PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp carded 11 birdies during an eight-under 63 on Saturday to open up a four-shot lead after three rounds of the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Vallarta, Mexico.
Knapp’s 19-under 194 matches the 54-hole record at Vidanta set last year by Tony Finau, who won the event.
Fellow rookie Sami Valimaki of Finland is second after a four-under 67.
Knapp had seven birdies on the front nine while shooting a stellar 28. He had four birdies and three bogeys on the back nine of his ninth career PGA Tour start.
The 29-year-old Knapp will be looking for his first PGA win on Sunday.
Valimaki had six birdies and two bogeys in his 11th PGA start.
Canada’s Ben Silverman (63), Sweden’s Henrik Norlander (65) and Chan Kim (66) are tied for third at 201, seven shots off the pace.
Knapp and Valimaki were part of a four-way tie for the second-round lead. The other co-leaders were Englishman Matt Wallace (71 on Saturday) and Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz (73). Wallace is in a tie for sixth at 202, while Ortiz is tied for 13th at 9-under.
–Field Level Media