Five players share the 54-hole lead heading into Sunday at Simmons Bank Open

Things to Know

• Five players share the 54-hole lead heading into Sunday’s final round, including two previous Korn Ferry Tour champions (T.J. VogelR/2022 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club and two-time winner Jamie Lovemark/2013 AdventHealth Championship; 2010/Mexico Open Bicentenary)
• Saturday marks the first 54-hole lead/co-lead for Max Greyserman, Carter Jenkins and T.J. Vogel
• Pontus Nyholm holds the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of his career (2023 Astara Chile Classic/finished T18)
• Jamie Lovemark holds the third 54-hole lead/co-lead of his career (2015 Stonebrae Classic/finished T2; 2015 Nova Scotia Open/finished T10
• Final-round tee times will run in threesomes from 7:33 a.m. through 9:45 a.m. local time off the first and 10th tees
• Simmons Bank Open is the second of four events in the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals

Third-Round Lead Notes

3 - Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation (Austin Smotherman/2020; Robby Shelton/2019; James Driscoll/2016)

6 - Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (last: Chan Kim/Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron)

Carter Jenkins (T1/-12)

• Rolled in eight birdies against one bogey in the third round to grab a share of the 54-hole lead

• Six of eight birdies were carded on the back nine (Nos. 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18) with two on the front (Nos. 4, 7) against one bogey at the par-5 10th

• Only player tied for the lead with an over-par round through 54 holes (1-over 73 in round one)

• Entered the day T31, moving up 30 spots for his first 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour (previous best 54-hole position came last week at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron (T7/finished T43)

• Leads the field in birdies with 20 through 54 holes

• Entered the week No. 46 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and projects move to No. 8 with a win

• First earned Korn Ferry Tour membership via T120 finish at the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, leaving him without guaranteed starts for the 2017 season (played seven events in 2017, missing six cuts)

• Made an additional two attempts at the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (finishing T85 in 2017 and T100 in 2018 at Final Stage) before earning guaranteed starts for the 2023 season (T39 finish at the 2022 Tour Qualifying Tournament)

• Has recorded four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a T5 at the 2023 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX)

• Raleigh, North Carolina resident, turned professional in 2016 after graduating from the University of North Carolina

Max Greyserman (T1/-12)

• Cards six birdies against one bogey in Saturday’s third round to reach 12-under 204 and for a share of the 54-hole co-lead

o Birdies at two par 5s (Nos. 11, 18), two par 4s (No. 4, 10) and two par 3s (Nos. 5, 13) against one bogey at the par-4 ninth

• Marks first career 54-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event in his 89th start on Tour

• Stands inside the top five after 54 holes for the fifth time this season (T2/Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna/finished T2; T5/The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club/finished T10; T5/The Ascendant presented by Blue/finished second; T6/Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS/finished T17)

• Entered the week No. 10 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and projects move to No. 2 with a win

• Earned Korn Ferry Tour status via T13 finish at the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School, earning eight guaranteed starts for the 2019 season

• In 88 starts on Tour, has recorded 12 top-10 finishes

• Recorded two runner-up finishes this season (Second/The Ascendant presented by Blue; T2/Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna)

• Turned professional in 2017 after graduating from Duke University

Jamie Lovemark (T1/-12)

• Cards 5-under 67 in the third round to earn a share of the 54-hole lead, his first 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour since 2015
• Recorded seven birdies against two bogeys to reach 12-under 204 through 54 holes
  • Carded birdies at 3 par 5s (Nos. 2, 7, 11) two par 4s (Nos. 4, 14) and two par 3s (Nos. 5, 13)
  • Carded bogeys at 2 par 4s (Nos. 1, 16)
• Entered the week No. 130 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and projects move to No. 38 with a win
• Has split time between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR since 2011
  • Since turning professional in 2009, has 182 starts on the PGA TOUR and 125 on the Korn Ferry Tour
  • Has 13 top-10 finishes on PGA TOUR, including two runner-up finishes (2009/Fortinet Championship/finished T2; 2016 Zurich Classic/finished T2)
• Entered the 2023 season with conditional status, earning his first start of the season at the AdventHealth Championship (via Sponsor Exemption) and reshuffled up the rankings via a T54 finish
• Over next nine starts, made six cuts highlighted by T10 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank
• Jupiter, Florida resident, turned professional in 2009 after graduating from the University of Southern California

TJ Vogel (T1/-12)

• Cards 4-under 68 on Saturday comprised of five birdies and one bogey, reaching 12-under 204 through 56 holes

• Holds first career 54-hole lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event in his 141st career start

• Saturday marks first lead of any kind on Tour (aside from his win in 2021 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club)

• Entered the week No. 115 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and projects move to No. 29 with a win

• First earned Korn Ferry Tour membership via T73 finish at the 2013 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, earning guaranteed starts for the 2014 season

• Made five additional attempts at Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School over the following six seasons to maintain status

• Earned conditional membership for the 2022 season following a T80 finish at Final Stage

• Earned his first and only Korn Ferry Tour win at the 2022 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, granting full status through the following season

• In 20 starts this season, made 10 cuts highlighted by T11 at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay

• Turned professional in 2013 after graduating from the University of Florida

Pontus Nyholm (T1/-12)

• Extended 36-hole lead with a bogey-free 2-under 70 in the third round, totaling 12-under 204

• Carded two birdies on Saturday, the par-5 seventh and par-5 18th

• Bogey-free through his last 36 holes

• Saturday marks the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of his career (2023 Astara Chile Classic/finished T18)

• Making 23rd start of the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season, making 15 cuts and highlighted by a T14 at The Panama Championship

• Entered the week at No. 79 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and is projected to move to No. 18 with a win

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

• First earned Korn Ferry Tour membership ahead of the 2022 season via 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

Jamie Lovemark on his third round… “Everything's been pretty decent actually. Been trending nicely for the last couple months. Kind of been giving away a lot of shots here and there the last couple events. This week I gave away a few, but that's going to happen. Overall just a little bit more consistent, but you know golf, nothing really changes and you just kind of find yourself playing a little bit better.”

Lovemark on how his sponsor exemption into the AdventHealth Championship changed the course of his season… “It's huge. I've been in a bunch of Mondays this year unsuccessfully like I have. The last 13 years of playing, I've gotten through one. And just to know that obviously I'm a very capable professional golfer and I can't get through those means a lot to the players that are getting through, the guys that are still playing those Mondays. It's a grind, man, it's hard. You've got to shoot so well. There's just so many great players out there that aren't on any tour. They get credit ‑‑ I don't think people realize how hard it is to get on a tour. Luckily, through my past champions, I was able to get a sponsor invite and make the cut and kind of shuffle in here and there; otherwise, I wouldn't be here. So grateful for AdventHealth, too.”

Carter Jenkins on the rain delay and his play on Saturday… “Well, we obviously got off to a little bit of a wet start and had a delay for a couple hours. Just sort of hung around here and just honestly almost fell asleep in the chair a couple of times while I was waiting to tee off.

“Got out there and just figured it was going to be sort of a grind. We got a break with the weather and it kind of missed us, so it wasn't too terribly sloppy or umbrella didn't go up and down too much. Just really had the mindset of not really trying to go out there with anything more than just grind through whatever conditions there were and managed to get a few putts to fall and it just turned into a good day.”

Notes

• Following a string of 10 consecutive missed cuts, Chris Naegel (T6/-11) finished inside the top 25 in his last three starts to put himself in position to extend his season
• Naegel sits inside the top 10 after 54 holes for the third time in his last four starts (T6/Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna/finished T16; sixth/Magnit Championship/finished T16; T35/Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron/finished T18)
• Korn Ferry Tour Points List leader, Ben Kohles (T11/-9) fires a third round 6-under 66 to move inside the top 11; marks seventh time inside the top 10 after 54 holes this season
• Tom Whitney (T4/-16), who entered the week ranked No. 16 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, stands T6 or higher through 54 holes for the fourth time this season (T4/Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron; 2nd/2023 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/finished T2; T3/2023 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club/finished T3)
  • Whitney ties Carter Jenkins (T1/-12) for the low round of the day with a bogey-free 7-under 65