John VanDerLaan earns outright 54-hole lead at Pinnacle Bank Championship

Things to Know

Four players sit 13-under par or better after 54 holes, each bidding for their first career Korn Ferry Tour victory

After sitting inside the top three on the leaderboard following the first each of the two rounds, John VanDerLaan snags the outright lead entering the final round

36-hole solo leader Jacob Bridgeman cards a third-round 70 and sits two shots behind VanDerLaan

Max Greyserman has carded just two bogeys through 54 holes and sets a career best 54-hole position

Jake Knapp records the low round of the day with an 8-under 63 and climbs to solo fourth

The second round was completed Saturday morning and Bridgeman claimed the 36-hole lead, his first lead of any kind in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned start

Third-Round Lead Notes

2: Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna

- Sam Ryder (2021) and Kris Ventura (2019)

5: Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023

- Most recent: Trace Crowe/NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank

John VanDerLaan (Leader/-16)

Carded a third-round 4-under 67 via six birdies against two bogeys

- Birdies came at three par 5s (Nos. 4, 7, 15) and three par 4s (Nos. 1, 2, 14) while he bogeyed the pars 4s sixth and ninth

Leads all players this week with 19 birdies while logging just three bogeys (tied for second fewest in the field)

Has sat inside the top three on the leaderboard after each round this week

- T3 after 18 holes, solo 2nd after 36 holes, solo leader after 54 holes

Marks the second 54-hole lead of his career and first since he was the solo leader at the 2020 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard where he finished T6

Previous best 54-hole position this season was T5 at the Veritex Bank Championship (finished T10)

Making his 100th career start in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event this week (89 previous starts on Korn Ferry Tour, six on PGA TOUR Canada, four on PGA TOUR)

This week is his fourth career start at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna, with his best finish in the event being a T47 last year

Entered the week No. 44 on the Points List after posting eight top-25 finishes, including three top 10s, in 20 starts this season

Best finish this year is a T5 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX

Also has three starts on the PGA TOUR during the 2022-23 season where he has two made cuts and recorded a T7 finish at the Peurto Rico Open

In his third season on the Tour, making his 90th career Korn Ferry Tour start this week

Last season, he finished No. 47 on the regular season Points List after logging seven top-25 finishes in 24 starts

In his 2020-21 rookie season on the Tour, made 44 starts and recorded 10 top-25 finishes, including three top 10s, eventually placing 53rd on the final Points List

Played collegiately for four seasons at Florida Southern College (2014-18), where he won 11 individual titles, seven of which came during his senior season

- Won the individual national title at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships, in addition to earning the Division II 2018 Jack Nicklaus Award, and also helped Florida Southern win the team national title at the 2017 NCAA Division II Championships

- Set school records for single-season scoring average (69.05 in 2017-18) and career scoring average (70.88)

27-year-old native of Southbury, Connecticut

Quotables

John VanDerLaan on being the outright leader entering Sunday… “I don't think you could feel anything but good right now. I've played a lot of good golf these last three days. Nothing's going to change mentality wise going into tomorrow, just kind of stick to the game plan and see where everything falls. But obviously always a good thing to be in the lead.”

VanDerLaan on if he had high hopes entering the week… “I've been playing a lot of solid golf leading into this. The last few weeks the results don't really show it, but I've been hitting it great, just haven't been getting the putts to fall. Found a little something early in the week with the putter and got some to go in. Yeah, just a lot of good vibes going on through the bag and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Max Greyserman on playing well and being in the final group Sunday… “Been playing pretty solid all year except for a couple lulls here and there. Saw my coach this past weekend after a missed cut, a couple things we wanted to key on. Just putting it well like I usually do and just got to give myself looks and it will be a good day tomorrow. I'm excited to play with John (VanDerLaan) and Jake (Bridgeman). I know those guys really well, two really good dudes, so it should be a fun day tomorrow.”

Greyserman on the course difficulty this week… “This is the type of course where I enjoy playing more. Not as many wedges, not as soft, longer rough, longer course. I mean, more of a PGA TOUR type of setup I would say. But good golf wins anywhere, so you've got to be able to play well on the short courses, too.”

Notes

Max Greyserman (T2/-14) has posted just two bogeys through 54 holes, the fewest by any player in the field

- Carded a third-round 4-under 67 with five birdies (Nos. 2, 4, 6, 7, 16) against one bogey at the par-4 ninth

- Clinches a career best 54-hole position, topping his previous best of T3 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (finished T8)

- Currently 22nd on the Points List, has logged eight top-25 finishes in 18 starts this season, including three top 10s, with his best finish being a solo second last month at The Ascendant presented by Blue

Second-year member Jacob Bridgeman (T2/-14) followed his career low 63 from the second round with a third-round 1-under 70 and enters the final round inside the top five on the leaderboard for the first time in his career

- Clinched the outright 36-hole lead Saturday morning after finishing play following Friday night’s suspension due to darkness

- The 23-year-old Clemson alum has recorded four top-10 finishes in 18 starts this season, highlighted by a T5 at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS

- Entered the week No. 29 on the Points List

Jake Knapp (4th/-13) rolled in seven birdies and an eagle against one bogey for a third-round 8-under 63, the lowest round by any player Saturday

- Knapp opened the week with a first-round 2-over 73, followed by an 8-under 63 in the second round

- Entered the week No. 15 on the Points List and in 17 starts this year, he has tallied seven top-10 finishes, tied for the second most by any player this season; his best finish of the year is a T5 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, which is also the best of his career (53 total starts)

Lanto Griffin (5th/-12) followed his bogey-free second-round 64 with a third-round 4-under 67

- Griffin is making just his third Korn Ferry Tour start of the season as he has primarily played on the PGA TOUR during the 2022-23 season (13 starts, one top-25 finish)

In the sixth ever start on the Korn Ferry Tour, Zach Bauchou (T6/-11) sits inside the top 10 entering the final round for the first time

- Bauchou earned the start this week by placing T20 at last week’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank where he was playing as a sponsor exemption

- In five career Korn Ferry Tour starts, Bauchou has two made cuts, both resulting in top-25 finishes this year with his best being a T4 at the 2023 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics

In his 91st career start on the Korn Ferry Tour, Chris Naegel (T6/-11) enters the final round inside the top 10 for the fifth time ever and first since the 2020 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank (finished T37)

- Naegel tied the tournament course record Friday with a second-round bogey-free 9-under 62 via seven birdies and one eagle

- Bidding for his first top-10 finish since the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour season

University of Nebraska alum and Omaha native Scott Gutschewski (T29/-7) sat T7 after 36 holes but a third-round 2-over 73 places him T29 entering the final round