with the 54-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR
| Tournament | Lead | Result |
| 2025 CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Leads by 8 | TBD |
| 2024 TOUR Championship | Led by 5 | Won by 4 |
| 2024 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday | Led by 4 | Won by 1 |
| 2024 RBC Heritage | Led by 1 | Won by 3 |
| 2024 Masters Tournament | Led by 1 | Won by 4 |
| 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open | Tied | T2 |
| 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard | Tied | Won by 5 |
| 2023 BMW Championship | Tied | T2 |
| 2023 PLAYERS Championship | Led by 2 | Won by 5 |
| 2023 WM Phoenix Open | Led by 2 | Won by 2 |
| 2022 TOUR Championship | Led by 6 | T2 |
| 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge | Led by 2 | P2 |
| 2022 Masters Tournament | Led by 3 | Won by 3 |
| 2021 Texas Children’s Houston Open | Led by 1 | T2 |
| 2020 American Express | Tied | 3rd |
Scheffler – with a victory
- World No. 1 and reigning FedExCup champion seeks his 14th win in his 139th start at age of 28 years, 10 months, 13 days
- Win would be first of the season and first official victory since 2024 TOUR Championship (won 2024 Hero World Challenge)
- With a win, would become the 72nd player to reach 14 wins on the PGA TOUR and move to T65 on the all-time wins list
- Would be his fourth consecutive season with a win (four wins in 2022; two wins in 2023; seven wins in 2024)
- Would be second TOUR victory in his home state of Texas (2022 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play)
- Would become first wire-to-wire winner on TOUR since Lee Hodges (2023 3M Open) and third in tournament history
Wire-to-wire winners at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson:
-
- Mark Hayes (1976)
- Tom Watson (1980)
- 28-year-old Dallas resident making sixth start at the event (best finish: T5/2023)
- Made his PGA TOUR debut at 2014 CJ CUP Byron Nelson as a 17-year-old amateur and finished T22
- Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (15.033), Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (9.413)
- Entered the week No. 4 in the FedExCup standings; has finished in the top 25 in each of his eight starts this season (best: T2/Texas Children’s Houston Open)
Miscellaneous Notes
- South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen (T2/-15) seeks his third PGA TOUR victory in his 127th start (2021 Barracuda Championship, 2023 World Wide Technology Championship); would become the third player from South Africa to win THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, joining Ernie Els/1995 and Rory Sabbatini/2009 (later changed nationality to Slovakia)
- Adam Schenk (T2/-15) cards a third-round 65 and trails by eight; entered the week off six missed cuts and made his fifth cut in his 13th start this season (best: T6/Sony Open in Hawaii)
- PGA TOUR rookie and former University of Florida standout Ricky Castillo (T2/-15) seeks first PGA TOUR victory in 15th start (best: T12/2025 Valspar Championship)
