Matthew Anderson cards 6-under 65, takes solo lead into final round of 69th ECP Brazil Open

Matthew Anderson carded a 6-under 65 in the second round to take sole possession of the lead heading into the final round of the 69th ECP Brazil Open. Anderson converted five birdies and an eagle on No. 5 to cap off a bogey-free Saturday. Anderson holds a one-stroke lead over Brandon Hoelzer entering the final round at the Rio Olympic Golf Course.

After a T21 finish at the season-opening Bupa Championship at Tulum, Anderson fired a 9-under 62 in the opening round of the Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club, tying the course record on his way to a T3 finish.

The Mississauga, Ontario, native has registered five top-25s since he turned pro last summer. Anderson found success early in his career by winning the 2019 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship. He was selected for the Golf Canada team in 2021-22 and has been part of the team since.

Prior to turning pro, Anderson came off an impressive finish in his graduate season at the University of San Fransisco, earning All-American honors after notching a top-15 finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships. From there, Anderson gained status on PGA TOUR Canada via a fourth-place finish at the PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament. He finished 50th in the 2023 Fortinet Cup standings to gain membership into the inaugural PGA TOUR Americas season.

Jonathan De Los Reyes set the course record at the Rio Olympic Golf Course after carding a 10-under 61 on Saturday. The Antioch, California, native vaulted himself 59 spots up the leaderboard and into contention after his record setting day. Prior to turning pro, De Los Reyes attended St. Mary’s College, where he won the 2016 WCC individual title by 11 strokes at 19-under.

The previous course record was 8-under 63, originally set by Matt Kuchar and Marcus Fraser in the 2016 Olympic Games and later matched by Anderson and Hoelzer at the 69th ECP Brazil Open.

Final round tee times begin at 7:01 a.m. local time off the No. 1 tee and will run until 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

About Matthew Anderson (First/14-under)

Age: 23
Birthplace: Mississauga, Ontario
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
College: University of San Francisco

• Credits his dad for introducing him to golf at a young age, saying that he picked up the game when he was two and started hitting balls in his grandmother’s living room. Played his first round on an official golf course at the age of four and played in his first tournament at eight
• Finished 11th and earned All-American honors at 2023 NCAA Championships
• Travels with friend and fellow PGA TOUR Americas member Johnny Travale during tournament weeks
• Played hockey for 12 years, shoots the puck left-handed but plays golf right-handed
• Always carries four tees and his lucky Tito’s ball marker in his pocket when he’s playing
• Favorite sports team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant
• Favorite musical artist is Drake, favorite song is “Butterfly Effect” by Travis Scott

Competition notes

Course setup: Par 71 / 7,162 yards; cumulative average: 70.390

Weather: Sunny with a high of 79. Wind from the SE at 2-7 mph with gusts up to 13 mph.

• De Los Reyes set the course record at the Rio Olympic Golf Course after carding a 10-under 61 in the second round of the 69th ECP Brazil Open.
• Hole 12 – the 522-yard par 4 – has been the most challenging hole at Rio Olympic Golf Course; averaging a +.380, No. 12 has carded 87 bogeys to only 21 birdies through tournament play.
• Hole 5 – the 555-yard par 5 – is the lowest scoring hole through Saturday, with a -0.480 scoring average and 134 birdies and 16 eagles carded.
• Rodrigo Lee (T9/10-under) is the low Brazilian entering the final round after carding rounds of 67-65. Lee is in the field at the 69th ECP Brazil Open as a sponsor exemption and will earn a spot in next week’s event if he finishes in the top-10.
• Sixty players made the cut at 3-under or better.
• Eight Canadians made the cut: Anderson (first/14-under), Thomas Giroux (T11/9-under), Jeevan Sihota (T11/9-under), Chris Wilson (T11/9-under), Joey Savoie (T16/7-under), Lawren Rowe (T16/7-under), Jimmy Jones (T33/5-under) and Noah Steele (T41/4-under).
• Thirteen players from Latin America made the cut: Lee (T9/10-under), Jaime Lopez Rivarola (T26/6-under), Julián Etulain (T33/5-under), Andres Gallegos (T33/5-under), Franco Romero (T41/4-under), Rafael Becker (T41/4-under), José de Jesús Rodríguez (T48/3-under), Isidro Benitez (T48/3-under), Luis Gerardo Garza (T48/3-under), Paul Chaplet (T48/3-under), Fernando Arzate (T48/3-under), Alejandro Madariaga (T48/3-under) and Ivan Camilo Ramirez (T48/3-under).

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