WINDSOR, Ont.— Following a darkness-suspended third round due to two rain delays throughout the afternoon, Bryson Nimmer, who managed to complete his third round on Saturday, shot the new Ambassador Golf Club course record with a 10-birdie 61, his low round as a professional. 

“Different parts of the game worked well at times,” said the 22-year old. “I hit the driver well on the front nine and putt well on the back nine, it just all came together.”

Opening with a 32 on the front side, Nimmer made three consecutive birdies from hole Nos. 11-13 before the first weather delay of the day postponed play for three hours and 25 minutes. 

When play resumed, Nimmer made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 15 to move to 8-under, however, play was suspended once again minutes later, for an hour and 45 minutes, due to another storm in the area. 

“It was a start and stop kind of round, playing 13 holes and then a delay, and then three more and then another delay, and then coming back out, but it was good,” said Nimmer. “I tried to keep the same thought process the whole time and played pretty good.” 

Following the second delay, Nimmer made a four-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and then hit his approach on No. 18 to six-inches, running up the fairway in case of a further delay alongside playing competitor Cole Miller, to tap in.  

“We were just trying to finish with the weather,” said the Clemson, South Carolina native. “Cole (Miller) and I looked at each other and were like ‘we’re finishing, we don’t care’, so we ran up No. 18 fairway and it ended up pretty good.”

Nimmer, a collegiate standout with Clemson University, was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection, a two-time second team All-American and was named ACC freshman of the year in 2016. 

Turning professional following the 2018-19 collegiate season thanks to a T3 finish at Mackenzie Tour Q-School in San Antonio, Texas, Nimmer has made the cut at each of his four Mackenzie Tour starts, shooting 65 or better four times with his best finish a T9 at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open. 

Launching into the top-10 in Lethbridge due to a final-round 63, Sunday will be the first time Nimmer heads into the closing 18 with an opportunity to chase a victory as a professional. 

“I think it’s going to be really fun, that’s the goal and where I wanted to be,” said Nimmer. “It took a different path to do it, shooting a couple good rounds, not great, and then this one today. I’m looking forward to it.” 

Meanwhile, Will Register, Paul Barjon, and Hayden Buckley are all one-stroke back through three rounds, while Jonathan Garrick (through 13) and Eric McCardle (through 14) are also one-stroke back, and will return to Ambassador Golf Club at 8:00 A.M. on Sunday to complete their third round.

Three Canadians head into the final round in contention. Riley Wheeldon continues to lead the pack, two-strokes behind Nimmer with three holes remaining in his third round, while Taylor Pendrith and James Allenby sit four back, at 12-under par, having both completing 54 holes. 

Following Sunday’s 8:00 A.M. resumption, the fourth round will begin at 10:00 A.M. and will see players tee off both No. 1 and No. 10, in threesomes.