Widing Leads Capan by 1 at Veritex Bank

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The wind picked up at the Texas Rangers Golf Club on Saturday, which slowed the pace at which par was being dismantled by the leaders in the Veritex Bank Championship. But it's not as if par is winning.

On Saturday morning, the cut was imposed after the suspended second round was completed, and it took a score of 7-under 135 to keep playing over the weekend. The unlikely leader was Grant Wood, a 34-year-old who had to go through Open Qualifying just to get into the tournament. He opened with a 64 (7 under) on Thursday and followed it with 60. His 36-hole total of 124 was the second lowest in the history of the Korn Ferry Tour in all of its various names (i.e. Ben Hogan Tour, Buy.com, Nationwide, et al).

By late in the afternoon, Tim Widing had moved to the front of the leaderboard, after shooting 65 and posting a 54-hole total of 190. Widing is a 26-year-old former University of San Francisco star from Sweden who claimed his first Korn Ferry victory in the LECOM Suncoast Classic last week at Lakewood National Golf Club in Florida. On Sunday, he will try to become the 13th player in Korn Ferry history to win consecutive tournaments. The 65 that he turned in Saturday was his worst score during the first three days, because it followed a 62 and a 63.

In Round 3, Widing wasn't doing all that much for the first eight holes. But then he birdied the par-5 ninth (525 yards), the par-5 10th (589) and added birdies on three more of the even-numbered holes on the back nine -- the 14th, 16th and the par-5 18th (576), for a 65. That put him at 190, 23 under, the third-lowest 54-hole total ever in a Korn Ferry tournament. He is only the fifth player to get through the 54 holes in 190 strokes or fewer, and all four of the guys who did it before him won.

The top 30 players on the Korn Ferry Points List at the end of the year earn promotions to the PGA Tour for the following year, and Widing seems well on his way to doing that. He's No. 2 on the money list with $263,052, and he's first on the points list. (No. 1 on the money list is Mason Andersen, with $266,995, and he's tied for 13th at 198 this week going into Sunday's final round.)

Two shots behind Widing, in second place at 192, is Frankie Capan, the 24-year-old former Minnesota State Amateur champion (2020) from North Oaks -- and also Phoenix (he won the Arizona state high school championship twice). He made headlines on Thursday, when he tied the Korn Ferry record for the lowest 18-hole score relative to par with a 13-under 58. He added a 67 in the second round, and then shot 67 again in the third round.

Like Widing, Capan finished strong on Saturday. A bogey at the 422-yard, par-4 14th hole had him at only 1 under for his third round, but he made a sprint to the finish, with birdies at the 344-yard, par-4 16th, the 448-yard, par-4 17th and the par-5 18th, which was how he arrived at 67, and he's one ahead of third place, which is occupied by the former Georgia first-team All-American Trent Phillips, 23. He, too, shot 67 in Round 3 on his way to 193.

Than along comes Wood in fourth at 194, after a 70. He's followed closely at 195 by the four players who are tied for fifth. Included in that group is Brian Stuard, a 41-year-old former PGA Tour winner (the 2016 Zurich Classic) who has played in 350 PGA Tour events and earned more than $12 million in the process.


Veritex Bank Championship

At Texas Rangers Golf Club

Par 71, 6,527 yards

Arlington, Texas

Third-round results

1. Tim Widing 62-63-65--190

2. Frankie Capan 58-67-67--192

3. Trent Phillips 61-65-67--193

4. Griffin Wood 64-60-70--194

T5. Brian Stuard 64-67-64--195

T5. Brandon Crick 65-64-66--195

T5. Hunter Eichorn 64-66-65--195

9. Matt Atkins 65-64-67--196

Missed cut -- 135

Andre Metzger 66-72--138

Van Holmgren 67-71--138