2025 Truist Championship leaderboard: Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka on top; Justin Thomas in pursuit after Round 3

The leaderboard at the Truist Championship is stacked with 18 holes remaining just outside Philadelphia

A windy day with gusts touching 30 mph produced difficult scoring conditions for players in the third round of the 2025 Truist Championship. With the golf course yielding an over-par scoring average, it was Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry who rose to the occasion and grabbed hold of the the 54-hole lead in the final event before the PGA Championship.

Firing a 66, Straka signed for the third-lowest round of the day alongside Justin Thomas and Corey Conners and behind only Hideki Matsuyama's 63 and Jacob Bridgeman's 65, both of which came in the early hours. Meandering up the leaderboard, the big Austrian moved to pole position at 14 under where Lowry met him thanks to a late birdie on the par-4 17th.

Straka looks to become just the second multiple-time winner on the PGA Tour this season (Rory McIlroy). He is batting .500 in converting 54-hole advantages into victories this year as he raised the trophy at The American Express but fell short to McIlroy at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

"You're going to have [nerves]," Straka said. "You're definitely going to have them. So you just -- all you can do is try to focus on what you can control, and that is your target, try to hit your number, and try to make a good swing. That's pretty much it. You're going to feel terrible while trying to do it, but that's just part of it. That kind of makes it fun when you are able to pull it off."

Meanwhile, Lowry is looking for only his second career individual title in the United States and his first since the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The Irishman's most recent PGA Tour triumph came last season alongside McIlroy in a team event at the Zurich Classic.

Straka and Lowry have built a bit of a moat between themselves and the rest of the field as 18- and 36-hole leader Keith Mitchell, as well as Thomas, pose as the final pairing's closest pursuers at 11 under. Thomas rolled a 30-foot birdie bid on his final hole to inch closer to the leaders while Mitchell hung tough despite an uncooperative putter for most of the day.

Matsuyama was the man who made the most of his Moving Day as he went from irrelevant in this tournament to firmly in the picture heading into the final round just five adrift. Fellow Masters champion McIlroy had a similar look in his eyes as well as the Northern Irishman notched three straight birdies in the early portion of his round to move onto the first page of the leaderboard.

McIlroy's spark did not turn into a flame, however, as he cooled off with a double bogey and bogey two-hole stretch with his driver proving unable to position him in the short grass consistently. The five-time major champion hit only three fairways, sits at 8 under and is in need of a memorable final day if he is to successfully defend his tournament title.

The leaders

T1. Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry (-14): Straka is known for his accuracy off the tee and precision into the green, but Saturday's performance was all about the putter. The Big Austrian rolled in multiple big-time putts, including three birdie conversions from outside 10 feet on the front nine and two massive makes on Nos. 17-18 from 26 feet and 18 feet to maintain a share of the lead.

Meanwhile, Lowry ballstruck his way around Philly Cricket Club and converted just one putt outside 10 feet all day. Of his five birdies, four came from inside 8 feet, including a near tap-in on his penultimate hole to pull him even with Straka. If he putts just a hair better on Sunday, Lowry should love his chances.

"Tried to get a little bit of a stronger grip," Straka said of his offseason putting work. "My grip was pretty weak last year, and I had a pretty bad year putting. Just changed my setup a little bit because of it. Hands got a little higher. After that, the rest was really pretty much the same. Just trying to do my practice process. Yeah, it's been good this year."

Other contenders

T3. Justin Thomas, Keith Mitchell (-11)
5. Hideki Matsuyama (-10)
T6. Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns, Nick Taylor, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau (-8)
T11. Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Harris English, Rickie Fowler, Jacob Bridgeman (-7)

Thomas was terrific outside of his play on the par 5s. Carding only two bogeys on his round, he signed for a couple of 6s, which gave just about three strokes back to the field. The first came courtesy of a wayward drive, but it did kick him into gear as he battled back strong with three birdies over his next four holes to make the turn in 2 under.

He tacked on two early birdies on his back nine and continued to give himself chance after chance as his iron play shined through. While J.T. was unable to take advantage of a laser long iron on the long par-3 16th, he made amends a couple holes later to remain in contention Sunday when he can win not only his second straight tournament but his second straight signature event. That ahead of a return to Quail Hollow, site of his 2017 PGA Championship victory.

"I'd say just staying patient, kind of going one shot at a time, one hole at a time, just trying to get kind of as much as I can out of whatever I had," Thomas said. "Bogeying the two par-5s is just horrific out here. Just one bad -- obviously a really terrible drive there on No. 5. Just didn't play the hole very well on No. 15. Yeah, just kind of fought, battled, stayed patient, and just tried to take advantage of the opportunities when I had them."

2025 Truist Championship updated odds, picks

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Shane Lowry: +150
• Sepp Straka: +160
• Justin Thomas: 6-1
• Keith Mitchell: 12-1
• Hideki Matsuyama: 18-1
• Rory McIlroy: 30-1

Lean with Straka in the final pairing just because he has done it this year, and he has shown capable of converting crucial putts. However, Thomas may be the best option on the board. Just three strokes behind and in a perfect position to play spoiler, the 16-time winner needs to find more fairways to let the rest of his game take over. If Thomas hits 10 fairways on Sunday, he should be right there down the stretch.

[May 10, 2025 at 5:27 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Lowry, Straka all square

Everyone seems to be making some sort of mistake. Keith Mitchell…three putted for bogey yet again! This time from inside 7 feet, and he dips to 11 under one clear of Justin Thomas who just made bogey on his second par 5 of the day. Lowry remains steady while Sepp Straka makes birdie on No. 15 to tie him at 13 under — two clear of Mitchell.

[May 10, 2025 at 4:35 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Lowry leads by one

That is now two straight birdies around the turn for Shane Lowry and it is good enough to give him the solo lead. He stands at 14 under, one clear of Sepp Straka and two clear of Keith Mitchell whose adventurous day continues with a bogey on No. 10. He only has two pars so far.

[May 10, 2025 at 4:07 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Straka suddenly leads

Wow, that was just flat out bad. Keith Mitchell three putts again — this time from 14 feet on the tough par-3 8th. That is his third 3-putt bogey in his first eight holes and he drops to 12 under along with Shane Lowry just as Sepp Straka surges ahead with a birdie to take the outright lead at 13 under.

[May 10, 2025 at 3:44 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Mitchell steadies the ship

After two straight bogeys, Keith Mitchell has rolled in two straight birdies to regain a share of the lead. He sits alongside Shane Lowry at 13 under and just one ahead of Sepp Straka who just rolled in a beauty of his own in the penultimate group.

[May 10, 2025 at 3:07 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Mitchell leaking oil

After a birdie on No. 2, Keith Mitchell has three putted his next two holes and dropped a pair in the process. He goes from a share of the lead with Shane Lowry at 13 under to a couple behind alongside his fellow Georgia Bulldog, Sepp Straka, at 11 under.

[May 10, 2025 at 2:31 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Lowry leaps into share of the lead

After finding the fairway, Lowry launches his second to near tap-in distance on the opener. Keith Mitchell is unable to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker for his birdie meaning there are now two tied at the top at 12 under.

[May 10, 2025 at 1:44 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Golf course playing over par

Philly Cricket is currently playing just about 0.60 strokes over par as the chasing pack begins its day. The first third of the golf course is accessible before players will be forced to hold on before a small stretch on the back nine presents itself. The first two holes are nearly drivable given the firmness and wind direction.

[May 10, 2025 at 1:04 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Here comes Cameron Young

Where did this come from? The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has been dreadful this season, but he has found something this week. Three early birdies in his first six holes have him at 7 under and with only four players ahead of him on the leaderboard.

[May 10, 2025 at 12:14 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Hideki has it rolling

The 2021 Masters champion has a cooperative putter today and it has led to a couple early birdies and a nice par save on his last. Matsuyama ranked 70th in the field in strokes gained putting in Round 2 and has largely struggled on the greens for the last couple months. If he is putting well, he is capable of making the most of his Moving Day.

[May 10, 2025 at 11:25 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Wind is whipping!

Today is going to be a fun one as players battle another look from Philly Cricket Club. On Thursday, it was pristine conditions. On Friday, they fought through the rain. On Saturday, they will have to deal with cooler temperatures and consistent gusts nearing 30 mph.

[May 10, 2025 at 10:08 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Michael Kim WDs

Well, that is two withdrawals this morning and two from the same group oddly enough. Justin Rose withdrew before his round due to an illness, and Michael Kim withdraws due to a back injury. They will both look to get healthy ahead of next week's PGA Championship.