J.M. Butler takes commanding 54-hole lead at 93 Abierto Telecom del Centro

CORDOBA, Argentina – John Marshall Butler posted a third-round 6-under 65 to extend his lead to five strokes heading into the final round of the 93 Abierto Telecom del Centro presentado por Zurich. Ryan Grider and Theo Humphrey stand tied for second at 14-under, and two players are tied for fourth at 13-under.

Butler posted his second bogey-free round of the tournament, carding a total of 20 birdies against a singular bogey – both of which lead the field. A 5-under 35 front-nine followed by a 1-under back-nine resulted in Butler’s first tournament with three consecutive rounds in the 60s since the 2024 BioSteel Championship. At 19-under 194, Butler ties his career-low 54-hole total (194/2024 Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited), and enters the final round with the solo lead for the first time in his career.

The second-year member matches the largest lead on PGA TOUR Americas since the 2024 Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship, where current Korn Ferry Tour member Harry Hillier also held a five-stroke lead going into the final round. Hillier went on to win by eight strokes, securing a spot in The 10 for the remainder of the season and go on to earn a Korn Ferry Tour card.

The Auburn alum, who helped lead the Tigers to the program’s first national championship title in 2024 in addition to being a three-time individual winner and All-American, looks to capture his first career victory on Sunday. Butler finished No. 80 in the 2024 Fortinet Cup standings off the strength of a season-best T5 finish at the Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited where he co-led after the second round.

Final round tee times will run from 7-10:44 a.m. ET, in threesomes, off the No. 1 tee. Butler, Grider and Humphrey will close out the final grouping.

Charting the leader

About J.M. Butler (first/-19)

• Holds the first 54-hole lead/co-lead of his career
• Cards a second-round 6-under 65 to post his second bogey-free round of the tournament; leads the field in birdies (20)
• Holds a five-stroke lead heading into the final round; ties the largest lead on PGA TOUR Americas (other: Harry Hillier/2024 Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship)
• In nine events played in 2024, Butler made six cuts, highlighted by two top-25 finishes including a career-best T5 finish at the Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited.
• Finished No. 80 in the Fortinet Cup standings, securing exempt membership for the Latin America Swing of the 2025 season (top 80 from Fortinet Cup)
• He played four collegiate seasons at Auburn (2020-24) and closed his senior year with a national championship title, the first of its kind in Auburn school history; Butler was the only player in the 2024 NCAA Championship to never trail in match play.
• Named Second Team All-SEC, PING All-Region and PING Honorable Mention All-America in his senior season
• Amateur accolades include being a U.S. Amateur semifinalist, a KHSAA Individual State Championship, SEC All-Freshman team in 2021, and 107th Kentucky Amateur champion

Competition notes

 

Course setup: Par 71 / 6,878 yards; R3 average: 69.42

Weather: Cloudy with a high of 75. Wind from the north-northeast at 2-9 mph with gusts up to 19 mph.  

• Conditional member Ryan Grider (T2/-14) maintains his hold on second place for three consecutive rounds; making his PGA TOUR Americas debut after finishing in the Next 10 Finishers from Second Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School.
• Patrick Flavin (T6/-12), who contended for a Korn Ferry Tour card as the 36-hole leader at the 2024 Fortinet Cup Championship season finale, is currently T6 at 12-under; last season, Flavin recorded seven top-25 finishes, ultimately placing No. 33 in the Fortinet Cup standings.
• Making his second career start on PGA TOUR Americas, Theo Humphrey (T2/-14) follows a career-low, second-round 10-under 61 with a third-round 2-under 69 to stand T2.
• Grant Booth (T6/-12) posts the low round of Round 3 in 7-under 64.
• The No. 12 finisher in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, Michael Brennan (T9/-10), breaks into the top-10 via a third-round 4-under 67; Brennan narrowly missed out on a Korn Ferry Tour card via the 2024 Fortinet Cup Championship, finishing his first season as a professional No. 18 in the Fortinet Cup standings.
• Argentine Fabián Gómez (T9/-10) emerges as the lead Latin following a third-round 1-under 70, and Costa Rican Paul Chaplet (T14/-9) was the low Latin of Round 3, posting a 4-under 67.
• 2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open winner and Team Canada member A.J. Ewart (T14/-9) was one of two Canadians to make the cut (Thomas Giroux/T48/-4).
• With the second round being finished Saturday morning due to darkness, the cut was made at 3-under 139 with 62 players advancing to the weekend.