VidantaWorld Mexico Open Round 3: Andrew Novak Backs Up a 61 With a 62 and Opens a Six-Shot Lead

The hardest thing in golf is supposed to be following a career round with another one. Andrew Novak apparently did not get the memo.

A day after a 61, Novak shot a 9-under 62 on Saturday at Vidanta Vallarta to reach 23-under 190 and take a six-shot lead into the final round of the VidantaWorld Mexico Open. Matthieu Pavon is the closest pursuer at 17 under after a 65, Doug Ghim shot 64 to get to 16 under, and amateur Kihei Akina is nine back after a 68. The gap even stretched to seven at one point on the back nine.

The Back-Nine Blitz

Novak's front nine was quieter. The back nine was where the tournament changed shape.

Novak went 5 under over the first five holes after the turn and finished the stretch with five birdies and an eagle over his final nine. The eagle at the par-5 12th was the shot of the day, per the PGA TOUR: a second shot from 279 yards that settled 20 feet from the hole, followed by a putt that dropped.

Two holes later, Novak showed the other side of a hot week. With the ball well below his feet in the rough at the 14th, Novak still set up a 6-foot birdie and made it. It was not a pretty hole. It was a birdie anyway.

A Little Sloppy, Still Sharp

The finish was the only part of Saturday that looked human. Novak came up short at both the 16th and 17th, then saved par from 6 feet and 10 feet to keep the momentum. Novak has made just three bogeys in 54 holes.

"Very much the same, maybe a little sloppy at the end," Novak said of the two rounds, per the AP. "But the putter saved it."

That is the theme of this week. Novak spent Friday explaining how bad his putting had been for most of the year. On Saturday the putter bailed him out when the irons wobbled late.

Backing Up a Low Round

Novak was candid about how rare this kind of weekend is.

"You want to back up a really low round with something low, but you don't usually expect that," Novak said. "You expect usually there's going to be some give, and you've just got to be patient with it the next day."

Instead of easing off, Novak pressed. "I still kind of came out firing today, was throwing some darts, making putts and trying to stay out of my own way," Novak said.

Those three rounds, 67, 61 and 62, add up to 190, which is 23 under in three days.

The Chase Is On for Pavon

Pavon has a lot riding on Sunday beyond the trophy. The Frenchman birdied his last two holes for a 65 to get within six. Pavon came into the week at No. 140 in the FedExCup Fall standings, and his two-year exemption from his 2024 win at Torrey Pines expires this year. According to the AP, a runner-up finish would move him to a projected No. 94, just inside the top 100 that keeps full status for 2027.

That makes Sunday a strange kind of pressure for Pavon. The trophy is six shots away, but the card is right there.

Ghim Plays It Straight

Ghim's 64 was one of the best rounds of the day and put him in position to at least make Novak think about it. Ghim was refreshingly realistic about the math.

"It makes it easier for me to be in my own bubble," Ghim said. "I know that something significant would probably need to happen for me to have a chance tomorrow. I'll do my best to put any pressure on him and see what happens."

Akina, the 20-year-old BYU sophomore, opened with back-to-back bogeys and still battled back for a 68. Akina sits tied for seventh, and a top 10 would be worth more than a nice line on a résumé. It would give Akina a 13th point in the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program, which awards TOUR membership to collegiate players who reach 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility.

What Sunday Looks Like

Novak is chasing his first individual PGA TOUR title. The only win on the résumé is the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event shared with Ben Griffin. Novak arrived in Mexico at No. 89 in the FedExCup Fall standings, so there is plenty on the line even with a big cushion.

Six shots is a lot of cushion. It is also exactly the kind of number that makes a leader start thinking about protecting instead of playing, and Novak has spent three days proving that playing works better. The rest of the field needs a low round and some help. Novak needs one more day like the last three, or something close to it.

Catch up on the week in our Round 1 and Round 2 recaps. The PGA TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP Round 3 recap), AP, Golf Channel. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.