2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler pushes lead to eight as he looks for first win of 2025

Scheffler shot 66 on Saturday to continue his dominance as he looks to go wire-to-wire in Texas

Scottie Scheffler's dominant form has been on full display through his first three rounds of the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The world's No. 1 player entered the day with a six-stroke clubhouse lead and after a very long day at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, he heads to Sunday with an eight-shot advantage. 

Scheffler was not among the many who had to finish their second round on Saturday morning, but Friday's delay of more than six hours meant he didn't tee off for his third round until 4:15 p.m. ET. Despite a tee time deserving of a twilight rate, Scheffler and the final group did manage to get all 18 holes in, and he was able to extend his lead with a 66. 

It wasn't the same dominant performance that we saw on Thursday and Friday when he went 61-63, but it was more than enough to keep the rest of the field at arm's length. He made two birdies in his first three holes to end any early hopes from the rest of the leaderboard that he might back up or even stall out, including a long birdie putt on No. 3. 

Scheffler did make his first two bogeys of the week in his third round, but six birdies nullified those blemishes. On the back nine, Scheffler saw Erik van Rooyen trim his lead to five at one point, but immediately responded with the best iron shot of the day on the long par-3 15th, stuffing a 4-iron to just a few feet to set up another birdie. 

He would par the 16th and 17th holes, and then as they arrived on the 18th tee, the group in front kindly waved them ahead so they could tee off just before play was suspended for darkness. That gave them the option to finish their round, which they gladly took, and Scheffler cashed in with a birdie on the par 5.

Now Scheffler will get to sleep on a eight-stroke lead, which looks about as insurmountable as any lead you could find in a golf tournament given who is at the top. He'll play in the final group on Sunday with van Rooyen and Adam Schenk, both tied at -15 after 65s on Saturday, but they will need to produce something special (and have Scheffler make an abnormal number of mistakes) to prevent him from getting his first win of the 2025 season. 

The leader

1. Scottie Scheffler (-23)

It's hard to describe a season with five top 10s in eight starts (and top 25s in the other three) a disappointment, but Scheffler has set the bar so incredibly high for himself that it's felt like one. Now, in his final tune-up before the PGA Championship in two weeks, Scheffler looks poised to hoist a trophy for the first time this season and will do so in emphatic fashion in a home game in the Dallas area. His ball-striking has looked an awful lot like it did when he won seven times a year ago, and as long as he can keep it on the tracks on Sunday, he'll make quite the statement heading into the year's second major. 

Other contenders

T2. Erik van Rooyen, Adam Schenk, Ricky Castillo (-15)
T5. Kurt Kitayama, Jhonattan Vegas (-14)

Contenders might be a strong word here, but these five have all played really well this week, they just happen to be going up against a juggernaut at the top of his game. The A-flight in this event may just be one man, but the battle for the winner of the "without Scheffler" marketplace could be fun to watch on Sunday. These guys all could use the FedEx Cup points that come with a second-place finish, and who knows, maybe someone has a 61 in them to make things interesting at the top too. 

Si Woo Kim and Jordan Spieth: Friends forever

One of the highlights of the day was Jordan Spieth (-10) making an eagle on the 18th and then getting a chest bump from Si Woo Kim (-10). The celebration caught the broadcast booth a bit by surprise, but as Spieth explained after, the two were celebrating that they'd be playing with each other again on Sunday after being in the same group the first three days as well. 

We don't often get competitors celebrating each other, but after Kim made his birdie putt, Spieth needed to answer him with an eagle to ensure a fourth round together at TPC Craig Ranch, buried it and got a chest bump from a very excited Si Woo in response. 

2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson updated odds, picks

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Scottie Scheffler (1/200)
• Erik van Rooyen (200-1)
• Ricky Castillo (200-1)

I honestly don't think I've ever seen odds quite like this. Don't put your money on anyone other than Scottie and also don't put $200 on Scottie to win $1. Instead, if you really want to get a sweat in on Sunday, take a look at the "winner without" section where I might consider Jhonattan Vegas at +900, just one back of second place.