2025 Truist Championship leaderboard, grades: Sepp Straka edges Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry for fourth win

Straka battled down the stretch but ultimately ended a tournament standing atop a leaderboard for the second time in 2025

Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry entered Sunday's final round at the 2025 Truist Championship three clear of the field. Battling runs from Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay up the leaderboard, the story of the day was the duel in the final pairing that Straka ultimately won with a birdie on the 15th and three pars to close his tournament.

In doing so, Straka joined Rory McIlroy as the only golfers to win multiple times on the PGA Tour in 2025, claiming his second win of the season and the fourth of his professional career. However, given it was Straka's first victory in a signature event, it was by far the most notable of his career with $3.6 million of the event's $20 million purse set to hit his bank account.

Lowry took the early advantage with a birdie on the 1st, while Straka struggled to get out of first gear with pars on the first four holes. After Lowry got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 5th, Straka needed to find an answer quickly and did just that by pouring in a 20-footer for eagle to jump right back into a tie for the lead. 

The eagle has landed for Sepp Straka! 🦅

He ties the lead in Philly @TruistChamp pic.twitter.com/M0vXfR0RUo

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 11, 2025

While he gave one of those shots back on the 6th, birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 fronted him a two-shot lead over Lowry going to the back nine. However, Straka immediately gave those back with bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes to once again fall back into a tie for the lead. He and Lowry remained deadlocked through the 15th hole. 

On the long par-3 16th, Lowry blinked first after tugging a long iron left and leaving himself short-sided in the rough. Straka found the surface and made a comfortable two-putt par, putting pressure on Lowry to scramble his way to an up-and-down. He couldn't pay off a terrific flop shot with the 6-footer coming back for par and fell one off the pace. After trading pars again on the 17th, they both missed the fairway on No. 18 and each hit spectacular iron shots to find the green. 

Once Straka cozied his birdie putt up close to the hole, Lowry almost certainly needed a make to force a playoff, but he blew his putt well past on the high side and three-putted to remove any pressure from Straka on his comeback effort for par. 

Sepp Straka wins the signature event, the @TruistChamp! 👏 pic.twitter.com/gjQPsLMWmf

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 11, 2025

Straka's final-round 68 was enough to get the win by two at 16 under as Lowry stumbled back to an even par 70 on Sunday to tie Thomas for second at 14 under. Straka moves up to second in the FedEx Cup standings at the midway point of the season and remains in the midst of the best campaign of his career entering the year's second major, the PGA Championship. Grade: A+

Straka spoke with CBS Sports' Amanda Balionis after the round, revealing that he was nauseous and unable to feel his arms or legs while dealing with nerves throughout the final round. 

"I hit a lot of really good shots and I made a lot of mistakes."

Sepp Straka spoke with Amanda Balionis following his win @TruistChamp pic.twitter.com/47pcNk5v0j

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 11, 2025

While Straka was the winner of the tournament, another winner this week was Philadelphia Cricket Club, which stepped in as temporary host of the Truist Championship with Quail Hollow holding next week's PGA Championship. It provided a strong test for a talented field. Even after it appeared golfers might tear it apart Thursday, the course more than held up despite being on the shorter side. The closing stretch proved to be extremely difficult and was the separator Sunday afternoon. 

2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson leaderboard

1. Sepp Straka (-16)

T2. Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas (-14): Lowry's going to be kicking himself over this one. He had a great opportunity to pick up his first solo win since the 2019 Open Championship and just could not produce the golf needed down the stretch. Straka was solid, but there was certainly an opportunity for Lowry, and he did not execute the way he feels capable -- and that was clear on the 18th green. 

After a heart-wrenching loss for Shane Lowry, he made sure to congratulate Sepp on his victory.

Class. pic.twitter.com/t81rqSjiBE

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 11, 2025

Lowry took the solo lead early in the round but didn't make enough hay on the easier front nine. Closing with two bogeys in his final three holes to lose by two is just a painful way to finish second. For all the good things he can take away from this week, Lowry won't be feeling great after a final-round 70, and he will be thinking about those missed opportunities for some time. Grade: A-

Thomas had his chances Sunday in his quest for back-to-back wins as he was just one off the lead on the par-5 15th but couldn't capitalize on the last great scoring opportunity at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Still, Thomas has to feel great going into the PGA Championship, which he's won twice, including at Quail Hollow in 2017. His ball-striking has been excellent this season, and his putting has returned to elite form to make him a weekly threat to win. Grade: A

T4. Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood (-12): It hasn't been Cantlay's finest year on Tour so far, but a T4 is his best finish, and he can take some positives away from this week going into the PGA. His 65 on Sunday was one of the best rounds on the course, and he seems to be finding some of the ball-striking consistency that's been lacking at times this season. Cantlay is near the top of the "best player without a major win" list, and for as much grief as he's taken about not showing up in big spots, next week at Quail Hollow (a familiar course on Tour) is an opportunity to rewrite the narrative about his game -- similarly to what his friend Xander Schauffele did last year. Grade: A 

Speaking of the best players without a win, Fleetwood's quest for his first career PGA Tour win continues, but he closed strong on Sunday with his own 65. Fleetwood got hot with the putter on Sunday, making 99 feet of putts, and perhaps that can breed some confidence on the green as he heads to Quail Hollow where he's played well in the past. Grade: A

T7. Rory McIlroy, Keith Mitchell (-10): It was a solid, yet unspectacular outing for McIlroy this week. A 69-68 weekend wasn't what he would've hoped to score after getting into the top 5 on Friday, but he did get some good reps before going to a course he's won on four times next week. He's the co-favorite at the PGA Championship with Scottie Scheffler for good reason, and while he won't be coming off a dominant win like Scheffler, he didn't do anything this week to create any cause for doubts about the state of his game, which was the minimum he needed to achieve. Grade: B+

Mitchell, the 18- and 36-hole leader went 71-71 on the weekend to slip out of contention, but this week was still a success. His Thursday dominance has become the stuff of legend, and while he'd love to finally put it all together for four rounds, this was a rare signature event start for him that he paid off with a top 10 that will bring him a lot of needed points (and a big payday). Perhaps one day he'll figure out how to bring his Thursday vibes to the weekend, but he still leaves Philadelphia with a signature event top 10 and the course record. Grade: B+

T11. Xander Schauffele (-9): Schauffele is not at the top of mind going into the PGA despite being the defending champion, but he's starting to show signs of getting back to form. Another solid week at the Truist sends him to Quail Hollow with some positivity. While he doesn't have a win at Quail like Rory or J.T., he does have back-to-back runner-ups there and will feel extremely comfortable on that course. Grade: B+

T34. Jordan Spieth (-4): A 70-68-68-70 week doesn't do justice to the Spieth rollercoaster, as few players draw more shapes on the card than him. This week all those circles and squares added up to a decent finish, but not the one he was hoping for as he gets set to go for his own career grand slam. Grade: C+

T60. Ludvig Åberg (-1): The young Swede just doesn't look right at the moment. This was another week well off the pace, and aside from his seventh-place finish at the Masters, he hasn't been inside the top 50 at an event in two months. Perhaps he can find some major magic again like he did at Augusta National, but of the names at the top of the odds sheet, he's the one entering the PGA Championship in the worst form. Grade: D

[May 11, 2025 at 5:29 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka leads alone after Shane Lowry bogeys the 16th

After trading pars and birdies from 12-15, someone has finally blinked in the final pairing. After overcooking his tee shot left, Lowry hit about as good a flop shot as he could, but could not pay it off with a 6-footer for par that slid by on the right side. Straka, meanwhile, hit an excellent tee shot that came back down the ridge short of the hole to leave a lengthy birdie putt, but a simple two-putt par was all he needed to reclaim the lead alone at -16 with two holes to play. 

[May 11, 2025 at 5:20 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry birdie the 15th, push co-lead to -16 

After Thomas couldn't take advantage of the par 5, the lead pairing both made birdie to get to -16 and they are now three clear of Thomas (who bogeyed the 16th to compound his issues). Lowry nearly holed out for eagle from the rough short of the green, leaving a tap-in birdie, while Straka had to do a bit more work but had a relatively stress-free four as well. 

That should all but guarantee one of Lowry or Straka will win, but it will be fascinating to watch them battle it out on an extremely difficult stretch of holes, starting with the 222-yard, par-3 16th. 

[May 11, 2025 at 5:09 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Thomas misses 4-footer for birdie to tie the lead

After reaching the greenside bunker in two on the par-5 15h, Thomas looked like he'd join the leaders after splashing out nicely to just inside 4 feet for birdie. However, he tugged his putt on the low side to stay at -14, one back of both Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka. With those two in the fairway on the 15th, Thomas will now likely need to find a birdie or two on the extremely difficult closing stretch if he's going to pull off back-to-back victories. 

[May 11, 2025 at 5:00 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Patrick Cantlay shoots 65, posts -12 as clubhouse lead

After getting it to 13 under, Cantlay bogeyed the tough 18th to drop a shot and post the clubhouse lead at -12, three back of the leaders. That seems unlikely to give him a chance to win, even with the difficulty of the final three holes at Philadelphia Cricket Club, but if he holds in fourth place it'll be his best finish of the season (two T5s during the California swing). That's some positive momentum as he heads to Quail Hollow next week still searching for his first major win. 

[May 11, 2025 at 4:44 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry back tied at -15, Justin Thomas one behind

The final pairing is once again tied at the top, as Straka gave back his two shot lead at the turn with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11. He and Lowry traded pars on the 12th to remain 15 under, one ahead of Justin Thomas and two clear of Patrick Cantlay, who is on 18 and looking to post the clubhouse lead to see if the leaders come back to him. The par-5 15th figures to be the best chance for the top 3 on the leaderboard to put a circle (or two) on the card, and then it will be a battle to hold on down the difficult closing three holes. 

[May 11, 2025 at 4:12 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka drops back to -16 with a bogey on 10

Straka had extended his lead over Shane Lowry to two with a birdie on No. 9 to get to -17, but gave that right back on the 10th with a three-putt bogey, set up by an errant tee shot that forced him to play an approach well away from the hole. Lowry, also out of position off the tee, made par to stay at -15 and is now one back as they make their way down the difficult back nine at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Justin Thomas is two back as he plays the 11th, while Patrick Cantlay is looking to post a number for them all to look at in the clubhouse, as he's -13 with three holes to play in his tournament. 

[May 11, 2025 at 3:44 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Thomas making a charge, Sepp Straka overtakes Shane Lowry for lead

Thomas has made three birdies in his last four holes to move just two back of Sepp Straka, as he looks to apply some pressure and get wins in back-to-back starts. After opening his round with four straight pars, birdies on Nos. 5, 7 and 8 have him to 14 under for the tournament and firmly in the hunt. 

With the front nine playing far easier than the back all week, whoever made a run at the leaders had to get hot at some point early on and Thomas has done that to close out his first side. The challenge will be maintaining that run on the back side which has proven to be much tougher this week. 

Meanwhile in the lead group, we saw a two-shot swing on the long par-3 8th, as Sepp Straka made a fantastic birdie to get back to -16 and Shane Lowry dropped back to -15 with a bogey after stubbing a chip and leaving a 10 footer left for par that he couldn't sink to maintain a share of the lead. 

[May 11, 2025 at 3:06 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Sepp Straka eagles the 5th to tie Shane Lowry at -16

The final pairing has stretched their lead out to four over the rest of the field after taking advantage of the par-5 5th hole at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Lowry moved it to -16 with an up-and-down for birdie from the rough left of the green, but he now has company again in the top spot after Straka hit a gorgeous approach to 20 feet away from 222 yards out and poured in the eagle putt. 

That has them four clear of Justin Thomas (-12) in third alone, and it's certainly appearing like it'll be a duel between that final twosome for the Truist Championship title. 

[May 11, 2025 at 2:33 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Shane Lowry takes the early advantage at -15

The leaders are thru 3 holes of their final round and Lowry has moved one in front after making a birdie on the first followed by two pars. Sepp Straka has opened with three straight pars, with both Lowry and Straka missing short birdie putts at the par-3 3rd after tremendous tee shots. That's opened the door a touch for the chasers, with Patrick Cantlay as the hottest player on the course at -5 thru 8, moving to 12 under overall and three back of Lowry. 

[May 11, 2025 at 1:39 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy birdies No. 1, Patrick Cantlay gets to -10 with a hot start

As we get close to the final pairings teeing off, some of the contenders a little further back are trying to make an early move. Rory McIlroy birdied his first hole of the day after smashing a driver up near the green and getting up and down to move to -9. Meanwhile Patrick Cantlay has moved to -10 for the tournament after making three birdies in his first four holes, pulling within four of the leaders and looking to apply a little pressure as they await their 2 p.m. tee time. 

[May 11, 2025 at 11:46 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Early final round scoring update

While we are still two-plus hours from the leaders teeing off, we have a pretty good idea of how Philadelphia Cricket Club is playing on Sunday. After a third round that saw a lot of players in the 3-4 under range but very few doing better than that (with Hideki Matsuyama's 63 as the exception), it certainly appears there will be a chance for someone to go very low again in this final round. 

The scoring conditions that saw players light up the course on Thursday seem to have returned, with winds dying down and the course remaining receptive after the rain earlier in the week. There are currently five players who have it to -4 on their final round from the early wave. Brian Campbell and Aaron Rai have come out hot at -4 thru 5 and 6 holes respectively, while Chris Kirk is looking to post 66 or better as he has it to -4 thru 16. 

With Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka separating from the pack at 14 under, three clear of Justin Thomas and Keith Mitchell at -11, it's going to take something special from anyone outside that final pairing to steal away a victory. The kind of scoring required to pull that off does appear at least possible, and the chasers will be looking to get off to similarly hot starts to Campbell and Rai to create some real drama beyond that final pairing duel.