Ben James four clear in Los Cabos; Gerard 65 with a new putter

Ben James goes into the last round of the World Wide Technology Championship four shots clear on −21 and is chasing a first PGA TOUR win in his 22nd start. James, 23, birdied his first three holes at El Cardonal on Saturday, dropped his only shot at the par-4 8th, hit a 5-iron to two feet at the par-3 15th and pitched to two feet at the par-5 18th for a 66.

“I almost feel like I played better today than the first two rounds even though my score didn’t show it,” James said. He has led a PGA TOUR event once before, after 36 holes of the RBC Canadian Open in June, his professional debut. He shot 78 the next day and finished tied 54th. A win would bring a two-year exemption and starts at the Players Championship and the PGA Championship, and Golf Today says it would probably take him into the world’s top 50. He would be the season’s fifth rookie winner.

Ryan Gerard, who swapped his mallet putter for a blade on Saturday, is alone in second after a bogey-free 65 that ended with a missed six-footer for birdie at the last. “Just rolled it pretty nicely all day,” he said. Gerard has been runner-up three times this season and is seeking a second PGA TOUR title; his first was the 2025 Barracuda Championship.

Peter Malnati, one behind James after 36 holes, shot 73 and fell to a tie for 13th on −13.

Pos	Player	To par	R1	R2	R3
1	Ben James	−21	65	64	66
2	Ryan Gerard	−17	66	68	65
T3	Chris Kirk	−16	63	72	65
T3	Denny McCarthy	−16	68	65	67
T5	Paul Peterson	−15	68	67	66
T5	Alvaro Ortiz	−15	69	66	66
T5	Keith Mitchell	−15	68	66	67
T5	Kensei Hirata	−15	65	69	67
T9	David Ford	−14	67	68	67
T9	Blades Brown	−14	66	68	68
T9	Michael Kim	−14	73	66	63
T9	Zach Bauchou	−14	67	67	68

Michael Kim had the low round of the day, a 63 with ten birdies and a bogey at the 5th, and climbed 53 places to a tie for ninth. Pierceson Coody made his first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR at the 178-yard 9th, according to Golf Today. Chris Kirk, the first-round leader, shot 65 after Friday’s 72. He came to Mexico 110th in the FedExCup Fall standings, ten places outside the top 100 who keep full cards for 2027, and Golf Today now projects him 87th.

The second round was completed on Saturday morning and the cut fell at −5; the amateur Preston Stout made it. On Sunday James plays with Gerard and Kirk off the 1st at 17:42 GMT, behind Denny McCarthy, Paul Peterson and Alvaro Ortiz at 17:31. Coverage on Golf Channel runs from 20:00 to 23:00 GMT.

Sources

• Golf Today: Ben James fires 66 to take four-shot lead
• JOX FM (AP): Ben James extends lead to 4 at World Wide Technology Championship
• Fox Sports: 2026 World Wide Technology Championship leaderboard
• Yahoo Sports: World Wide Technology Championship final-round tee times and how to watch
• Golf Channel: Final round tee times, groupings and how to watch