We Speak Golf

Ben James Holds Four Shot Lead Into Final Round At World Wide Technology Championship

Published

2 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Ben James at the World Wide Technology Championship

Ben James leads at the World Wide Technology Championship. Photo via the PGA Tour.

Ben James takes a four shot lead into Sunday at the World Wide Technology Championship after a third round 66 moved him to 21 under at El Cardonal at Diamante, four clear of Ryan Gerard and chasing his first PGA Tour victory in just his 22nd career start.

Third-Round Notes – Saturday, November 7, 2026

2026 World Wide Technology Championship (Sixth of Eight FedExCup Fall Events)
El Cardonal at Diamante, Los Cabos, Mexico — November 5-8, 2026 — Par/Yards: 36-36—72/7,452 — Purse: $6 million ($1,080,000) — FedExCup Points: 500 (winner)

Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 77. Wind NW 7-12 mph.

Third-Round Leaderboard
1 Ben James 65 64 66 195 (-21)
2 Ryan Gerard 66 68 65 199 (-17)
T3 Chris Kirk 63 72 65 200 (-16)
T3 Denny McCarthy 68 65 67 200 (-16)
T5 Four players tied 201 (-15)

Ben James (1st/-21)
Seeks first PGA Tour victory in his 22nd career start on Tour (best: 2nd, 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville)
Looks to become the fifth rookie to win on Tour this season and first since Jackson Koivun at the 3M Open
Would become the 10th first-time winner this season and fourth first-time winner of the event (first since 2017 Patton Kizzire)
Earns his third ever lead/co-lead after any round on Tour
Held the outright 36-hole lead this week by one over Peter Malnati
Held the outright 36-hole lead at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open (finished T54)
54-hole score of 195 matches his best on the PGA Tour (previous: 195, 2026 Bank of Utah Championship, finished T5)
One bogey thru 54 holes this week (par-4 eighth in third round)
Recorded scores of 65 or better in 14 of 47 rounds on Tour this season and owns a scoring average of 67.67
In 12 starts this season, owns seven top-25 finishes, including four top-10s, and sits No. 62 in the FedExCup Fall standings
Turned professional in June after earning PGA Tour membership as the No. 1 player in the 2026 PGA Tour University Ranking
Became the fourth player to earn Tour membership as the No. 1 player from PGA TOUR University, joining Ludvig Åberg (2023), Michael Thorbjornsen (2024), and David Ford (2025); seeks to join Åberg (2023 RSM Classic) as the only players to win on Tour in the same season that they joined the Tour through the program
Played four seasons at the University of Virginia (2022-26), earning seven individual victories, tying Ben Kohles’ school record for career wins; became the fifth collegiate golfer in history to earn four All-America First Team honors

Ryan Gerard (2nd/-17)
One of four players bogey free in the third round with a 65: Cam Davis (T13/-13), Jay Leng (T18/-12), Seamus Power (T18/-12)
Ranks sixth this week in SG: Tee to Green (9.264) and seventh in SG: Around the Green (3.033)
Seeking his second PGA Tour title in his 81st start (2025 Barracuda Championship)
In his third season on the PGA Tour, recorded 23 made cuts, 12 top-25 finishes and eight top-10s in 27 starts this year
Owns three runner-up finishes this season (the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday/2nd, Sony Open in Hawaii/2nd, The American Express/T2)
Qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the second straight season, advancing to the Tour Championship (3rd) for the first time
Highest-ranked player in the field at No. 23 in the Official World Golf Ranking
Owns top-25 finishes in six of his last seven Tour starts, including a T4 in his most recent start at the Baycurrent Classic

Third-Round Notes
Guadalajara, Mexico native Alvaro Ortiz (T5/-15) cards his second consecutive 66 and enters the final round six back; best finish in 13 career starts on Tour is T13 at the 2024 VidantaWorld Mexico Open
Michael Kim (T9/-14) cards the low round of the day with a 9-under 63; leads the field this week in SG: Putting (9.325)
Pierceson Coody (T27/-10) aces the 178-yard par-3 ninth, his first hole-in-one on Tour in his 83rd career start; becomes the first player to ace No. 9 at El Cardonal at Diamante in World Wide Technology Championship history
In the last three years of the event being played at El Cardonal at Diamante, the winner sat at least one stroke back entering the final round: 2025 Ben Griffin (two back, won by two), 2024 Austin Eckroat (one back, won by one), 2023 Erik van Rooyen (one back, won by two)

FedExCup Fall Notes
The last four events on Tour were won by a player who held at least a share of the 54-hole lead: Andrew Novak (VidantaWorld Mexico Open, led by six), Austin Smotherman (Butterfield Bermuda Championship, co-leader), Michael Brennan (Baycurrent Classic, co-leader), Austin Smotherman (Bank of Utah Championship, led by one)
The winner will receive a two-year PGA Tour exemption, including membership on the PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028, invitations to The Players Championship and PGA Championship next season and 500 FedExCup points
The World Wide Technology Championship is the sixth event of the 2026 FedExCup Fall, a series of eight tournaments played after the Tour Championship that finalizes eligibility for the 2027 PGA Tour Season. Players look to secure their position inside the top 100 in the standings and become exempt on the PGA Tour for the 2027 season.
One player is currently projected to move inside the top 100 on the FedExCup Fall standings: Moving IN: Chris Kirk (T3; 110th → 87th); Moving OUT: Jason Day (DNP; 100th → 101st)

Chris Kirk Leads Completed First Round at World Wide Technology Championship

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2026

We Speak Media

El Cardonal at Diamante golf course, host of the World Wide Technology Championship, with the ocean in the background

El Cardonal at Diamante, host of the World Wide Technology Championship. Photo via PGA Tour on Instagram.

Chris Kirk opened the World Wide Technology Championship with a bogey-free 9-under 63 to take the completed first-round lead at El Cardonal at Diamante, one shot clear of Nick Dunlap and Zac Blair, after darkness suspended Thursday’s play and the round was finished Friday morning.

COMPLETED First-Round Notes

Weather: Thursday: Mostly sunny. High of 84. Wind WNW 10-15 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny. High of 84. Wind WNW 5-15 mph.

Suspension summary: The first round was suspended Thursday at 5:48 p.m. local time (MT) due to darkness with four players yet to complete the round. The first round resumed Friday at 7:20 a.m. and was completed at 7:31 a.m.

First-Round Leaderboard: 1 — Chris Kirk — 63 (-9). T2 — Nick Dunlap — 64 (-8). T2 — Zac Blair — 64 (-8). T4 — Five players tied — 65 (-7).

Chris Kirk (1st/-9)

Opens with a bogey-free 9-under 63, one-stroke shy of matching his career-low round on Tour (low: 62, three times, most recently at 2023 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches/R2)
63 matches his low round of the season (Bank of Utah Championship/R2/finished T21)
Secures his ninth 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour in his 399th career start; 0-for-8 converting to victory
Marks first 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour since the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship (finished T50)
Held the 18-hole lead at the 2016 World Wide Technology Championship at El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
Making eighth start at World Wide Technology Championship (best: T7/2016) and second at El Cardonal at Diamante (MC/2023)
Has three top-10 finishes in 22 starts this season, including two in his last three (T10/Biltmore Championship Asheville, T6/Butterfield Bermuda Championship)
Six-time PGA Tour winner’s most recent victory came at the 2024 Sentry
Entered the week No. 110 in the FedExCup Fall standings

First-Round Notes

A year after matching the World Wide Technology Championship 18-hole scoring record with a first-round 61, Nick Dunlap (T2/-8) opens with an 8-under 64; the 2024 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year sits No. 165 in FedExCup Fall standings after just 10 made cuts in 22 starts, highlighted by a T17 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Gordon Sargent
Zac Blair (T2/-8) cards a bogey-free 64, including four birdies across his final five holes (Nos. 14-15, 17-18); No. 121 in the FedExCup Fall standings, owns six top-25 finishes in 17 starts this season, including two in the FedExCup Fall (T21/Bank of Utah Championship, T25/Butterfield Bermuda Championship)
Making his second start at the event after finishing T31 last year, France’s Matthieu Pavon (T4/-7) opens with a first-round 65 for the second straight week on Tour (VidantaWorld Mexico Open/finished T11); seeks his first top-10 finish of the season in his 25th start this year (best: T11, two times; Valspar Championship, VidantaWorld Mexico Open)
PGA Tour rookie Kensei Hirata (T4/-7) opens with a 65, his third consecutive start with a first-round score of 65 or better (63/VidantaWorld Mexico Open/finished T11, 65/Butterfield Bermuda Championship/finished T34)
Sponsor exemption Taylor Montgomery (T4/-7) hit 14-of-14 fairways and leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (4.980), en route to his best 18-hole score on Tour since the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship (63/R2)
Ryan Gerard (T9/-6), the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 23 in the Official World Golf Ranking, opens with a 6-under 66; making his third appearance in the World Wide Technology Championship (T14/2024, MC/2023)
World Wide Technology Championship ambassador Ben Griffin (T70/-2) seeks to become the second player with multiple wins at the event (Viktor Hovland: 2020, 2021) and first at El Cardonal at Diamante
First-round scores from the three players from Mexico in the field: Guadalajara native and 2027 PGA Tour rookie Alvaro Ortiz (T46/-3); Puebla native Alejandro Madariaga (T46/-3); Puebla native Jorge Villar (120th/+15)