Hero World Challenge Round 3: Sepp Straka Fires 64 to Edge Past Scottie Scheffler

After two days of five-way ties, the Hero World Challenge finally has a single name on top, and it belongs to the player who has been quietly hanging around since Thursday. Sepp Straka went bogey-free, made two eagles and shot 8-under 64 at Albany on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler heading into the final round.

Straka is at 17-under 199. Scheffler, chasing a third straight title in this event, shot 65 and sits alone in second at 16 under. Alex Noren (67) and Hideki Matsuyama (68) are three back at 14 under, with J.J. Spaun and Wyndham Clark four back after 69s. Justin Rose and Cameron Young are five behind.

Eagles on the Par 5s

Straka's round was a clinic in using Albany's scoring holes. The signature moment came at the par-5 sixth, where Straka chipped in for eagle, the shot the PGA TOUR picked as its Shot of the Day. At the par-5 ninth, a 3-wood landed short of the green and rolled out to 15 feet for a two-putt birdie. The other big blow came at the par-5 15th, playing downwind, where Straka rolled in an 18-footer for a second eagle.

The one par-4 birdie said something about the ball-striking. The tee at No. 7 had been moved back, and Straka still hit wedge to 7 feet at a back-left pin that punishes anything long. The tournament noted Straka hit all 13 fairways and tied the low round of the week with the 64. Afterward, Straka said the iron play was really good and the plan for Sunday was simply to keep doing the same things.

Scheffler's Late Leaks

For most of the afternoon this looked like Scheffler's day. The world No. 1 started with five straight 3s on the card and was 9 under for the round through 15 holes, per the AP. Straka trailed by three after five holes and was still two back with four to play.

Then the closing stretch bit Scheffler for a third straight day. At 16, the tee shot found short grass, but an awkward stance led to a tugged approach into a bunker and a bogey. At 18, Scheffler missed the green to the right and left a tricky pitch up a slope, another bogey. Bogey, par, bogey turned a potential runaway into a one-shot deficit.

"A few unfortunate breaks, but overall did some really good stuff," Scheffler said.

Straka gave Scheffler credit for the fast start. "He definitely got it going quick," Straka said, adding that golf usually evens out and the focus stayed on his own game.

A Big Year Gets Bigger

Straka is not sneaking up on anyone this season. The Austrian won The American Express in January and the Truist Championship in May, then played on the European Ryder Cup team in September. Albany has always suited Straka, too. This is Straka's fourth Hero start, with a runner-up to Scheffler in 2023 and never a finish in the bottom half of the field.

Sunday sets up as a rematch in the final group: Straka against the two-time defending champion who beat him here two years ago.

The Chasers

Noren and Matsuyama sit three back and have both been steady all week. Noren has gone 69, 66, 67. Matsuyama, the 2016 champion here, has gone 68, 66, 68, never spectacular and never out of it.

Spaun and Clark each shot 69 and are four back at 13 under. Rose has posted three straight 68s and is five back alongside Young, who cooled off with a 70 after Friday's 64.

The biggest move belonged to Sam Burns, who shot 65 to jump from 16th into a tie for ninth. The biggest drop came from Akshay Bhatia, a co-leader after each of the first two days, who shot 74 and slid to 8 under.

Burns sits at 10 under with Corey Conners and Harris English. Billy Horschel, the only player in the field without a Masters invitation and No. 45 in the world with the top 50 at year's end heading to Augusta, shot 69 to sit at 8 under. For Horschel, Sunday is about ranking points as much as a finishing position.

One Round, One Rematch

Six players are within four shots, and the pairing at the top is about as good as a holiday event can offer. Scheffler has been the best player in the world all year but keeps leaking shots late at Albany. Straka was bogey-free on Saturday and has the hottest hand. Behind them sit a former Masters champion with a history here and a Swede who keeps posting numbers. Eighteen holes remain. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR tournament page (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more. Catch up with our Round 1 and Round 2 recaps.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap, leaderboard), AP, Sky Sports, Hero World Challenge. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.