Scheffler closes in on first PGA Tour title of 2025 with 8-shot third-round lead at CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Texas, May 4 (IANS) Scottie Scheffler will head into final round at TPC Craig Ranch with an eight-shot lead. The American carded a five-under-par 66 in his third round. He’s at 23-under 190 through three rounds essentially his hometown event, where got his first Tour in 2014.

The last golfer to have an eight-shot lead on the PGA TOUR through 54 holes was Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Scheffler, who is looking for his first win of 2025, was 2 under after three holes in his third round before giving one back on the par-3 4th – his first bogey of the week. He added another birdie on the par-5 9th before bogeying the par-4 11th.

He drove the green on the short par-4 14th, leaving his tee ball just 13 feet away enroute to another birdie. He added circles on his card on Nos. 15 and 18 to come in with a 5-under 66, PGA Tour reports.

“I 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," Scheffler said.

If Scheffler were to go on to win, it would be his first official win since the Tour Championship last September (Scheffler won the Hero World Challenge in December). Scheffler has five top-10s so far this season, with his best result, a T2, coming at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

The widest margin of victory in Scheffler’s career was five shots, which he’s done twice – at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE Players Championship in 2023.

The third round was delayed with the second round needing to be pushed into Saturday morning due to a six-plus hour weather delay Friday.

--IANs

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