There are two new names atop the leaderboard after the third round of the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton. American Andrew Novak and Puerto Rican Rafael Campos shot a pair of 9-under 62s to earn themselves a share of the 54-hole lead and a final-group tee time.
Justin Lower, who posted back-to-back rounds of 65 to earn the 36-hole lead, stumbled on his way to the clubhouse on Saturday, playing the back nine in 1-over 36. Still, he’ll enter the final round one back of the lead at 15 under, alone in third.
Wesley Bryan made the biggest move of the day, tying the course record at Port Royal, a 10-under 61. He had a chance to break the existing record on No. 9 — his 18th hole of the day — but couldn’t convert the putt.
If you missed any of the action on Saturday, no worries, we have you covered.
Here are a few notes from the third round in Bermuda.
Bermuda: Notables to miss cut | Leaderboard | Photos
Butterfield Bermuda Championship third-round takeaways
Novak, Campos overtake lead with 9-under 62s
Sure, they weren’t as good as Bryan’s 61 — we’ll get to that in a minute — but Andrew Novak and Rafael Campos crawled their way to the top of the leaderboard with matching 9-under 62s.
Novak did most of his damage early in the round, making seven birdies on the front nine to make the turn with a 7-under 29. On the second half, he added two more on Nos. 12 and 15 to finish his day.
“I missed a lot of putts the first two rounds and hit a good shot into 1,” he said, “made probably a 12-footer or so, that just kind of got it going, seeing ’em go in, kind of kept it rolling and just got hot.”
Campos, on the other hand, did most of his work around the turn and at the end of his round. He birdied five straight from Nos. 6-10 and three straight from Nos. 15-17.
“I really am happy about the last couple days, especially today,” he said. “Yesterday was no wind but today was a real test on some of the holes into the wind.
“I was really fortunate the short game was really on point today. It’s been quite some time I haven’t felt as comfortable chipping, but I had a couple chip-ins today and the putter rolled really well.”
Wesley Bryan storms up the leaderboard
The vibes have been high all week for Wesley Bryan. He played the first two rounds of the tournament alongside his brother, George, and although he missed the cut, the younger Bryan is now in position to win on Tour for the second time (2017 RBC Heritage).
Bryan opened with a 67 on Thursday but made too many late-round mistakes Friday, shooting a 1-over 72. Saturday, however, was a different story.
Starting on the back nine, Bryan birdied 10, 11, 14 and 16 before making a big bird at the par-5 17th to make the turn with a 6-under 29. On the way home, the 34-year-old added two more birdies to his card on Nos. 2 and 6, plus another eagle at the par-5 seventh.
Needing a birdie-birdie finish to card a 59, Bryan settled for two pars to finish his 10-under effort that tied the Port Royal course record.
“I’ve been hitting the ball really nice and been hitting it solid and been putting pretty well,” he said. “I felt like these type of conditions really for my entire golfing career, I’ve really enjoyed wind. It just brings out a little bit more creativity, so I do enjoy the wind.
“Then today, I mean, nobody knows a 61 or what, when a 61’s going to come. That’s just kind of a career day. Hopefully, we can shoot — I mean, get in the mix tomorrow on the back nine. That would be the ultimate goal.”
He’ll tee off Sunday three shots back.
Top 10 and odds to win
| Position | Player | Score | Odds to win |
| T-1 | Andrew Novak | 16 under | (+160) |
| T-1 | Rafael Campos | 16 under | (+330) |
| 3rd | Justin Lower | 15 under | (+320) |
| 4th | Wesley Bryan | 13 under | (+1200) |
| T-5 | Lucas Glover | 12 under | (+2200) |
| T-5 | Troy Merritt | 12 under | (+6000) |
| T-5 | Sam Ryder | 12 under | (+4000) |
| T-8 | Patrick Rodgers | 11 under | (+5000) |
| T-8 | Alex Smalley | 11 under | (+6000) |
| T-8 | Chad Ramey | 11 under | (+8000) |
| T-8 | Vince Whaley | 11 under | (+7000) |
| T-8 | Hayden Springer | 11 under | (+7500) |
| T-8 | David Lipsky | 11 under | (+8000) |
| T-8 | Ryan Moore | 11 under | (+8000) |
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