As he did at the start of the weekend, Thomas Detry tops the leaderboard heading into the final round of the 2025 WM Phoenix Open. While the 32-year-old more than doubled his 36-hole lead from two strokes to five thanks to a third-round 65 to reach 18 under for the tournament, the Belgian plays second fiddle to the man who currently occupies second place and aims to chase him down on Sunday: Jordan Spieth.
Spieth was once again sensational on Saturday as he navigated the par 71 in bogey-free fashion en route to a 4-under 67. The 13-time PGA Tour winner sits five adrift alongside Daniel Berger, Rasmus Højgaard and Michael Kim and seeks his first victory since the 2022 RBC Heritage and his third title since winning the 2017 Open.
This one would come in an unusual manner for the electric factory that is normally Spieth. Carding just one bogey across the first three rounds, Spieth has relied on a heavy dose of fairways and greens with the occasional flick of the wrist with the magic wand on the greens.
Then again, nothing is usual for Spieth at this point of his career. Admitting on Thursday that he jammed his wrist in his first round back from wrist surgery at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the three-time major champion has slowly but surely started to piece the puzzle together.
On Saturday, Spieth entered the conversation thanks to a ho-hum birdie on the par-5 3rd and a long distance connection on the par-3 7th to turn in 2 under. Hitting 12 greens in a row in the middle portion of his round, Spieth saw birdie chances narrowly slide by the hole’s edge but kept his cool amid what could have only been an anxious day back in contention.
Adding circles to his scorecard on the back-nine par 5s, Spieth scurried up the leaderboard to 13 under before perhaps the most important putt of his week arrived on the par-4 finisher. Out of position off the tee and compounding the error by short siding himself in the greenside bunker, Spieth flashed the brilliance we have all come to know him for and connected on a much-needed par save to keep him within shouting distance of Detry and within reach of an unlikely victory in only his second start back from injury.
The leader
1. Thomas Detry (-18)
What nerves? Commanding his third career 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour, Detry acclimated himself quite nicely Saturday at TPC Scottsdale. He got off to a dream start and made four birdies across his first five holes to push his margin out to as many as five where it ultimately settled. Outside of a 3-putt bogey on the par-3 7th and a 3-putt par on the par-5 15th, the smooth-swinging right hander was as steady as they come in his third round.
Connecting on all but six greens in regulation through 54 holes, Detry has yet to face a whole lot of adversity. Conventional wisdom suggests it will come eventually for the leader, especially for a man who has yet to win on the DP World Tour or PGA Tour. If he answers the call in a fashion similar to Saturday, Detry could experience a career-changing Sunday.
Other contenders
T2. Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, Rasmus Højgaard, Michael Kim (-13)
6. Maverick McNealy (-12)
T7. Robert MacIntyre, Taylor Moore, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-11)
T10. Scottie Scheffler, Will Chandler (-10)
It’s easy to forget about how good Berger was a few years ago; he’s been away from the game for a prolonged stretch due to a back injury. Battling for his PGA Tour card in the FedEx Cup Fall, Berger has battled his way into the final group in the final round in Scottsdale.
He has been an absolute menace from tee-to-green through 54 holes leading the field in said category while also topping the charts in terms of driving accuracy. The putter has been unseasonably cool, but it heated up in the closing moments of his third round where he played his final four holes in 4 under.
“I don’t think [Detry’s] won out here on the PGA Tour; I think it’s going to be tough for him tomorrow, so hopefully I’m in that final group and I can put some pressure on him early in the round,” Berger said. “But really just keep doing the things that I’ve been doing and make birdies. That’s what I’ve got to do; I’ve got to make birdies.”
Scheffler still hanging around
The world No. 1 hasn’t had his best stuff this week, but he continues to linger on the leaderboard. After making an uncharacteristic tactical error on the par-5 15th leading to bogey, Scheffler snapped back into it and carded a pair of closing birdies to reach 10 under for the tournament.
An eight-stroke deficit is large ask even for the three-time reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, but he did do some of his best work in 2024 from behind as he overcame five and six-stroke margins en route to victories at the Players Championship and the Paris Olympics.
2025 WM Phoenix Open updated odds and picks
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Thomas Detry: 3/5
- Jordan Spieth: 15/2
- Rasmus Højgaard: 9-1
- Daniel Berger: 11-1
- Michael Kim: 16-1
- Maverick McNealy: 20-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 22-1
He’s been the guy since Thursday evening, and there’s no getting off the ride now. Spieth has been surprisingly steady in his second start back from wrist surgery and has carded just one bogey. Despite hitting it beautifully especially off the tee and with his mid to long irons, Spieth hasn’t been able to squeeze everything out of his game as his putter has yet to fully cooperate. If it does on Sunday, he’ll have a great chance at chasing down a potentially nervy Detry.
