Playing on a Korn Ferry Tour medical extension, Jim Knous (T1/-14) has two starts remaining to earn 152.463 FedExCup points (two-way tie for third, six-way tie for second or win) to move into the Major Medical Category for full PGA Tour status (includes exemptions into invitationals) for the 2021-22 season or 64.916 FedExCup points (solo-12th, three-way tie for 11th, five-way tie for 10th or better) to move into the 126-150 category for conditional status on Tour.
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Holds his first lead/co-lead after any round on Tour at the Fortinet Championship. The 65 marks career-low round on Tour.
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Knous posted career-best eight birdies in a round (previous: 7/twice); birdies Nos. 5-9, marking his best birdie streak on Tour. The 202 marks a career-low 54-hole total (previous: 204/2019 Sony Open in Hawaii).
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In 24 PGA Tour starts, he has one top-10: T10/2018 Fortinet Championship, his first start as an official Tour member.
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Missed cut in all four starts on Tour in 2020-21. Last made cut prior to this week: 2019 RBC Canadian Open/T56.
Second round leader and tied for lead, Maverick McNealy made four bogeys on the front nine; birdied four of last six holes to share lead.
He holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the first time. The second-round lead marked first lead/co-lead after any round on Tour.
The Stanford alum seeks first Tour victory; best finish on Tour: 2/2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He is making his fifth start in the Fortinet Championship, site of his professional debut in 2017 (T52). He has made the most starts in the Fortinet Championship than any other event on Tour; the lone missed cut in the event came in 2020.
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He finished the 2020-21 season No. 58 in the FedExCup, advancing to the BMW Championship for the second consecutive season in as many seasons eligible.
Mito Pereira (T3/-12) is one of 26 Tour rookies in the field. The last rookie winner on Tour was Garrick Higgo/2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
He seeks to become the third rookie to win the Fortinet Championship after Emiliano Grillo/2015, Jonas Blixt (2012).
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Pereira is making his 10th start on Tour and first in Fortinet Championship. Four players have won the Fortinet Championship in their first start (not including Mike Weir, winner of inaugural 2007 event): Emiliano Grillo (2015), Sangmoon Bae (2014), Jonas Blixt (2012), Troy Matteson (2009).
One of two players from Chile with Tour membership (other: Joaquin Niemann).
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He became the 12th player (and first since Wesley Bryan in 2016) to earn a Three-Victory Promotion via the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, officially joining the PGA Tour in June 2021.
He seeks to become the third player to win on Tour in the season of, or immediately after a Three-Victory Promotion, and seventh overall to win on Tour (Chris Smith, Heath Slocum, Chad Campbell, Jason Gore, Carlos Ortiz, Wesley Bryan).
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45-time PGA Tour winner Phil Mickelson (T9) moved into top 10 with 5-under 67 and is four shots back.
Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan (67) and Korea’s Si Woo Kim (68) are T9 and will enter final round four off the lead.
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