World Wide Technology Championship Round 3: Garrick Higgo Ties the Record and Takes the Lead

Three days, three 61s. On Thursday it was two co-leaders sharing the course record. On Saturday, Garrick Higgo took the number and used it to climb past everybody.

Higgo shot an 11-under 61 at El Cardonal at Diamante to reach 22-under 194 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship. Carson Young shot 63 and sits alone in second at 21 under. Ben Griffin (66), Trevor Cone (65) and Chad Ramey (67) are tied for third at 20 under, two back. Sami Valimaki is at 19 under, and second-round leader Matti Schmid slid to 18 under after a 71.

The Front Nine That Changed Everything

Higgo started the day at 11 under and well off the pace. It took seven holes to change that. The South African chipped in for eagle on the par-5 first, parred the second, then reeled off five straight birdies to turn in 7-under 29. Four more birdies came on the back, the last on the par-5 18th, and there was not a bogey anywhere on the card.

It matched the course record, it was the lowest round of Higgo's PGA TOUR career, and according to ESPN it was just the sixth 61 ever posted at El Cardonal. Three of those six have now come this week.

"Hit it great, made a lot of good putts and chipped in once," Higgo said, per the AP. That is about as tidy a summary of an 11-under day as you will hear.

A Hot Hand Gets Hotter

This did not come out of nowhere. The 26-year-old former UNLV player won the Corales Puntacana Championship in April for a second TOUR title, and arrived in Mexico on a run of three straight top-seven finishes: T7 at Silverado, second in Mississippi and T4 in Japan. Higgo said there was nothing really new behind the form, just more of the same work, per the AP.

Higgo came in at No. 57 in the FedExCup, which matters more than it looks. A finish inside the top 60 when the Fall is done means Signature Event access next year, so Sunday is about far more than one trophy. This is also Higgo's second time holding at least a share of a 54-hole lead on TOUR, per Golf Today.

Young Wants His Revenge

The player one shot back has a score to settle with this place. Young set the El Cardonal course record a year ago and finished runner-up after losing a playoff. On Saturday, Young made 11 birdies against two bogeys for a 63 and will play in the final group again.

"Kind of feels like revenge here to be in the final group again," Young said, per the AP.

The 30-year-old former Clemson player is still looking for a first PGA TOUR win, and the stakes go well beyond that. Young started the week at No. 136 in the FedExCup, outside the top 100 who keep full status for 2026. A big Sunday changes everything.

The Crowd at 20 Under

Griffin's 66 kept the Ryder Cup rookie squarely in range. According to the PGA TOUR, Griffin made four birdies in the first six holes and three more in the final five. With two wins already this season, Griffin is trying to join Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the only players on TOUR with at least three in 2025.

The other two in that tie are playing for their jobs. Cone, who shot 65, began the week at No. 179 in the FedExCup. Ramey, at No. 123, added a 67. For both, a strong Sunday at a Fall event is the difference between a full card and a stressful offseason.

Leaders Fade, Others Surge

Saturday was not kind to the 36-hole leaders. Schmid made four birdies and three bogeys for a 71 and fell to seventh. Nick Dunlap, who opened with a 61, also shot 71 and dropped to 17 under, tied for eighth with Patrick Rodgers. Valimaki's 69 keeps the bubble hopes alive at 19 under, three back, but the margin for error is gone.

U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun found something, firing a 63 to jump into a tie for 10th at 16 under. Andrew Putnam made a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th from 145 yards, the second ace of Putnam's TOUR career, then gave two shots back with a double bogey at the last for a 69.

And then there was Luke List, who made a 12 on the par-4 15th on the way to an 85. According to the AP, it was the second-highest score on a single hole on TOUR this year. List finished the day last among the 75 players who made the cut, at 6 over.

Sunday's Math

Five players are within two shots, and the course has given no indication it will defend itself. The par-5 first is the easiest hole on the property and the par-5 18th is the second easiest, according to the PGA TOUR, which means birdie chances bookend the round for whoever needs them. This is the fifth of seven FedExCup Fall events, and the winner gets 500 FedExCup points and a two-year exemption.

Higgo has the lead and the round of the week. Young has the history and the motivation. Three more sit two back with plenty of their own reasons. Nobody on this leaderboard can afford a quiet Sunday.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the AP's third-round story (opens in a new tab) on PGA TOUR has more.

Sources: AP, PGA TOUR, ESPN, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.