Sepp Straka will start today’s final round of the American Express looking to land his third PGA Tour title and the Austrian has a great chance of doing exactly that as he will head into today holding a four stroke lead over his nearest rivals.
The world number 36 has been in exemplary form this week, yet to record a single bogey across any of his first 54 holes, the chasing pack have it all to do if they are to overhaul the burly Austrian’s lead.
Ahead of what could be a dramatic final day, here are some of the headlines that could develop today.
After a Disappointing 2024, Straka Will be Looking to Get 2025 Off to a Dream Start
2023 was Sepp Straka’s coming out year, not only was he a regular on leaderboards throughout the season, but he was able to capture the John Deere Classic and played a valuable role in Luke Donald’s 2023 winning European Ryder Cup team.
A player who came out of relative obscurity, Straka couldn’t quite live up to those heights in 2024 and as a result saw his world ranking tumble from 16 in the world to outside of the game’s top 30. Having won titles in 2022 and 2023, Straka couldn’t add to his haul in 2024 but he has a golden chance to put that right today.
Playing some of the very best golf of his career, Straka has blitzed his way through all three courses on the American Express roster with scores of 64, 65 and 65. Having had to adapt the way he has approached all three different venues, the Austrian has had his ball on a string and is the only man in the field not to have registered a single dropped shot.
Having worked his way into a four stroke lead, he will be desperate to hold on for the victory. Not only will it launch him back up towards the world’s top twenty, but it will also put him firmly back into the Ryder Cup picture that will be held later this year.
We have seen on countless occasions how pressure can dramatically change the momentum of golf tournaments and Straka will certainly be hoping to avoid any mishaps today. The tournament and the prestige that awaits is his to lose, it will be fascinating to see how he handles the occasion.
Jason Day Leads Trio of Chasers as His Path to Golfing Redemption Continues
Joining Straka in today’s final trio will be Jason Day and he is the headline name that will be looking to overhaul Straka’s lead today.
Day has enjoyed a whirlwind of a career, for so long one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour, it seemed like at every Major Championship the Australian was in with a real shot of winning.
With his health then starting to decline and with a series of off course matters impacting his game, Day tumbled down the rankings and those heady days of competing for the game’s biggest prizes seemed like a long and distant memory.
Lost to the golfing wilderness, Day had to steadily and slowly rebuild his career and he has done that with aplomb as he has been able to climb back up to the elite end of the game. An eleven time PGA Tour champion, Day completed his comeback story when winning the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, he also finished as the runner up at the 2023 Open.
2024 was a little trickier for Day who saw some of the inconsistencies that had plagued his game return, it would end up costing him a place at the season ending Tour Championship. Looking to show that 2024 was just a blip, he has given himself an outside chance of kicking off his 2025 campaign in style. Rounds of 64, 66 and 67 have moved him into a share of second place and he will hope to use all of his winning experience to pile the pressure onto Straka.
If he is to win title number twelve today, he will need some help, but if the Austrian becomes unstuck, the Australian will look to swoop in and claim yet another sensational victory.
Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas Will Hope to Pile on Early Pressure
Although the spotlight will rightly fall on the final trio, when looking down the leaderboard the names of Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas really stand out and the pair will start the day five and six shots off the lead respectively.
Cantlay is a former runner up at this event so is used to competing and challenging at the business end of things. Like so many in this field, 2024 failed to live up to the hype for the seventh time PGA Tour champion. Failing to win a title last year, he had to give up usual spot inside the game’s top ten and started this week at eleven in the rankings.
Cantlay arguably holds the enviable title of being the best player in the game who is yet to win a major and perhaps that pressure is starting to tell. Calm with both his game and demeanour, he will need to be almost perfect today if he is to put his name into contention.
Look for Cantlay to get off to a hot start and to climb the leaderboard early. If he can put the pressure on, it could be enough for Straka to crack.
Starting a shot behind Cantlay is Justin Thomas and Thomas will certainly believe he has a chance of victory today, despite being six shots back.
It’s approaching almost three years since Thomas last tasted success and for a player of his abilities that wait is simply too long. However, with some encouraging results at the back of 2024, there are signs that Thomas is finally starting to play some of the golf that saw him lift two Major titles.
Once prescribed as the future of American golf, over the last few months Thomas hasn’t quite been able to live up to that billing. There has always been a steely and quiet confidence behind everything that he does and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anybody if today was the day that it all clicks into place.
Having gotten his game to trend in the right direction once more, it will be great to see if he can produce another sensational round to haul himself into contention for victory today.