Three players tied for lead at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist

VICTORIA, British Columbia – Three players are tied for the lead at 13-under after 36 holes of play at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist. Newcomers Thomas Ponder, John Marshall Butler and Frederik Kjettrup share the top of the leaderboard as the trio opened their professional careers this month after graduating from college in the spring. Brandon Hoelzer is in solo fourth at 12-under and four players are tied for fifth at 10-under.

Ponder posted a bogey-free 7-under in the second round of his professional debut this week at Uplands Golf Club after graduating from the University of Alabama last month. He spent five collegiate seasons at Alabama where he recorded 12 top-10 finishes. The 23-year-old secured exempt membership to the North America Swing via the Ocala, Florida Q-School in May where he earned medalist honors and led 12 amateurs in obtaining their first PGA TOUR-sanctioned memberships.

Butler was included as one of the 12 amateurs to earn status via Q-School after graduating from Auburn University in May. He closed off his four-year collegiate career with a national championship title, which went down as the first of its kind in Auburn school history. Butler was the only player in the 2024 NCAA Championship to never trail in match play, as he tied Virginia’s Ben James in the quarterfinals, and defeated Ohio State's Neal Shipley, 2&1, in the semifinals. The 22-year-old claimed three individual victories in his career at Auburn (2021 Maui Jim Intercollegiate, 2024 Tiger Invitational, 2024 Mossy Oak Collegiate).

Denmark-native Kjettrup carded a bogey-free 6-under 64 in his second start as a professional. He made his professional debut at the U.S. Open last week after earning a spot in the field via Final Qualifying. The 24-year-old spent four collegiate seasons at Florida State University and graduated last month following a decorated career. Kjettrup was a three-time individual champion (2022 All-American Intercollegiate, 2023 Watersound Invitational, 2024 ACC Championship) at Florida State and earned his third All-American recognition this season after being named to the Division I PING All-America Second Team. He became the fourth three-time All-American in program history, alongside Korn Ferry Tour member John Pak and former teammate and PGA TOUR Americas member Brett Roberts.

Kjettrup will start the trio of co-leaders off at 1:10 p.m. PT, followed by Ponder and Butler wrapping the 72-player field up at 1:20 p.m. PT. Third-round tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. PT and will run until 1:20 p.m. off the No. 1 tee on Saturday.

About Thomas Ponder (T1/-13)

Age: 23

Birthplace: Dothan, Alabama

Residence: Dothan, Alabama

College: University of Alabama

Fortinet Cup (start of week): N/A

• Holds the 36-hole co-lead in the second round of his professional debut
• Secured exempt membership for the North America Swing after earning medalist honors at the Ocala, Florida Q-School last month; led a total of 12 amateurs in achieving exempt status
• Played five collegiate seasons at the University of Alabama where he claimed 12 top-10s (season-best showing in his senior year was a solo fourth finish at the 2024 Watersound Invitational)
• His career accolades at Alabama include SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), All-SEC Second Team (2021) and PING Southeast All-District (2021, 2023)
• In his amateur career, he won the 2017 Press Thornton Future Masters title and was a three-time AHSAA individual state champion (2017, 2018 and 2019); is one of only five golfers in state history to achieve that feat

About John Marshall Butler (T1/-13)

Age: 22

Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky

Residence: Louisville, Kentucky

College: Auburn University

Fortinet Cup (start of week): N/A

• Made his professional debut this week at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist; shares the 36-hole co-lead
• Secured exempt membership through the San Jacinto, California Q-School to earn exempt membership into the North America Swing
• Played four collegiate seasons at Auburn and closed his senior year with a national championship title, the first of its kind in Auburn school history. Butler was the only player in the 2024 NCAA Championship to never trail in match play
• Named Second Team All-SEC, PING All-Region and PING Honorable Mention All-America in his senior season
• Amateur accolades include being a U.S. Amateur semifinalist, a KHSAA Individual State Championship, SEC All-Freshman team in 2021, and 107th Kentucky Amateur champion

About Frederik Kjettrup (T1/-13)

Age: 24

Birthplace: Aabybro, Denmark

Residence: Tallahassee, Florida

College: Florida State University

Fortinet Cup (start of week): N/A

• Finished No. 8 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn exempt membership on PGA TOUR Americas and conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Made his professional debut at the U.S. Open last week after earning a spot in the field via Final Qualifying in Alpharetta, Georgia
• Grew up in Aabybro, Denmark, and was the first one in his family to attend college in the United States (Florida State University)
• Played four collegiate seasons at Florida State where he claimed three individual victories (2022 All-American Intercollegiate, 2023 Watersound Invitational, 2024 ACC Championship) and claimed a team runner-up finish at the 2024 NCAA Championship
• Girlfriend Charlotte Heath plays professional golf on the Epson Tour after graduating from Florida State this spring

Competition Notes

Course Setup: Par 70 / 6,420 yards; R2 average: 68.43

Weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 79. Wind from the southwest at 2-12 mph with gusts up to 19 mph.

• New members Thomas Ponder, John Marshall Butler and Frederik Kjettrup hold the 36-hole co-lead at 13-under as the trio graduated from college this spring
• Twenty-five players, including Ponder and Butler, made their professional debuts this week at Uplands Golf Club; co-leader Kjettrup opened his professional career last week at the U.S. Open
• Seventy-two players made the cutline at 4-under (136)
• The top Latins who made the cut are Martin Contini (T5/-10) and Luis Gerardo Garza (T5/-10)
• Four players shot the low round of the day with a 7-under 63: Ponder (T1/-13), Clay Feagler (T5/-10), Garza (T5/-10), and John Sand (T19/-7)
• Victoria, British Columbia-native Jeevan Sihota (T32/-6) is the low Canadian after earning a spot in this week’s field via sponsor exemption
• Neal Shipley, the low amateur at the 2024 Masters and U.S. Open, made the cut in his professional debut and is T32 at 6-under
• Three Monday Qualifiers moved onto the weekend: Ian Holt (T32/-6), Jake Scott (T32/-6) and Austin Squires (T51/-5)
• Hole No. 6 – the 460-yard par 4 – was the most challenging hole at Uplands Golf Club; averaging a +.250