World No. 1 Finishes in the Dark to Set Up Sunday Coronation

McKINNEY, Texas — After a historically dominant first two rounds, Scottie Scheffler extended his hometown advantage to eight shots with a 5-under 66 in Saturday’s third round at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The world No. 1 stands at 23-under par heading into Sunday’s final round, positioning himself perfectly to claim his first victory of 2025.

Scheffler, who missed this event last year for the birth of his son Bennett, finished his round after sunset on Saturday—more than 13 hours after his day began due to weather-delayed second-round play from Friday’s six-hour suspension.

“I definitely wasn’t as sharp as I was the last two days, but overall I posted a pretty good score,” Scheffler said after completing his round in near darkness. “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.”

Late Surge Extends Lead

Despite recording his first two bogeys of the tournament, Scheffler found his rhythm late in the round. After standing at just 2-under for the day through 13 holes, he birdied three of his final five holes, including a closing birdie on the par-5 18th where he could barely see his approach shot in the twilight.

“I saw it take off the way I wanted it to,” Scheffler said of his second shot on 18. “But after that, I couldn’t see that far. Really, I’d say the most challenging part was reading a green.”

His eight-shot advantage matches the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy led by the same margin on his way to winning the 2011 U.S. Open.

Chasing Pack Far Behind

Erik van Rooyen, Adam Schenk, and Ricky Castillo sit tied for second at 15-under par, while Kurt Kitayama and Jhonattan Vegas are another shot back. Antoine Rozner posted the day’s low round with a 63 to reach 13-under, tied with four others including Sam Stevens, who began the day alone in second place before recording four bogeys in a five-hole stretch.

Fellow Dallas resident and Texas alum Jordan Spieth sits at 10-under after a second consecutive 67, putting him 13 shots behind his good friend.

Historical Significance

With a victory Sunday, Scheffler would become the first Dallas high school graduate to win the Byron Nelson since Scott Verplank in 2007, and the third wire-to-wire winner in tournament history after Mark Hayes (1976) and Tom Watson (1980).

More importantly for Scheffler, it would end his surprising winless start to 2025—a drought that seems particularly unusual given his dominance over the previous three seasons when he collected 10 victories, including two Masters titles and two Players Championships.

Weather conditions are expected to be ideal for Sunday’s final round, where Scheffler will tee off in the final group looking to convert his commanding lead into a long-awaited victory celebration in front of his hometown fans.