Alvaro Ortiz, Sandy Scott share lead with matching 65s in third round of Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation

Charting the co-leaders (stats entering week)

Alvaro Ortiz (T1/-19)

• Korn Ferry Tour winner carded 5-under 30 on the back nine en route to a third-round 5-under 65 and the 54-hole tournament scoring record at 19-under 191
  • Previous 54-hole tournament scoring record: 192/Ryan Gerard/2024
• Previously carded a 9-under 61 in the second round, tying his career-low round on Tour (2026 OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank/Round 2) and the 18-hole tournament scoring record
• Holds third 54-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event and is 1-for-2 converting to victory (previous: 2025 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS/finished second; 2026 UNC Health Championship/Won)
• Stands No. 20 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List off the strength of his win at the UNC Health Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title
• Finished solo sixth at the 2025 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, his lone top 10 in three previous starts at the event
• Previously finished No. 26 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, No. 57 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and No. 133 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership with a No. 4 finish on the 2020-21 PGA Tour Latinoamérica Order of Merit, a feat he accomplished with a victory at the 61st Abierto Mexicano de Golf – which has since become the VidantaWorld Mexico Open on the PGA Tour
• Won the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship and played four seasons at University of Arkansas (2014-18), where he earned two victories and earned an All-Southeastern Conference Second Team

Sandy Scott (T1/-19)

• Birdied the first four holes to card 5-under 65 and break the 54-hole tournament scoring record at 19-under 191
• Holds first 54-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event (previous career-high 54-hole position: T2/2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region/finished T8)
• Stands No. 30 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List in his second season on Tour
• Finished No. 55 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, earning full status for the 2026 season
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time with a No. 8 finish on the 2024 PGA Tour Americas Points List, accomplishing the feat off the strength of a runner-up finish at the season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship
• Played the 2023 season on PGA Tour Latinoamérica, finishing No. 14 on its Order of Merit
• Played six seasons at Texas Tech University (2016-22), where he earned two individual victories

Additional notes

• Making his second Korn Ferry Tour start of the season, PGA Tour winner and 2017 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation winner Lanto Griffin (third/-18) carded 9-under 61 to tie the 18-hole tournament scoring record previously established by eight players (most recent: Alvaro Ortiz/2026/Round 2).
• With a win Sunday, two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Ross Steelman (T4/-17) would achieve the Three-Victory Promotion and immediately become eligible for the FedExCup Fall on the PGA Tour that begins with the Biltmore Championship Asheville (Sept. 17-20); he stands No. 1 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List off the strength of wins at The Blue Championship and Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron.
  • Last player to achieve the Three-Victory Promotion: Matt McCarty/2024
• Nashville, Tennessee, native Blades Brown (T21/-10), who stands No. 10 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, carded 3-under 67 and is vying for a fourth consecutive top 10 on Tour (T5/Evans Scholars Invitational; T6/Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health; T9/AdventHealth Championship).
• The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation is the first of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events; the top 132 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List upon conclusion of this week’s final round will qualify for next week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.
  • Seven players who began the week outside the top 132 on the Points List made the cut:
    • No. 152 David Kocher (T21/-10) – projected No. 138
    • No. 149 Lanto Griffin (third/-18) – projected No. 80
    • No. 148 Marshall Meisel (T21/-10) – projected No. 132
    • No. 146 Rhein Gibson (T31/-9) – projected No. 136
    • No. 143 Rob Oppenheim (T53/-7) – projected No. 144
    • No. 142 Ryan Burnett (T41/-8) – projected No. 139
    • No. 134 Joshua Creel (15th/-12) – projected No. 110