In McKinney, Texas, Scottie Scheffler maintained his comfortable lead during the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, remaining as dominant in the latter part of the third round as he was initially, despite not replicating the stellar performance of his initial 36 holes. Near sunset on Saturday, Scheffler rediscovered his form, stretching his lead to an impressive 23 under par.
His lead widened to eight strokes thanks to a 5-under 66, highlighted by birdies in three of the final five holes, including the par-5 18th, concluding a lengthy day that began with several players finishing the second round, delayed by a six-hour weather interruption on Friday.
Erik van Rooyen and Adam Schenk both shot 65, with Ricky Castillo at 67, all sitting at 15 under, followed by Kurt Kitiyama and Jhonattan Vegas just a stroke behind. Scheffler endured his first two bogeys of the event and was two under for the day through 13 holes, narrowly missing the PGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole score by a single stroke with 124 (18 under). His six-stroke lead after two days set a record for the Nelson.
At the par-4 14th, Scheffler drove the green and birdied with a tap-in before placing his tee shot within four feet on the long par-3 15th to secure another birdie. Just after hitting his tee shot on the 18th alongside Castillo and Sam Stevens, the horn signaling the end of play due to darkness sounded. Although the group ahead was still in the fairway, they permitted Scheffler’s group to play through to save time, with the option to finish.
Despite not being able to see his second shot from the rough, it successfully reached the green and Scheffler navigated a 31-foot putt to maintain the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy’s similar margin at the 2011 U.S. Open.
“I saw it take off the way I wanted it to,” Scheffler remarked about his approach on the 18th. “But after that, I couldn’t see that far. Really, I’d say the most challenging part was reading a green.”
Van Rooyen, attempting to finish with a birdie from beside the green on 18, needed four strokes instead, ending with a bogey. Schenk, after missing six consecutive cuts prior to the Nelson, faced similar frustration when a bogey on 15 interrupted his momentum, leaving him with a bittersweet 65 at the TPC Craig Ranch course.
Sam Stevens, previously in second place and bogey-free, fell back after experiencing four bogeys in five holes. Nonetheless, he remained part of a five-player group at 13 under, featuring Antoine Rozner who had the day’s low score at 63. Local favorite Jordan Spieth, a fellow Dallas native and former University of Texas golfer, landed another 67, bringing his total to 10 under. Spieth first made a splash at the Nelson in 2010 as a 16-year-old.
Scheffler’s first tournament appearance came four years later, and unless circumstances drastically change, he seems set to become the first high school golfer from Dallas to claim the Nelson title since Scott Verplank in 2007. Moreover, he could be the third ever to win the tournament wire-to-wire, after Mark Hayes and Tom Watson accomplished this in 1976 and 1980, respectively.
“I mean, I just walked off the golf course,” Scheffler commented post-round in the night sky. “Tomorrow is not really a concern of mine right now.”
Scheffler’s bogey streak began at the par-3 fourth when his tee shot fell short, leading to a missed 7-footer for par. The two-time Masters champion found more rough than fairways in this round compared to his previous exceptional two rounds.
“I definitely wasn’t as sharp as I was the last two days, but overall I posted a pretty good score,” Scheffler expressed. “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.”