John VanDerLaan shot a 4-under-par 67 on Sept. 20 to take the lead heading into the final round of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at Ohio State’s Scarlet course.
VanDerLaan, who was the leader after the first round, is at 13 under has a one-stroke lead over Trent Phillips. Chandler Blanchet is at 10 under, followed by Jeffery Kang and Zecheng Dou at 9 under.
Second-round leader Billy Tom Sargent shot a 75 and is tied for ninth place at 7 under.
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship is near the end of the season in the Korn Ferry Tour, with 120 players trying to advance to the third stage of the tour finals, Oct. 2-5 in Oklahoma, thus improving the chance of playing their way onto the PGA Tour next season.
Only the top 75 players on the points list make it out of Oklahoma to the final stage, the Oct. 9-12 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, and only the top 20 earn PGA Tour cards upon completion of the championship. Eight players, including Ohio State graduateĀ Neal Shipley, who has won twice this season, already have secured their PGA Tour status.
Each of the four finals events has a $1.5 million purse. The Nationwide Childrenās Hospital Championship winner collects $270,000 and 600 points toward his season total.
VanDerLaan’s best finish in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship was a tie for 35th in 2024.
VanDerLaan, 29, turned pro in 2018 and is ranked 52nd on the Korn Ferry points list. He has not won a Korn Ferry title. He has 11 top-10 finishes, three top-fives and one runner-up in 141 events. He is from Southbury, Connecticut, and played at played four seasons at Florida Southern, where he was a four-time All-American and was named the 2018 Jack Nicklaus Award winner for NCAA Division II. As a senior, he won the individual national title at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championship.
Players begin teeing off on Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. The leaders tee off at 11:01 a.m.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
When: Sept. 21Where: Ohio State Scarlet CourseĀ Tickets: Free admission; tickets atĀ www.ncc-golf.comĀ TV: Golf Channel: 1-4 p.m.
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