Trey Mullinax bidding for wire-to-wire victory at Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance
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Trey Mullinax attacks the flag to set up birdie at Korn Ferry Tour Champ
NEWBURGH, Ind. – Trey Mullinax is not only looking to ensure a PGA TOUR return, he is seeking the second wire-to-wire victory of the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season, as the University of Alabama alum holds the outright lead at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance for a third consecutive round.
The only other wire-to-wire victory this season was Cameron Young’s win at the 2021 AdventHealth Championship back in May.
“I feel great. I made a few unfortunate errors coming down the stretch, but all in all my game is really good,” Mullinax said. “I hit a lot of really good shots. Nos. 17 and 18 are hard holes. If you don’t hit good shots coming down, you’re going to be penalized. I feel like I’m playing well enough to win. This has been so much fun to hit good shots and be in contention. I’m just going to have a smile on my face tomorrow and enjoy every bit of it I can.”
Mullinax carded a 4-under 68, featuring a bogey-free 3-under 33 on the front nine. The Birmingham, Alabama native once again birdied all four par 5s (Nos. 3, 9, 10, 15), in addition to birdies at Nos. 2, 13, and 16. Mullinax moved to 14-under par for the tournament and maintained a one-stroke lead on the field despite bogeys on three of his final five holes, including Nos. 17 and 18.
“I didn’t really hit that bad of a shot on No. 18. It just didn’t fade,” Mullinax said. “It started on the line I wanted to, I had a really good number so I felt good challenging that flag, and it went further than I thought because it turned over instead of fading. Coming down the stretch, yeah, I made two bogeys, but I really didn’t hit it that bad. I just made one bad swing. I’m very happy with how I played.”
Mullinax, who helped Alabama win back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2014, had his parents, wife, and two children on hand for Saturday’s round. The whole family intends to watch Sunday’s final round as well.
“They all came up last night after (his daughter’s) orientation,” Mullinax said. “To have them here is awesome.”
Behind matching 7-under 65s, the lowest rounds recorded Saturday, Joseph Bramlett and John Huh moved into solo second and solo third, respectively.
Bramlett, a 33-year-old who finished 146th in the 2021 FedExCup standings, could improve his status for the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season by finishing in The Finals 25; he entered the week ranked 17th in The Finals 25 points standings. Bramlett’s rookie season on TOUR was 2011, a year after he turned professional out of Stanford University. The native Californian slipped back to the Korn Ferry Tour, playing the circuit in search of a PGA TOUR return from 2012 through 2019, when he earned a TOUR card via a 22nd-place finish in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Huh, a 31-year-old who has played 10 consecutive PGA TOUR seasons, could retain his PGA TOUR card with a spot in The Finals 25. The Dallas, Texas resident finished 153rd in the 2021 FedExCup standings, but entered this week in prime position to earn back his card, as he stood 11th in The Finals 25 points standings.
A trio of Korn Ferry Tour members seeking their first PGA TOUR cards sit inside the top 10 of this week’s leaderboard. Hayden Buckley played his first four holes at 3-over par but rallied to a 2-under 70 and stands T4, three strokes off the lead. Justin Lower climbed to a five-way T9 with a 4-under 68, while Joshua Creel finds himself in the same position after a 2-under 70.
Final-round tee times will be in groups of three and run from 7:40 a.m. through 9:52 a.m. CT off the first and 10th tees. Golf Channel will provide a tape delay telecast from 7-9 p.m. ET.