Ryan Ruffels is just 18 holes away from his first Korn Ferry Tour win.
The 22-year-old rookie carded a bogey-free, 6-under 65 on Saturday at the Pinnacle Bank Championsip, taking the third-round lead at 12 under. It’s the first time Ruffels has led or co-led on tour.
“It was solid, it played a little easier today and I was able to take advantage,” Ruffels said via a release. “I’ve been putting it quite nice and my iron play has been pretty good. The last couple of days, the driving hasn’t been as good as I would’ve liked. I’m playing the course smart and doing what I need to do.”
Ruffels got off to a quick start on Moving Day at The Club at Indian Creek in Omaha, Nebraska, birdieing his first hole of the day. He then made eagle on the par-5 4th before adding two more birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 to make the turn at 5 under. He cooled off on the back, making just one birdie on par-5 15th.
Leaderboard: Pinnacle Bank Championship
Stephen Franken is second at 10 under, followed by Michael Miller, Rico Hoey and Cameron Young, all T-3 at 9 under.
“Yeah, it’s going to be fun,” Ruffels said of Sunday’s final round. “It’ll be a great challenge and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s what we play for. I’m really excited to see what I can do under the pump.”
