McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler’s tearing up TPC Craig Ranch like a man possessed, and the hometown crowd’s eating it up. The world’s No. 1 golfer, a Dallas native who cut his teeth on Texas fairways, is steamrolling the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson with an eight-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round. After a third-round 66 on May 3, Scheffler’s sitting pretty at 23-under par, leaving the field scrambling to keep him in sight.
The guy’s been a buzzsaw all week. He kicked things off with a blistering 10-under 61 on Thursday, eagling the ninth and racking up birdies like they’re going out of style. Friday was no different—despite a six-hour rain delay that left the course soggy and half the field stuck waiting, Scheffler fired an 8-under 63, setting a tournament record for the lowest 36-hole score at 18-under 124. That’s the second-lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history, just a stroke shy of Justin Thomas’s 123 at the 2017 Sony Open. Saturday wasn’t quite as electric, but Scheffler still stretched his lead, carding five birdies against two bogeys—his first of the week—while finishing in near-darkness after a marathon day.
This ain’t just another tournament for Scheffler. The Byron Nelson’s where he made his PGA Tour debut back in 2014, a scrawny 17-year-old with a sponsor’s exemption and big dreams. Now 28, he’s chasing his first win of 2025 after a hand injury from a Christmas Day kitchen mishap sidelined him early this year. He’s been close—five top-10s in eight starts, including a T2 in Houston—but the victory’s eluded him. If he seals the deal Sunday, he’ll be only the third wire-to-wire winner in Nelson history, joining Mark Hayes in 1976 and Tom Watson in 1980. Not bad company.
Chasing him? Good luck. Sam Stevens, a Fort Worth native, is the closest at 15-under after a 65, but he’s still eight back. Ricky Castillo’s at 14-under, and Erik van Rooyen’s hanging around at 13-under. The rest of the field’s basically playing for second. Stevens, who’s yet to win on Tour, admitted catching Scheffler’s a tall order: “He’s already better than I am, so I don’t need to spot him nine shots going into the weekend.” The course, softened by Wednesday’s two-inch downpour, is yielding birdies, but Scheffler’s making it look like a pitch-and-putt.
Scheffler’s not getting ahead of himself. “I did a good job getting it around today,” he said after Saturday’s round. “I wasn’t as sharp as the last two days, but overall I posted a pretty good score.” The guy’s laser-focused, skipping next week’s Truist Championship to prep for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. A win here would be his 14th on Tour and his first since last September’s Tour Championship.
The Nelson’s always been special for Scheffler, who grew up watching it and now plays it alongside buddies like Jordan Spieth, who’s at 6-under and likely out of contention. The tournament, named for the legendary Texan since 1968, hasn’t crowned a local champ since Scott Verplank in 2007. Scheffler’s got a chance to change that—and make a little history while he’s at it.
Scheffler’s 36-hole total of 124 beat the previous Nelson record by two shots. His third-round 66 included birdies on holes 9, 14, 15, and 18. The final round tees off Sunday, May 4, with Scheffler paired with Stevens and Castillo at TPC Craig Ranch.