Puerto Rico Open Round 3: Karl Vilips Battles Through to a One-Shot Lead

Karl Vilips spent Saturday at Grand Reserve fighting his own stomach, and somehow the leaderboard still lost. The Australian rookie shot a 6-under 66 to move to 18-under 198 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Puerto Rico Open.

Two players share second at 17 under, and they could not have taken more different roads to get there. Joseph Bramlett, a 36-year-old veteran still chasing a first PGA TOUR win, posted the low round of the day with a bogey-free 64. Kieron van Wyk, a South African amateur making his PGA TOUR debut, went bogey-free for a 65. Austin Cook is alone in fourth at 16 under, and four players sit at 15 under.

Playing Through It

Vilips did not sound like a player at full strength. The 23-year-old told reporters he had dropped a lot of weight over the week without knowing why, and that it felt like it was shrinking him. Then he went out and made seven birdies against one bogey.

"I wish my stomach felt a little bit better, but it is what it is," Vilips said, per PGA TOUR coverage. "Feeling pretty good with the position I'm in."

The highlight was pure short-game swagger: Vilips holed a flop shot for birdie, a bit of greenside touch that the PGA TOUR's highlight team was happy to replay. It helped turn a grind into a lead.

The context matters here. This is only the fourth PGA TOUR start of his career. He earned his card on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, a back injury pushed back the start of his year, and earlier this season he made the cut at the Mexico Open (T72) and the Cognizant Classic (T39). Three rounds of 65, 67 and 66 here are a massive step up from anything he has shown at this level.

Bramlett's Clean Sheet

If Vilips was the story, Bramlett was the round. The 64 was spotless, with birdies at the third, sixth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 13th, 16th and 18th. That closing birdie mattered, because it pulled Bramlett within one.

Bramlett has made 159 PGA TOUR starts without a victory, which makes Sunday a big one. There is also a neat Stanford subplot: Bramlett and Vilips both played college golf there, and now they are separated by a single shot with 18 holes to go.

The Amateur Who Will Not Blink

Van Wyk might be the most fun storyline on the board. He is 23, a senior at the College of Charleston, and he got into this field by winning the 2024 White Sands Bahamas Men's NCAA Golf Invitational. His 65 was bogey-free and featured an eagle on the par-5 14th, along with birdies at the first, seventh, ninth, 11th and 17th.

"Definitely soaking in every moment and the crowds and having the people cheer me on," van Wyk said.

The history in front of him is real. Nick Dunlap won the 2024 American Express as an amateur, the first to do it since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Van Wyk is trying to make it two in two years, and he sounds unbothered by the idea.

"Just keep on doing what I've been doing the last three days and hopefully it pays off by the end of tomorrow," he said.

The Leader Who Slipped

Friday's leader had a hard Saturday. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, bogey-free through his first 36 holes on TOUR, made five bogeys against four birdies for a 73 and slid into a tie for ninth at 14 under, four back. It is a long way from out of it on this course, but it took the debut narrative down a notch.

Davis Riley, second after two rounds, also stalled with a 72 and is in that same group at 14 under, alongside Kevin Roy (67) and Garrick Higgo (67).

Cook kept himself in the mix with an up-and-down 69 that included three birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 11th. Chad Ramey (65), Steven Fisk (67), Norman Xiong (68) and William Mouw (69) make up the group at 15 under, three back.

What Sunday Looks Like

Here is the shape of it. Vilips has the lead, but not much of one, and a body that has not cooperated all week. Bramlett has the experience and the hot hand. Van Wyk has nothing to lose and a chance to make history. Cook is two back, and seven players are within three shots.

The prize is significant for anyone in that group: 300 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption, and spots in THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA Championship. For a rookie, a journeyman and an amateur, Sunday at Grand Reserve could change a career. The only question is who makes the fewest mistakes when the birdies stop being optional.

Catch up on the week in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap and leaderboard), Field Level Media, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.