Sanderson Farms led by group of would-be first-time winners

It’s a perfectly balanced leaderboard at the top of the Sanderson Farms Championship through 54 holes. The top four are all separated by a stroke apiece, starting with Sebastian Munoz chasing his first career win.

Munoz sits at 16 under with 18 holes to play after a 9-birdie 63 Saturday, one ahead of Carlos Ortiz, two ahead of Ben An, three ahead of Cameron Percy and four ahead of a group of five at 12 under.

This is the first time the Sanderson Farms sits by itself on the PGA Tour schedule. In years past, it was opposite the WGC in China, and suffered in its strength of field as a result.

Instead, this year it boasts a much stronger field, and it’s showing in the group chasing after Munoz. Tour winners Harris English, J.T. Poston, Zach Johnson and Robert Streb are all in the hunt at 10 under or better.

An’s finish Sunday could go a long way to place him on the International Presidents Cup team when the final captain’s picks are made. An finished 15th in the standings and will have to play his way into captain Ernie Els’ favor. He began the third round at 12 under, leading the field, but two late bogeys kept him from shooting in the 60s.

An will play from the penultimate pairing Sunday afternoon.

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