McKinney, Texas – Scotty Schaeffler’s comfortable lead at his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson was the same as the second half of the third round, even without the advantages the top-ranked players showed in the first 36 holes.
He then found the shape again and took an even bigger lead at 23 under while finishing after sunset on Saturday.
Schaeffler covered a 5-under 66 with birdies on three of the last five holes, taking an eight-shot lead after the 18th final 66 of the par-5 over 13 hours a day later. There was a 6 hour weather delay on Friday.
Eric Van Louen (65), Adam Schenk (65) and Ricky Castillo (67) are under the age of 15, with Kurt Kitayama (68) and Jhonattan Vegas (67) in separate shotbacks.
Schaeffler had the first two bogeys of the tournament, missing a PGA Tour record with a minimum of 36 holes scored on one shot at 124 (18 under) before 13 holes 2 under 13 holes until 13 holes. His six-shot lead after two rounds was Nelson’s record.
On the 14th of the short par 4, Schaeffler drove through Green and then settled on a tap-in birdie, then placed the tee shot on the 15th long 15th long, 15th long, 4ft for another birdie.
After Scheffler, Castillo and Sam Stevens tee off at 6pm, Scheffler, Castillo and Sam Stevens had already ringed after the previous group was still on the fairway but hit them in an attempt to save time. Players had the option to quit.
Schaeffler could not see the second shot from the rough after the impact, but reached the green. He’s been two putts from 31 feet on the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy led eight people on the way to win the 2011 US Open.
“I saw it take off the way I wanted,” Schaeffler said of his approach at 18. “But after that, I couldn’t see it far.
Van Louen was in the rough next to the 18 green in two shots, looking for another birdie that would match the low of the day.
“The rough was pretty thin so I thought I could run through the ball,” Van Louyen said. “It wasn’t my first time. Then I died the second time. So I made that wrong.”
After missing Nelson six consecutive cuts, Schenk lost his momentum on the TPC Craig Ranch course in suburbs of Dallas, leaving a similar sense in his matching 65.
Stevens was the only remaining player without bogeys when Schaeffler started his day alone, doing four stretches on a five-hole stretch. The natives in nearby Fort Worth were one of five players under the age of 13 after 70. The group included Antoine Rosner, who was 63 years old and had fewer days.
Schaeffler’s fellow Dallas resident and former University of Texas Golfer College Jordan Spieth shot 67 consecutive times and is under 10 years old. He was the first of two to make his touring debut at Nelson when he competed for Sunday in 2010 at the age of 16.
Schaeffler’s first appearance is four years later, and for him it will require a massive event, as if he were probably not the first good friend to win their favorite event. He is set to become the first high school golfer from Dallas to win a Nelson since Scott Verplank in 2007. He was also able to become the third wire-to-wire winner in tournament history after Mark Hayes (1976) and Tom Watson (1980).
“I mean, I’ve just got off the golf course,” Schaeffler said in the darkness of the interview after the round. “Tomorrow is not my concern for now.”
It will be his 14th time in the final round of the tour event he has taken a lead over the past five seasons, twice as many golfers in that span.
Schaeffler’s first bogey came to the par 3 force hole when his tee shot went shorter and missed a seven footer on the par. The two-time master winner missed five fairways after missing a total of six in the first two rounds.
“I haven’t been as sharp as the last two days, but overall I’ve posted a pretty good score,” Schaeffler said. “In a 72-hole tournament, like the first two days, there’s a day, or at least one day, where the swing isn’t fired on every cylinder. That’s about how you fight it.”
This report uses information from the Associated Press.