South African matches course record with 61, flips entire tournament on moving day.

Garrick Higgo didn’t just take the lead on Saturday at the World Wide Technology Championship. He detonated the leaderboard. The South African fired a course-record-tying 11-under 61 at El Cardonal, matching Carson Young’s mark from 2024, to vault into solo first at 22-under heading into Sunday. It was the kind of round that makes you forget about everyone else—at least temporarily. Higgo chipped in for eagle on the first hole, then proceeded to make five consecutive birdies for a front-nine 29. Four more birdies on the back nine, including the par-5 18th, sealed one of the most electric rounds of the fall season. For a guy who already has a PGA Tour win this season, this was the perfect time to catch lightning in a bottle.

The Chasing Pack

While Higgo stole the show, the guys behind him aren’t backing down. Carson Young sits just one back at 21-under after posting a 9-under 63 featuring 11 birdies and two bogeys. Young leads the field with 27 birdies through three rounds and is hunting his first career PGA Tour victory. At 20-under, there’s a three-way tie for third with Ben Griffin, Trevor Cone, and Chad Ramey, each within striking distance in what’s shaping up to be a Sunday shootout. The course has been bleeding birdies all week, and with ideal scoring conditions expected again, we could see the winning number push past 25-under. No one’s safe, and no one’s out of it.

The Fall Stakes

This isn’t just another tournament—it’s a desperate scramble for survival. With only two events remaining after this week, the top 100 players on tour will retain their PGA Tour cards for 2026, a harsh reduction from the previous 125-player threshold. That means every birdie matters, every missed putt stings a little more, and Sunday’s final round carries weight that goes far beyond a trophy. For guys like Young, Cone, and others chasing their first wins, it’s a chance to change everything. For those on the bubble, it’s about securing their futures on tour.

The 36-Hole Leader Stumbles

Germany’s Matti Schmid entered Saturday with a one-shot lead at 17-under, but moving day didn’t move him forward. Schmid managed just one birdie and fell back to 18-under, now four shots behind Higgo and squarely in the middle of a congested pack. After opening with rounds of 64-67, Schmid’s Saturday stall was a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in Cabo. Meanwhile, first-round co-leaders Nick Dunlap and Sami Valimaki, who both opened with 61s, each shot 67s on Friday and remain in the mix but have work to do to catch the leaders.

The Sunday Setup

Higgo heads into the final round as the betting favorite at +145, but with a leaderboard this packed and a course this scorable, anything can happen. Young’s iron play has been dialed in all week, and if his putter—which ranks 118th on tour this season—cooperates even a little, he’s got the firepower to flip the script. Griffin, who switched putters this week, has been rolling it beautifully and sits just two back. It’s going to take something special to win in Cabo, but this leaderboard is loaded with guys capable of going nuclear at any moment. Sunday under the Mexican sun is going to be a sprint to the finish.