THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Round 3: Si Woo Kim Loses the Lead, Then Takes It Back

Si Woo Kim spent Saturday finding out exactly how fast a five-shot lead can disappear at TPC Craig Ranch. Then Kim went and got it back.

A day after flirting with 59, Kim had the lead wiped out by the 11th hole, regrouped, and birdied three of the next four holes to post a 3-under 68. At 21-under 192, Kim takes a two-shot lead into the final round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson over the two players who spent the afternoon trying to take it away: defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark, both at 19 under after matching 65s.

The Lead Evaporates

Kim started the third round five clear, a margin tied for the second largest after 36 holes on TOUR this season, behind only Rory McIlroy's six-shot edge at the Masters. It did not survive the front nine and the turn. Kim made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch, capped by back-to-back bogeys at the 10th and 11th, and every one of them came on a putt inside 10 feet.

Kim admitted the head got ahead of the hands. "I was thinking about too much scoring like first 10, 11 holes," Kim said, per the AP. Kim's caddie, according to the PGA TOUR, delivered a simple message: calm down.

Clark Takes a Swing

While Kim stumbled, Clark charged. The 2023 U.S. Open champion, who opened 66 and 63, pulled within one with a short eagle putt at the par-5 ninth. At the par-5 12th, Clark played a bunker shot from awkward footing and then poured in a 15-footer for birdie to take the outright lead.

For a moment, it was a three-way tie at the top at 19 under between Kim, Scheffler and Clark. Clark, still chasing a first win since Pebble Beach in 2024, also dealt with a small cut on the nose that bled for a couple of holes, which tells you how the afternoon was going: nothing about it was tidy.

"Whether you have to shoot 8 under to win or 1 under to win, it's fun because you still feel the same heat," Clark said, per the AP.

Scheffler Grinds Into Position

Scheffler finally made a bogey, his first of the week, at the par-3 fourth. The response was classic Scheffler. Three birdies over the last five holes of the front nine got the defending champion right back in it, and a seven-birdie, one-bogey 65 left Scheffler two back.

The world No. 1 and Kim are friends from Royal Oaks Country Club nearby, and both are playing in front of hometown galleries, a storyline that only gets better with Kim on top and Scheffler in pursuit.

"I think it's good for the community to have two guys that are local up there on the leaderboard," Scheffler said, per the AP.

Kim Finds the Mojo

The turnaround started at the 12th, where Kim got the first birdie back. At the par-4 14th, Scheffler and Clark both went for the green off the tee and settled for pars, while Kim made birdie to move back in front. Then at the par-3 15th, Kim hit the tee shot to 10 feet and holed the putt, and the lead was Kim's for good.

"Yeah, just trying to hit the good shots and trying to like, all the mojo's back," Kim said.

Kim has made 26 birdies through 54 holes, one shy of the TOUR's 54-hole record per the PGA TOUR, and leads the TOUR with 270 birdies on the season.

Movers and Fallers

Stephan Jaeger shot the low round of the day, a 64, to get to 17 under alongside Sungjae Im (67) and Tom Hoge (66), four back. Zach Bauchou shot 66 to reach 16 under, one shot clear of a group that includes Brooks Koepka, who also shot 66 and is still hunting a first win since leaving LIV Golf for the PGA TOUR.

Saturday was less kind to others. Jordan Spieth followed Friday's 62 with a 73 after bogeying four of the first five holes on the back nine. First-round leader Taylor Moore found water at the par-3 15th, made a triple-bogey 6 and shot 69 to sit at 13 under. Kensei Hirata, who played in the final group, shot 70 and fell seven back.

Sunday's Setup

The renovated course has been far gentler than expected, with a field scoring average of 68.6 through three rounds per the PGA TOUR, and calm conditions are again in the forecast. Kim summed it up bluntly: "This course is definitely not a 'protecting' course."

That is the tension heading into Sunday. Kim has the lead and a birdie machine for a putter when it is behaving. Scheffler has last year's eight-shot win here and a career of closing. Clark has momentum and a cut on the nose. Two shots is nothing at Craig Ranch this week, and everyone in the top three knows it.

Catch up on the first two days in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP Round 3 recap, Round 3 feature and leaderboard), Golf Channel (AP), Manila Bulletin (AP). More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.