Mason Andersen, Pontus Nyholm share 54-hole lead at Astara Chile Classic

Things to Know

Two players – Mason Andersen and Pontus Nyholm – share the 54-hole lead at 18-under par

This marks the first 54-hole lead/co-lead for both Andersen and Nyholm

Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and Agentinia native Nelson Ledesma posts second consecutive 5-under 67 and birdies the par-5 18th to reach 17-under par for the tournament and sit one stroke off the lead

Rookie Tim Widing leads the field in birdies after 54 holes with 22 and sits inside the top 10 for a second consecutive week (T5 after 54 holes at the Club Car Championship at The Landings & Athletic Club/finished T8)

Final round tee times will run from 7:35 a.m. through 1:20 p.m. in twosomes off No. 1

Third-Round Lead Notes

3: Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win Astara Chile Classic (Adam Hadwin, 2014; Kevin Kisner, 2013; Paul Haley II, 2012)

2: Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (David Skinns/ Club Car Championship at The Landings & Golf Athletic Club; Ben Silverman/The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club)

Mason Andersen (T1 / -18)

In his sixth career Korn Ferry Tour start, holds his first 54-hole lead/co-lead

Previous career-high 54-hole position on Tour was T5 at the 2023 The Panama Championship/finished T24

Carded five birdies (Nos. 7, 9, 10, 16 and 18) against one bogey (par-4 second) en route to a 4-under 68

Season-high finish in five previous starts as a rookie this year is T24/The Panama Championship

Turned professional in summer 2022 following five seasons at Arizona State University, where he twice earned medalist honors, garnered 2022 All-American Third Team recognition, eared a 2019 All-Pac-12 Conference First Team selection, and went 3-0 in match playas Arizona State finished runner-up at the 2022 NCAA Championships

Finished T12 at Final Stage of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament for guaranteed starts in the first eight events of the 2023 season; he was one of eight players who advanced through each stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, beginning with pre-qualifying

Prior to his freshman season at Arizona State, qualified for the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills

Pontus Nyholm (T1/-18)

Carded a bogey-free third round with five birdies (Nos. 1, 9, 11, 14, and 17) en route to a 5-under 67

Bogey-free in his last 39 holes, last being at the par-4 sixth in round one (started on No. 10)

Carded season-low round Friday with 9-under 63 (previous season-low round: 4-under 68 in the third round of last week’s Club Car Championship at The Landings & Athletic Club/finished T25)

Holds his first 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour (previous best 54-hole position was T2 at the 2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank/finished T21)

A Sweden native who played collegiately at Campbell University before turning professional in 2021

First earned Korn Ferry Tour membership ahead of 2022 season via a T29 finish at Final Stage of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament

Recorded five top-25s in 24 starts in 2022, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Veritex Bank Championship and finished No. 50 in the standings to maintain membership for 2023

Quotables

Pontus Nyholm on his third round… “It was solid. Nice playing with Mason, we both got off to a bit of a slow start, but then we both birdied 9 and got on a bit of a roll on the back nine. We kind of fed off each other a little bit on the back nine, so that's good. Game's solid, I'm still putting well, so that's good. Just one more day.”

Pontus Nyholm on how it feels going into the final round with a share of the lead… “It feels great. I mean, that's why we play. That's where you want to be, no better spot to be. But it's one of those courses where you can go low and you know guys are going to come from behind and shoot low scores, so you've got to kind of put your foot on the gas all the way into the finish line.”

Mason Andersen on entering the final round with a share of the lead… “Good, it feels good. Yeah, I'm pretty excited. I don't really know what to expect yet. I'm sure it's going to be something like it was today, so just going to go have a good time, hopefully enjoy myself..”

Mason Andersen on how his third round felt… “Didn't feel great, yeah, wasn't great. I wasn't hitting it very well for the longest time, but thankfully my putter saved me. Just looking forward to hopefully hitting it a little bit better tomorrow.”

Notes

Two-time Korn Fery Tour graduate (2012, 2020-21) and two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Ben Kohles (T5 / -16) stands T5 or higher through 54 holes for the 14th time in his career on Tour (2 of which resulted in a win and 8 in a top-10 finish)

Paul Peterson stands inside the top 10 on the leaderboard through three rounds for the second time this season and in his Tour career (T7 at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay/finished 10th)

In his eighth start on Tour, conditional member Dalton Ward (T7 / -15) posts 5-under 67 on Saturday, including four birdies in a row (Nos.2-5)

Ward sits inside the top 10 through 54 holes for the first time in his career

Kyle Jones (T9 / -14) carded his lowest round of the season Friday in the second round with a 6-under 66, and matched it Saturday with a bogey-free 6-under to move inside the top 10

2023 Astara Golf Championship champion Rhein Gibson (T12 / -8) leads the field in eagles with three (two at the par-5 third and one at the par-5 ninth)

Sponsor exemption and Santiago, Chile native Hugo Leon (T25 / -11) birded three holes in a row to start Saturday’s round (Nos. 1-3) en route to a 5-under 67