Bogey-free Brett Drewitt takes five-stroke lead into Sunday at Veritex Bank Championship

Things to Know

Two-time Korn Ferry Tour graduate (2016,2020-21) and Korn Ferry Tour winner Brett Drewitt cards bogey-free 6-under 65 to take 5-stroke lead, his first career 54-hole lead on Tour, at 18-under par

The last Korn Ferry Tour player who led by five or more strokes through 54 holes who did not go on to win the tournament was Kevin Chappell, who held a five-stroke lead at the 2010 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung and finished solo-third

Drewitt is the only player without a bogey through 54 holes

Patrick Fishburn makes his first cut of the 2023 season and cards 6-under 65 Saturday en route to solo-second, his best 54-hole position

Roger Sloan posts Saturday’s low round by two strokes (8-under)

Three of the 11 players sitting T5 or higher have won on the Korn Ferry Tour: Drewitt (2020 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS), Sloan (2014 Nova Scotia Open) and Seth Reeves (2020 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna)

Final round tee times will run from 7:08 a.m. through 12:20 p.m. in threesomes off No. 1

Third-Round Lead Notes

0: Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win Veritex Bank Championship

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)

Brett Drewitt (First / -12)

Posts bogey-free 6-under 65, his third consecutive bogey-free round, consisting of birdies on Nos. 2, 7, 8, 12, 17 and 18

Holds his first career 54-hole lead on Tour (previous best 54-hole position: solo-second at 2023 The Panama Championship/finished T8)

Making his third start at the Veritex Bank Championship; finished T12 in 2022 and T3 in 2021

Of the 21 rounds played this season, Drewitt sits inside the top 10 for the 10th time (fifth consecutive)

Boasts a Tour-leading four top-10s in five starts this season

- Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club (T4) / Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard (T3) / The Panama Championship (T8) / The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay (T4)

Drewitt first earned Korn Ferry Tour membership in 2015 via third place finish on the 2014 PGA TOUR China Order of Merit

In his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour Dewitt earned his first PGA TOUR card after qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and finishing No. 16 on the Finals Points List

Made 19 starts on PGA TOUR during the 2016-17 season, but returned to the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing 196th on the final FedexCup Points

Played primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour for three seasons from 2018-21

During the combined 2020-21 season Drewitt played 45 events and logged seven top-10s, highlighted by a win at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS en route to his second PGA TOUR card via finishing No. 24 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List

Made 23 starts on the PGA TOUR last season, but ultimately returned to the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing 219th on the final FedexCup playoffs and Eligibility Points List

Quotables

Brett Drewitt on how he feels heading into Sunday… “I'm feeling good, feeling confident. Yeah, I'm just trying to stay out of as much trouble as I can out here. I got lucky today when I did get into trouble, I made some good decisions, hit some good shots and holed some good putts as well. Yeah, it's good to be bogey-free again. Just trying to plot my way around the course. It was a different wind today, so it was pretty tough out there.”

Brett Drewitt on how this week feels compared to his first Korn Ferry Tour win… “Yes, still really good things that I feel like they're coming together nicely. [Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS] was funny, it was kind of on the weekend I just had a feeling, like this is my time, I kind of had a feeling that it was going to happen. The start that I've had this year, it's nearly the same feeling. I'm not saying I am going to win tomorrow, but I've put myself into a really good chance to do it and I feel like if I keep doing what I'm doing, it's just going to happen. It could have easily happened in Savannah, it could have happened in Bogota. And look, it might not happen tomorrow, but it could happen next week. I've just got to keep putting myself in those spots and it's going to happen.”

Patrick Fishburn on ending his round with an eagle on No. 18… “It was great. It's a cool finishing hole. Hit a pretty good drive, just kind of rolled through almost kind of towards 1 fairway and then I had about a 4-iron in from 238 with a crosswind and I hit a pretty good shot, got up there by the fringe and then a little Texas wedge in Texas never hurts. It fell on the last hole, I was lucky, but happy to get a little momentum going for tomorrow.”

Patrick Fishburn on his season so far… “It's been a brutal start, five missed cuts this season, so it can only go one way… up. I changed golf balls, I went from the Pro V1x to the regular Pro V, which has been a lot better in the wind. I just made some tweaks with the driver setting, has kind of made all the difference. A little change in mentality, too. It was nice to be home with my two little kids, so it kind of brings you back into where you're -- a better perspective. I feel like if I manage my emotions and try to be a little more calm and kind of all those things have added up to a little better play."

Notes

Roger Sloan (T3 / -12) stands inside the top 10 on the leaderboard through three rounds for the second time this season (T6 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club/finished T31) and 13th in his career

Joel Thelen (T5 / -11) sits inside the top 10 through three rounds for the first time in his career (previous best 54-hole position: T39 at 2018 Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper/finished T34)

Thelen, Sloan and Jackson Suber (T5 / -11) lead the field in birdies through 54-holes with 19 apiece

Monday qualifier Spencer Levin (T3 / -12) makes his second consecutive cut (finished T50 at Astara Chile Classic)

John VanDerLaan (T5 / -11) makes his second cut of the season, first since the season opener at the Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, sits inside the top five through 54 holes for the fifth time in his Korn Ferry Tour career (1st at 2020 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished T6; T4 at 2022 Simmons Bank Open/finished T11; solo-fourth at 2022 Live and Work In Maine/finished T8 ; T5 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at the Abaco Club/finished T12)

Frankie Capan III (T5 / -11) holds his best 54-hole position in his sixth Korn Ferry Tour start (previous: T13 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at the Abaco Club/finished T17)