Thomas Ponder holds 54-hole lead at Explore NB Open

Thomas Ponder (Dothan, Alabama) carded a bogey-free 62 Saturday at Mactaquac Golf Course to take a one-stroke lead entering the final round at the Explore NB Open. Evan Knight (Novato, California) also recorded a 9-under 62, a round that featured two eagles in a back-nine 29, to get to 21 under and earn a spot with Ponder in Sunday’s final pairing.

Currently No. 4 on the PGA TOUR Americas Points List, Ponder has had the lead/co-lead after each round this week. The third-year pro tops the tour in top-10 finishes (five) and scoring average (67.93), and he is one of three players who have made the cut in all eight events.

Knight opened with a career-best 63 to share the first-round lead with Ponder, and he bested that round with a 62 on Saturday. The 31-year-old retained membership for this season after finishing No. 42 on the points list in 2025, the best final mark of his career, and he is No. 75 this season with his best finish being a T22 at the Abierto del Centro Zurich presentado por Personal.

In a tie for third is Zach Smith (Phoenix, Arizona), who was T108 after a first-round 70, but followed with scores of 63 and 62 to move to 18 under and earn a spot in Sunday’s penultimate pairing with Drew Goodman (Norman, Oklahoma).

Three Canadians are in the top 25 through 54 holes of the season’s first event in Canada. Piercen Hunt leads the way at 15 under at T8, while Joey Savoie and Brady McKinlay are T25 at 11 under.