After Scottie Scheffler tied his own course record with a 62 to take a one-stroke lead entering the weekend at the 2025 Houston Open, it felt like yet another runaway victory was ahead for the world’s best player. However, on Moving Day at Memorial Park, it was Min Woo Lee who took control of the tournament from the final group.
Scheffler’s putter went from on fire Friday to ice cold Saturday as he could simply not get anything to fall from distance. After going bogey free across his first 36 holes, he put two squares on the card in the third round and posted a 1-under 69 despite another day in Houston with ideal scoring conditions.
Lee took full advantage of Scheffler dragging his feet by birdieing seven of his first 14 holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard. His power off the tee was a huge weapon Saturday as he regularly topped 190 miles per hour with his driver and gave himself plenty of short irons and wedges into the greens. With soft greens, he could attack with the scoring clubs and create a ton of quality looks at birdie, converting them at a high level.
And on the occasions when Lee didn’t find the putting surface, he could always call Dr. Chipinski for a little help.
Lee’s round would’ve been impressive under any circumstances, but for a player still seeking his first career win on the PGA Tour, his Saturday effort — in the same final group as Scheffler — felt like a statement. Lee has been near the top of the list of most talented players on Tour without a win, but it seems he’s finally ready to cash in on his prodigious talents and finally enter the winner’s circle.
The leader
1. Min Woo Lee (-17)
Entering the third round, it felt like if someone was going to win this tournament other than Scheffler, they would have to go low to make it happen. Scheffler certainly opened the door more than expected in the third round, but make no mistake, Lee went out there and seized control of the tournament with his play — and even left some birdies on the table on the final four holes. That was a key step for the young Aussie star, but now, he has to prove he can handle an entirely different challenge: sleeping on a four-shot lead.
Other contenders
2. Alejandro Tosti (-13)
T3. Ryan Fox, Ryan Gerard, Scottie Scheffler (-12)
T6. Jesper Svensson, Gary Woodland, Keith Mitchell, Jake Knapp, Trey Mullinax (-11)
Memorial Park is undoubtedly Tosti’s favorite course on the PGA Tour. He finished tied with Scheffler for second here a year ago, his lone career top 10, and is once again right behind the leader going into Sunday. His length off the tee makes him a threat, but it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the final group pressure playing alongside Lee.
Scheffler is the obvious big threat of the chase group, and everything comes down to whether he can get the putter working. Overall, he had a mediocre day in just about every facet of his game, but his short game and putting really let him down and kept him from keeping up with the scoring pace of Lee. His pace on the greens wasn’t where it was on Friday, and he left a number of mid-range putts just on the low side of the cup. Scheffler has twice shot a 62 at Memorial Park (including Friday), so going low on Sunday is certainly in play, but Saturday felt like a continuation of a season where he just has not quite had his A-game.
Of the rest of the chasers, Fox is the one flying under the radar that feels the most dangerous. Consistency isn’t always the hallmark of Fox’s game, but he can post some low scores. If anyone is going to catch Lee (and pass Scheffler) to win this tournament, they’re going to have to go really low to do so.
Rory McIlroy finds his footing
If Lee hadn’t darted out to 17 under, McIlroy’s 65 to move to 9 under would’ve put him in play. He was in serious danger of missing the cut in the middle of the back nine on Friday but strung together three birdies in a row to safely make the weekend. McIlroy carried that momentum into Saturday with a 65 that vaulted him into the top 20.
Golf fans are accustomed to seeing a McIlroy run to backdoor top 10s on Sundays, but his move on Friday and Saturday felt encouraging. He would need some serious help from Lee backing up to have a chance to win, but his focus simply needs to be on stringing together a third straight good rounds. This is his final tune-up for the Masters, and coming off two wins early in the season, keeping the vibes positive going into Augusta National is the most important thing to do this week.
2025 Houston Open updated odds, picks
- Min Woo Lee (4/9)
- Scottie Scheffler (11-2)
- Alejandro Tosti (16-1)
- Ryan Gerard (25-1)
- Ryan Fox (25-1)
Lee is now the overwhelming favorite with his four shot lead, so you’ve probably missed the boat on the chance to take him at any kind of value. Scheffler, funny enough, is cheaper now than he has been all tournament. So, if you think Lee is going to scuffle handling the pressure of holding the lead, now is your chance to get Scottie at the best price we’ve seen all week. That’s the only one that’s at all intriguing because, with the way the course is playing, it’s hard to see Lee really backing up much. Perhaps he stalls out like Scheffler, but unless the something changes dramatically, it’s likely going to take 19 under or better to win this tournament.
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