Three share lead after first round at NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank

Things to Know

• Wil Bateman, Joe Weiler and Sudarshan Yellamaraju share the 18-hole lead at 8-under 63, marking the first 18-hole co-lead/lead for all three players.
• Curtis Thompson (T4/-7), winner of the 2020 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank, opens in 7-under 64, his lowest round on the Korn Ferry Tour since a 64 in Round 2 of the 2023 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health.
• Karl Vilips (T9/-6), who finished No. 10 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking and entered the week with consecutive top-15 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour, records a hole-in-one with a pitching wedge at the 160-yard par-3 fourth.

Charting the Co-Leaders

Wil Bateman (T1/-8)

• Holds first 18-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event, with his previous career-high 18-hole position being T4/2023 Magnit Championship/finished T11
• Prior to Thursday, season-high 18-hole position in 14 Korn Ferry Tour starts this year was T12/The Panama Championship/finished T2
• Posts his career-low round on the Korn Ferry Tour with 8-under 63; his previous career-low round on Tour was 64 on three different occasions (most recent: 6-under 64/2024 Panama Championship/Round 3)
• Finished T49 in his only previous appearance at the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank (stood T7 through 54 holes but carded 4-over 75 in final round)
• Recorded his career-high finish on Tour earlier this season at The Panama Championship (finished T2)
• Finished No. 68 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie last season, maintaining fully exempt status for the 2024 season
• Two-time PGA TOUR Canada winner, and a winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (both circuits merged and formed what is now PGA TOUR Americas)
• Both PGA TOUR Canada victories came in 2022, a season which saw him finish No. 1 in the Fortinet Cup standings to earn fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023
• Played the 2011-12 season at San Diego State University and turned professional at 18 years old upon conclusion of the season
• Finished T3 at the 2011 Canadian Amateur Championship roughly a month prior to his 18th birthday; he shared third place with two-time PGA TOUR winner Corey Conners (and two others), finishing behind runner-up Albin Choi and champion Mackenzie Hughes, a two-time PGA TOUR winner

Joe Weiler (T1/-8)

• Holds his first lead/co-lead of any kind in a Korn Ferry Tour event, with his previous career-high 18-hole position being T7 on three occasions (most recent: 2024 AdventHealth Championship/finished T26)
• Cards his career-low round on Tour with 8-under 63, eclipsing his previous career-low round of 64/2024 Visit Knoxville Open/Round 3
• Finished T21 at the 2023 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank in what was his tournament debut
• Finished No. 83 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie last season, retaining conditional status for the 2024 season
• Has two top-10s in 17 starts this season (T8/Visit Knoxville Open; T10/The Ascendant presented by Blue); he recorded one top-10 in 21 starts last season (T7/2023 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX)
• Finished T12 at Final Stage of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry) and earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2023 season
• Turned professional in 2022 after five seasons at Purdue University (2017-22), where he earned All-Big Ten Conference First Team honors in 2020 and 2022
• Won the 2019 Indiana Amateur State Championship, joining fellow Purdue alums Adam Schenk (2013) and PGA TOUR winner Tyler Duncan (2011) as champions of the event

Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T1/-8)

• Holds his first lead/co-lead of any kind in a Korn Ferry Tour event, with his previous career-high 18-hole position being T20/2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic/finished T37
• Posts career-low round on Tour with 8-under 63, eclipsing his previous career-low round of 64/2024 Visit Knoxville Open/Round 2
• Korn Ferry Tour rookie who played the last two seasons on PGA TOUR Canada with finishes of No. 21 (2023) and No. 34 (2022) in the Fortinet Cup standings
• Career-high finish in 20 starts on Tour is T14/2024 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH
• Finished T14 at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, earning guaranteed starts for the first 12 events of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season
• Began 2024 as the second-youngest Korn Ferry Tour member this season, only behind 19-year-old Aldrich Potgieter (currently fifth-youngest member after mid-season additions of PGA TOUR University Class of 2024)
• Turned professional in 2021 and plays from Mississauga, Ontario

Quotables

Wil Bateman on The Glen Club: “I like the way it looks off the tee. Yeah, a lot of cut holes for me, and a couple of the draw holes I'm able to just kind of hit straight balls on those ones. Yeah, I quite like it out here. Obviously the greens are perfect and we're lucky we got a little bit more firm conditions this year. Yeah, just looking forward to tomorrow.”

Bateman on his happiest moment of the year: “Getting engaged. That was obviously an awesome day. We're getting married in December, so really looking forward to that. We have a house on the way and just, yeah, obviously life's in a really good place so it makes golf easier.”

Sudarshan Yellamaraju on his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour:“It's been enjoyable actually. I enjoy traveling and going to different places, and then you're playing on a great Tour against great players, great courses. I've not been playing as good as I want to, but just got to stay patient, it's a long season. One or two weeks can just kind of change everything, so that's just kind of staying patient, persisting and yeah, but so far enjoying it.”

Yellamaraju on playing every event this season… “I want to play every week. I hate missing out, honestly. I just love competing. Whether I'm tired a lot or I'm just like great energy, I just want to compete. Like I said, for those things you kind of learn. This is the first time I've really played six, seven straight weeks in a row for tournaments, but it's part of it. I'm enjoying it. That's the key.”

Additional Player Notes

• Korn Ferry Tour winner Ryan Gerard (T4/-7) stands T4 or higher through 18 holes for the fifth time this season; he stood T2 after 18 holes prior to his win earlier this season at the 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX
• William Moll (T4/-7), who finished No. 6 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking after five seasons at Vanderbilt University, cards 7-under 64, his lowest round in what is his seventh start on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Patrick Cover (T4/-7) stands T4 or higher through 18 holes for the fifth time this season; he stood T2 after 18 holes prior to his career-high finish (PT2) at the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic
• Aldrich Potgieter (T9/-6), who open qualified into the 2023 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank but missed the cut, cards bogey-free 6-under 65; he won the second event of the 2024 season, The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, and became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history