LIV Golf Promotions: Canada’s Lee sets pace, AK in the hunt for wild card spots

LECANTO, Fla. – Canada’s Richard T. Lee has been the hottest golfer through the first three days at LIV Golf Promotions. Now he’s in the driver’s seat to earn a wild-card spot in the upcoming 2026 LIV Golf season.

Anthony Kim, meanwhile, found another gear on the back nine Saturday at Black Diamond Ranch, putting him in better position to return to full-time status in the League.

RELATED: Leaderboard 

The final 18 holes of the 36-hole shootout at Black Diamond Ranch will be held Sunday, and the reward for the top three finishers is potentially career-changing – guaranteed LIV Golf wild-card status for 2026. In addition, the top 10 and ties earn exemption into the Asian Tour’s International Series.

For the second time this week, Lee led the field with a bogey-free 6-under 64. The 35-year-old will take a two-shot lead over his closest pursuers going into Sunday, giving him a significant advantage as he seeks to finish inside the top three. But he’s not planning to step off the gas.

“Honestly, I don’t think it would be comfortable for any player to have a two-shot lead on the last day,” said Lee, who has two eagles, 13 birdies and just one bogey in his 54 competitive holes this week that included advancing out of both the first and second rounds. “I’ll just put my hat on and just play my golf.”

Kim is among three players who are tied for second after shooting a bogey-free 4-under 66, along with South Africa’s Oliver Bekker and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond. Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard is solo fifth after his 3-under 67, with five other players lurking at 1 under.

Kim, who played as a LIV Golf wild card the past two seasons following his return to competitive golf after a 12-year retirement, was just 1 under through 12 holes Saturday. But he made consecutive lengthy birdie putts at the 13th and 14th holes, birdied the par-5 16th, then saved par with a 15-footer at the par-4 18th that circled the cup before dropping.

“I have an opportunity to get one of those spots,” said the 40-year-old Kim, the only American to advance to the weekend. “That’s what I asked for coming into this week and put myself in good position. Now I’ve just got to go finish.”

Kim wouldn’t even be in this position had he not made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th on Friday to make the cut on the number. He carried over those good vibes on the back nine Saturday.

“I knew that if I didn’t make birdie on 18 [Friday] that my chances of playing on LIV next year were gone, and to me that’s a big deal,” Kim said. “I’d like to play at the highest level against the best players. It meant a lot to me.”

Bekker was part of LIV Golf’s inaugural field at the 2022 London tournament. Four seasons later, he’s excited about the opportunity to return to the league as a full-time member.

“Thinking back on it now, I had the opportunity to play a few more events, and now I’m like, well, maybe I should have played them,” Bekker said. “The water was a bit rough at that stage and didn’t know what was going to happen, so I played it a bit safe. Luckily, I’ve been given another opportunity this week, and hopefully I can take it.”

Janewattananond won four tournaments in 2019 when he became a top-50 world player, and currently at age 30, still has plenty of years left in his competitive career. After shooting a second-round 67 to advance to the weekend, he shot a 66 on Saturday that included four birdies in a six-hole stretch to end his front nine.

“It’s a very big prize at the end of the day,” Janewattananond said. “Those three spots up for grabs, it would give me freedom to play wherever I want and security for my family.”

The 34-year-old Bjerregaard, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, said earning full-time LIV Golf status would be career-changing.

“Where I am in my career right now,” he said, “it’s probably that or retirement. Yeah, that would mean a lot for sure.”

Although nothing is guaranteed, Lee has played so well this week that there may be just two spots available for the remainder of the field.

“We’re not playing for one spot,” said Janewattananond. “I don’t have to worry about him. I just have to worry about myself.”

“He played great today,” added Bjerregaard, playing in the same group as Lee on Saturday. “But I would be happy with any of the other two spots, so that’s fine. I can finish third. I wouldn’t mind.” 

LEADERBOARD

The top three players after Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole weekend shootout at Black Diamond Ranch will claim the three available LIV Golf wild card spots for 2026. The top 10 players and ties earn exemption into The International Series on the Asian Tour. The leaderboard after Saturday’s first 18 holes:

Richard T. Lee, Canada – 64
Oliver Bekker, South Africa – 66
Jazz Janewattananond, Thailand – 66
Anthony Kim, USA – 66
Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark – 67
Max Kennedy, Ireland – 69
Takanori Konishi, Japan – 69
Joe Pagdin, England – 69
Sarit Suwannarut, Thailand – 69
Jeunghun Wang, South Korea – 69
Bjorn Hellegren, Sweden – 70
Matt Jones, Australia – 70
Julian Perico, Peru – 70
Kieran Vincent, Zimbabwe – 70
Rattanon Wannasrichan, Thailand - 70
Cory Crawford, Australia – 71
Travis Smyth, Australia – 71
Christopher Wood, Australia – 71
Jose Islas, Mexico – 72
Miguel Tabuena, Philippines - 72
Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand – 73
Danthai Boonma, Thailand – 76 

ROUND 3 NOTES

AK’S LAST PUTT: The lengthy par-saving putt by Anthony Kim on the final hole Saturday took its time to drop, as it circled the lip of the cup before falling.

“Nice to see it actually go in as opposed to go out,” Kim said. “But that’s just the way the game goes. Sometimes you have six months where balls are lipping out, and you have six months where the balls are lipping in.

“Hopefully I’ve had enough lip outs now where they’ll start falling my way, and I believe that’s going to happen.”

LEE’S RARE WAYWARD SHOT: Richard T. Lee has been playing so well this week that any poor shot seems out of place. On Saturday, his only miscue was a tee shot at the par-5 16th that headed toward the trees but finished in an open area that allowed him to save par.

“Tried to ride the wind,” Lee said. “It was a slice wind. I was trying to hit a low stinger 3-wood and kind of duffed it and it almost went OB, but luckily it didn’t.”

Overall, though, Black Diamond Ranch has treated him well.

“I love challenging courses,” he said. “Most of the holes here fit my ball flight.”

BEKKER RECEIVES ENCOURAGEMENT: Oliver Bekker said he has received encouraging text messages from fellow South African and Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen this week.

“It’s nice to get a bit of good vibes,” Bekker said. “Looking forward to hopefully playing [against] them next year.”

The Stingers are LIV Golf’s all-South African team, and Bekker has been living in George, where current Stinger Dean Burmester also resides. Although Bekker is in the process of moving to Perth, Australia, he enjoys the South African camaraderie with the Stingers. He’d love to be part of LIV Golf’s first South African event in March at Steyn City.

“We’re all friends,” he said. “I’ve known them growing up, playing golf together. When everybody is home, we’ve gone for a few coffees and talked about things.” 

TOUGH STRETCH FOR VINCENT: Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent, the only player in the field with previous LIV Golf Promotions success, was in contention at the turn Saturday at 3 under.

But after his tee shot at the par-4 10th found the wasteland, he tried to thread a shot through the trees but saw it ricochet off a tree to his left and bounce back towards him. He ultimately suffered a double bogey, then followed with two more bogeys in the next three holes en route to shooting an even-par 70.

Vincent was among the three players who earned full-time spots at the 2023 LIV Golf Promotions tournament.

SUNDAY’S START TIME: Round 4 will begin at 8:40 a.m. ET, with each group starting off the first tee. The eighth and final group consisting of leader Richard T. Lee, along with Anthony Kim and Jazz Janewattananond, tees off at 9:57 a.m. 

BROADCAST INFO 

In the U.S., FOX Sports channels will broadcast the final round (ET).

Round 4: FS1, 10 am-3 pm

In addition, the live stream will be available on LIVGolf.com and the LIV Golf app, as well as select International broadcasters. 

ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS 

Driving distance – Danthai Boonma, 297.0-yard average
Longest drive – Danthai Boonma, 319.0 yards (3rd hole)
Driving accuracy – Bjorn Hellgren, 92.86% (13 of 14)
Greens in regulation – Richard T. Lee, 94.44% (17 of 18)
Scrambling – Oliver Bekker (5 of 5), Anthony Kim (5 of 5), Richard T. Lee (1 of 1), 100%
Fewest putts – Jeunghun Wang, 25
Bogey-free rounds – Richard T. Lee (64), Anthony Kim (66)