Third Round Notes – 2026 WM Phoenix Open 

Weather: Mostly sunny. High of 82. Wind SW 4-8 mph.

Third-Round Leaderboard

 Hideki Matsuyama (1^st/-13)

Double WM Phoenix Open champ Hideki Matsuyama looking to join Arnold Palmer with a record equallying three Phoenix titles. Image PGA Tour

• 2016 and 2017 WM Phoenix Open champion cards a third-round 68 and holds a one-stroke lead over four players
• Has 12 made cuts in 13 starts at the WM Phoenix Open (withdrew with an injury after an opening-round 69 in 2018) and has never posted an over-par score on the weekend at the event (23 rounds); has 12 third-round scores in the 60s in as many attempts at TPC Scottsdale
• Seeking to join WM Phoenix Open three-time winners Mark Calcavecchia, Gene Littler, Phil Mickelson and Arnold Palmer
• Victory would be the 14^th by an international player in WM Phoenix Open history
• Most wins by an Asian player on the PGA TOUR: Matsuyama (11, Japan), K.J. Choi (8, South Korea)
• PGA TOUR wins (11): 2014 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, 2016 WM Phoenix Open, 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2017 WM Phoenix Open, 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, 2021 Masters Tournament, 2021 Baycurrent Classic, 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii, 2024 Genesis Invitational, 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship, 2025 Sentry
• Ninth career 54-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR; 5-for-8 in converting the 54-hole lead/co-lead to victory, including his last four attempts (2021 Masters Tournament, 2021 Baycurrent Classic, 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship, 2025 Sentry)

Miscellaneous Notes

• Nicolai Højgaard (T2/-12) birdies five of his final six holes for a 6-under 65, while twin brother, Rasmus (T11/-9) has a stretch of five birdies in seven holes (Nos. 8, 11-14) en route to a 5-under 66; they trail by one and four, respectively, as they seek their first PGA TOUR title (Nicolai has three runner-up finishes on TOUR, while Rasmus has one – with their most recent coming as teammates at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans); Nicolai leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (10.317) and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (6.791)
• Maverick McNealy (T2/12) now has six straight rounds in the 60s at TPC Scottsdale, including scores of 67-69-65 this week; has finished inside the top 10 the last two years at TPC Scottsdale (T6/2024, T9/2025); 2024 RSM Classic champion is seeking his second victory in his 171^st start
• Si Woo Kim (T2/-12) is making his 84^th start since the most recent of his four PGA TOUR victories (2023 Sony Open in Hawaii); T12 in 2024 marks his best finish in 10 prior starts at the event; leads the field in Driving Accuracy (34 of 42) and Proximity (33’2”)
• Playing alongside fellow countryman Matsuyama in round three, 36-hole leader Ryo Hisatsune (T2/-12) bogeys the last hole for a 1-under 70, falling into a four-way tie for second and one behind Matsuyama; finished T2 at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, his best career finish on TOUR in 65 starts; seeks to become the sixth different player from Japan to win on the PGA TOUR (Matsuyama, Shigeki Maruyama, Isao Aoki, Ryuji Imada, Satoshi Kodaira); entered the week No. 4 in the Aon Swing 5 standings (currently projected No. 1), with the top five after this week’s WM Phoenix Open qualifying for the first two Signature Events of the season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational
• In search of his second PGA TOUR victory (2024 VidantaWorld Mexico Open), Jake Knapp (T6/-11) enters the final round trailing Matsuyama by two strokes; in two starts this season, finished T11 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and T5 at the Farmers Insurance Open; has yet to have an over-par round this season
• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T16/-8) trails by five following a third-round 67; is in search of his 21^st win and victories in three consecutive events for the first time in his career (2025 Procore Championship, 2026 American Express); largest come-from-behind win of his career: 5 (2024 PLAYERS Championship)