2025 Memorial Tournament leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler eyes repeat, edging Ben Griffin after 54 holes

Two of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour are battling atop the leaderboard at Muirfield Village

Ben Griffin and Nick Taylor entered Saturday's third round of the 2025 Memorial Tournament tied atop the leaderboard, two shots clear of the field and three ahead of reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, who was lurking menacingly. Eighteen holes later, Scheffler is lurking no more as he has slid into the 54-hole lead on his own at 8 under after shooting a bogey-free 68 to close a wild third round at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. 

Midway through the Moving Day, it looked like Griffin might run away and hide from the chasing pack. Birdies from Nos. 6-8 moved Griffin to 10 under, five clear of Taylor and six ahead of Scheffler, who made the turn with nine pars on his front side. 

However, the tournament changed dramatically from that point forward. Griffin's heater came to an abrupt stop as he made four consecutive bogeys to drop all the way back to 6 under for the tournament. Scheffler stayed patient with 13 consecutive pars to open his round, but he scored back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th to move into a brief tie at the top with Griffin at 6 under. 

Griffin birdied the same two holes in the group behind to move back in front by two at 8 under, but Scheffler wasn't done throwing haymakers. He birdied the 17th and added another at always challenging 18th, punctuating his round with an exclamation point in the form of a sweeping birdie putt that was always tracking for the middle of the cup. 

That put a bow on a bogey-free 68, marking the first time he avoided putting any squares on the card in 19 rounds at Muirfield Village -- a wildly impressive achievement on this particular day in tough conditions. 

"Today was a grind," Scheffler said of his third round. "Conditions were pretty tough, the winds were up pretty high, and I felt like I was doing a lot of good stuff on the front nine but wasn't getting a ton out of it. Hit a lot of lips, but overall, I knew it was going to be a tough day based on the conditions and did my best to grind it out. Just had a good finish which turned into a really nice round." 

Griffin couldn't close his round in the same positive manner, making bogey on the 18th after missing a short par putt in an effort to get up-and-down from the rough short and right of the green. That dropped him back to where he began the day at 7 under as he put together a rollercoaster 72, and he will now have to chase down the world's No. 1 player on Sunday if he's going to pull off back-to-back wins. 

The leader

1. Scottie Scheffler (-8): Saturday was a perfect encapsulation of what has made Scheffler the best player in the world over the last few years. On a day where the conditions and course combined to present an incredible challenge, he never pressed nor put himself out of position. While he didn't get the birdies he wanted on the front nine, he refused to let that frustration change his approach; rather, he kept giving himself scoring opportunities until the putter warmed up late. 

That mindset has him in the lead, and on a course where scoring is difficult, the chasers will have to figure out how to reel in a player who just doesn't make many mistakes. That's an incredibly hard thing to accomplished if anyone does prevent Scheffler from going back-to-back at the Memorial, it'll almost assuredly be by way of an incredible effort rather than Scheffler giving it away. 

Other contenders

2. Ben Griffin (-7)
3. Nick Taylor (-5)
T4. Jordan Spieth, Sepp Straka, Keegan Bradley (-3)
T7. Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay, Shane Lowry (-2)

Griffin will be kicking himself for the miss on the 18th, but he's still got a chance at this win despite some wild ups and downs Saturday. He has shown an ability to score at Muirfield this week, which is going to be a must if he's going to find a way to pass Scheffler in the final pairing Sunday. Griffin's challenge will be avoiding a stretch like he had in the middle of his third round when he got out of sorts and rode the bogey train for four straight holes, because while Scottie might make one or two bogeys in the final round, you have to assume he will once again keep a pretty clean card. 

Taylor put together one of the most impressive 74s you'll see, as he looked like he was going to completely eject midway through the back nine. He was all the way back at 2 under after a double on No. 12 and a bogey on No. 13 but got back on track thanks to a hole-out eagle on No. 15. 

Taylor added another birdie on the 15th to get back into third alone, just three off the lead. He will need to find something in the 60s on Sunday to have a chance at the win, but he at least still has a shot at the win, which was not the case when he stepped on the 14th tee. 

Straka posted the best round of the day with a 66 to climb 27 spots on the leaderboard, and while he likely needs another 66 or better on Sunday to have a chance at the win, he is now in a great position to earn a top-5 finish and a big payday. The same can be said for Bradley, whose 68 moved him up 14 places. 

Spieth was tied with Scheffler at 5 under, one off the lead midway through the back nine after birdies on No. 14 and 15, but he couldn't close in the same manner as his fellow Texan. Spieth made bogeys on the 17th and 18th to fall back to 3 under where he started the day. His 72 was a perfect encapsulation of the Jordan Spieth experience, as he made six birdies, six bogeys and six pars on his round. 

2025 Memorial Tournament updated odds, picks

Odds via BetMGM

• Scottie Scheffler (1/3)
• Ben Griffin (9/2)
• Nick Taylor (18-1)
• Jordan Spieth (40-1)
• Sepp Straka (45-1)

This feels like a two-horse race at this point, and unsurprisingly, Scheffler is a massive favorite now that he's taken the outright 54-hole lead. I don't think Griffin is going to blink in that final pairing, so I don't hate taking a bite at 9/2, but even a good round might not be enough to take down Scheffler at a course on which he's extremely comfortable. This is Scottie's tournament to win, and he tends to convert 54-hole leads into trophies. 

[May 31, 2025 at 7:14 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Scottie Scheffler birdies four of his final five holes to shoot 68 and tie for the lead

After making 13 straight pars to open his round, Scottie Scheffler closed Saturday with a flurry of birdies, making four in his final five holes to shoot a 68 (tied for the second-best round of the day) and join Ben Griffin in the lead at 8 under. Scheffler plotted his way along patiently all afternoon, but finally found it striking the ball to close out his round, setting up birdie look after birdie look on his way in -- culminating in a sweeping birdie putt at the last. 

He'll wait to find out if he's tied with Griffin, one behind or possibly in the solo lead going into Sunday, but he is in prime position to make it back-to-back wins at the Memorial. 

[May 31, 2025 at 6:57 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Jordan Spieth bogeys 17th and 18th, shoots third round 72

Jordan Spieth shot an even-par 72 on Saturday that was in perfectly Spieth-ian style, as he made six birdies, six bogeys and six pars to stay at 3 under for the tournament. After back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, Spieth had it to 5 under for the tournament and was just one back of Ben Griffin's lead, but he would stumble coming home with bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 to fall back into a tie for fourth with Keegan Bradley and Sepp Straka, five off Griffin's lead (and four behind Scottie Scheffler). 

Saturday's round was a microcosm of Spieth's season, where he's seemed to be closer to the form of old that made him one of the PGA Tour's best, but he's just not been able to sustain that level for quite long enough to really contend for wins. His third round 72 doesn't take him completely out of contention, but with Scheffler making a late push up the leaderboard and Griffin rebounding after a mid-round stumble, he now needs something spectacular on Sunday on a difficult golf course. 

[May 31, 2025 at 6:32 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Ben Griffin reclaims solo lead over Scottie Scheffler, who has made back-to-back birdies

For a brief moment, Scottie Scheffler was tied for the lead at the Memorial, as he made his second consecutive birdie with a tap-in on the par-5 15th after finding the fringe to the left of the pin with his second. Scheffler would two-putt from there to move to 6 under, matching Griffin's mark on the top of the leaderboard. 

However, Griffin was able to stop the rot on his back nine and get back to 7 under where he started the day with a birdie on the 14th after watching Taylor hole out for eagle. 

He will now head to the 15th feeling like a birdie is a must, as the final three holes are all difficult closing holes and the par 5 will be his best chance to put another circle on the card. 

[May 31, 2025 at 6:27 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Nick Taylor holes out for eagle to stop his slide

The co-leader after 36 holes has had a dreadful Saturday, dropping five shots in his first 13 holes, but the short par-4 14th finally brought a smile to the Canadian's face as he holed out from the fairway for an eagle to jump back into fourth place at -4, just two back of Ben Griffin. 

His reaction was fantastic, as nothing has gone right all day, but the golf gods love to give you one right when you're feeling at your worst. 

[May 31, 2025 at 6:14 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler move to 5 under, 1 back of Ben Griffin

Jordan Spieth's excellent week in Ohio has continued on Saturday, as he's plotted his way around Muirfield Village better than anyone in the final few groups. Spieth moved to 2 under on his round after back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, getting up-and-down from the bunker short of the green on the par-5 to move to 5 under. 

That has him one behind Ben Griffin, who has hit a rough patch on his back nine with four straight bogeys in the middle of his third round. Spieth has three holes to play and will be looking to post the clubhouse lead and see if Griffin keeps backing up to him. 

Two groups behind Spieth, defending champion Scottie Scheffler had made 13 straight pars to open his round before finally making his first birdie of the day on the 14th, joining Spieth at 5 under and on Griffin's heels. 

[May 31, 2025 at 6:06 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Ben Griffin makes his fourth straight bogey; Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth now 2 back 

Ben Griffin cannot get off the bogey train as he has now made four bogeys in a row from No. 9 to No. 12. The difficult, short par-3 has been one of the hardest holes at Muirfield Village all day and derailed the final pairing. Griffin missed the green in the left rough and left his first flop shot attempt in the long stuff. He did get that up-and-down for his bogey to avoid the same fate as Nick Taylor, who went in the water off the tee and made double bogey to fall back to 3 under. 

With their adventures on the 12th, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth are now tied for second at 4 under, just two shots off Griffin's lead. The clubhouse lead, meanwhile, belongs to Sepp Straka and Keegan Bradley, who had the two best rounds of the day with a 66 and 68 respectively to post 3 under. Those two are watching as the field comes back to them, and it appears they'll be firmly in the mix on Sunday. 

[May 31, 2025 at 5:35 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Ben Griffin's lead drops to three after back-to-back bogeys

When he reached 10 under after his third straight birdie on the 8th hole, Ben Griffin looked like he could run away with the Memorial title, but Muirfield Village never relents and took its toll as he made the turn. 

Back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 9 and 10 moved Griffin back to 8 under for the tournament and three ahead of Nick Taylor, who is 2 over on his third round. If you offered Griffin 8 pars the rest of the way, he'd gleefully sign for a 71, but we'll have to see if he can avoid any mishaps on the back nine at Jack's place to maintain a healthy advantage at the top of the leaderboard. 

[May 31, 2025 at 4:58 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Ben Griffin opens up a 5-shot lead with back-to-back-to-back birdies

After starting the third round tied for the lead with Nick Taylor, Ben Griffin is now four clear of Taylor and five ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth as he walks off the 7th green. Griffin started his day with five straight pars, watching his lead grow with Nick Taylor going backwards with a pair of bogeys to start his round. 

Then on the 6th, Griffin hit a beautiful approach to 14 feet below the hole and rolled that in to move to 8 under for the tournament. He backed that up with a birdie on the par-5 7th, thanks in large part to a fantastic bunker shot after finding the sand with his approach. 

UPDATE: He then stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 8th to inside 5 feet and made the birdie for his third straight to move to 10 under, five clear of Taylor. 

Griffin has been the hottest golfer on the PGA Tour over the last month, and is not relenting on Saturday at the Memorial. For all of the challenges Muirfield Village has provided the players today, he has a chance to put some real distance between him and the field if he can keep rolling the rest of the day. 

[May 31, 2025 at 4:21 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka posts the round of the day with a bogey-free 66 to get to 3 under

On a day where pars feel like a great score on most holes, Sepp Straka went out and shot a 6-under 66 that is the best round of Saturday by a wide margin. 

Straka moved up from 31st to T5 with his incredible round, as he's 3 under for the tournament and just four back of Ben Griffin's lead -- who still has to make his way around 13 more holes in tough conditions in his third round. Prior to Straka, the best round in the clubhouse on Saturday was a 71 (Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar), and the closest to his 6 under number on the course is 3 under, shared by Maverick McNealy (-3 thru 17) and Rickie Fowler (-3 thru 14). 

The big Austrian is now firmly in the mix for not only a better pay day from the $20 million purse, but 3 under is probably going to look very good heading into Sunday's final round and give him a chance at winning the year's penultimate signature event. 

[May 31, 2025 at 3:30 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Ben Griffin takes solo lead with par at the 1st, Nick Taylor bogey

The challenge of Muirfield Village has been on full display on Saturday, and the leaders are now on the course and battling early in their third round. Ben Griffin is back in the solo lead at 7 under thanks to a solid par on No. 1, while Nick Taylor dropped back to 6 under with a bogey on the difficult opener. Akshay Bhatia also made a bogey on the 1st in the group ahead, falling back into a tie for third with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns at 4 under. 

Both Griffin and Taylor missed left off the tee on the 2nd, and it looks like it will be a grind all afternoon for players trying to navigate their way around Muirfield in the wind. Just holding position with an even par round will likely move players up the leaderboard going into Sunday, and anything under par will allow them to make a major move. 

[May 31, 2025 at 2:27 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka working on the early round of the day

While it's not a surprise that players further down the leaderboard have struggled on Saturday, the difficulty of Muirfield Village has been on full display as about half of the players on the course are multiple shots over par on their round. While some players who have recently teed off have it to 1 under early, of players who have reached the back nine, only six players are in red figures so far. 

The best of those rounds belongs to Sepp Straka, who is 3 under thru 11 and is bogey-free in his round so far. That's moved him to even par on the tournament, good for T12, and if he can stay even or better the rest of the way in, he could post the first round of the 60s today. That will pick up a bunch of shots on the field, and come Sunday evening that could prove extremely lucrative as players jockey for their portion of the $20 million purse. 

[May 31, 2025 at 12:23 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Strong winds making for extremely difficult scoring conditions

The morning wave are having a really difficult time out at Muirfield Village on Saturday. Only one player (Stephan Jaeger) is under par and he is -1 thru 6. On the flip side, 13 players are over par on their third rounds as the winds have picked up to nearly 20 mph in Dublin, Ohio and it is making an already tough golf course play even harder. Guys are having a hard time finding fairways with the wind and with how thick the rough is, that's making it nearly impossible to find and hold greens with regularity. 

For the leaders watching the early coverage, it's pretty clear that anything even par or better is going to be a pretty solid score today, while anyone that can post red figures is going to make up ground on the field. 

[May 31, 2025 at 11:00 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Soft fairway conditions will continue to be a story on Saturday

The fairways at Muirfield Village remain incredibly soft on Saturday morning, which is continuing to make the course play long. Matt Fitzpatrick had his ball plug in the second fairway after hitting driver, offering an indicator of just how soft they are, which earned him relief despite them playing it down. Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas both had their iron tee shots on the 3rd hit and spin back in the fairway, and while we are 4 hours away from the leaders teeing off, it's clear players will have to deal with mud and long approach shots into these greens throughout the day.