LIMA, Peru—Rafael Becker did his part in Saturday’s third round of the Diners Club Peru Open presented by Volvo. His 8-under 64 at Los Inkas Golf Club gives him a one-stroke lead with 18 holes to play. Jose Toledo is his closest pursuer, with Gustavo Silva in third and Raul Pereda and Cristobal Del Solar only three shots back.

“I think everything just came together. I hit it as well as I did [Friday], and I putted as well as I did the first day. Put it together and you have seven birdies and an eagle,” Becker observed.

The Brazilian was solid all day, starting quickly. A par at the first preceded a birdie-eagle flurry on his next two holes. His final birdie of his bogey-free front nine came at No. 8. He turned in 4-under. If he felt hot on the front nine, he was scalding on the back, as he birdied 10, 11 and 12, made par at 13 and 15 but birdied the 14th and 16th. Only a bogey-4 at the 17th marred what was still an impressive performance.

“I think it definitely helped a little bit, of course,” Becker said of his fast start. “It’s always good. I knew I had to keep hitting good shots. So, I knew I was off to a good start, but I had to keep pushing, to be smart. It’s hard out here. You can’t get cocky on this course or you’re going to make a bogey really quick.”

Forget about the eagle, the birdies and even his bogey. He pointed to his sixth hole as the most-important hole of his afternoon played again in ideal conditions.

“I think the key shot of my round was my second (par) putt on six. I left my first putt about six feet short. There was a little bit of break and into the grain. Those are the ones that keep your round going,” he said of the par.

Second-round leader Toledo had an up-and-down day but stayed in contention with his 3-under 69. The “down” came early, a bogey to open his day. He had plenty of “ups,” too, with five birdies against only one other bogey. He saved his best for last, rolling in a 21-footer for birdie on No. 18 to ensure he will be in the final group teeing off Sunday.

“That will be my highlight of the day, to finish with a birdie. It gave me good momentum going into [Sunday],” Toledo said. “I think it is important to have that thought making the last putt. I’m looking forward to a great final round.”

Added Becker, “I know it’s going to be a battle. I’m just focused on doing my part and being smart. I know in this sport I take nothing for granted and have to stay focused.”

Did you know prior to this week, Derek Castillo, winner of the Qualifying Tournament in Ocala, Florida, in November, had only played in two previous PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournaments, missing the cut at both the Estrella del Mar Open and the JHSF Brazil Open last week?

Key Information

After Rafael Becker’s 64, the low score of the third round belonged to a trio of players—Americans PaulImondi and DerekCastillo and Mexico’s JuanCarlosBenitez. They all shot 7-under 65s, Imondi moving into a tie for seventh, and Castillo and Benitez tied for 10th.

DerekCastillo’s 65 was a nine-shot improvement from his second-round effort. Castillo began the day tied for 47th and is now in the top 10. He had nine birdies and two bogeys. On his front nine, he only made two pars—on Nos. 4 and 6. Everything else was a bogey (Nos. 1 and 5) or a birdie.

At 2-under for his round, Argentina’s AlejandroTosti made a late rally, with birdies at Nos. 14, 15 and 16 before he parred out. He shot a 5-under 67 and is tied for 12th, nine strokes off the pace.

Two Chileans—GustavoSilva and CristobalDelSolar—are both among the top four with 18 holes to play. Silva is third, two strokes behind leader Rafael Becker, while Del Solar is tied for fourth, three shots back.

CristobalDelSolar is quite possibly the hottest player on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica even though he has yet to record a victory. In this, his 50th career start, he is tied for fourth, keeping up a trend that has seen him post top-fives in each of his last four tournaments. He tied for second (Estrella Del Mar Open), tied for fifth (Termas de Rio Hondo Invitational, tied for fifth (Abierto del Centro Memorial Eduardo “Gato” Romero) and tied for third last week (JHSF Brazil Open). During this stretch, in his last 19 rounds, Del Solar has 15 rounds in the 60s and he’s a combined 65-under par.

In back-to-back seasons, beginning in 2018, CristobalDelSolar won his two PGA TOUR Latinoamérica titles. He captured the Abierto OSDE del Centro in Cordoba, Argentina, and the following season he won the Puerto Plata Open.

The 54-hole leader has gone on to win five of the six tournaments this season, all five coming in succession after JeremyGandon couldn’t convert his third-round lead into a Visa Argentine Open victory at the season-opening event December. AlanWagner (Scotia Wealth Management Chile Open), KevinVelo (Termas de Rio Hondo Invitational), AlejandroTosti (Abierto del Centro Memorial Eduardo “Gato” Romero) and JaimeLopezRivarola (JHSF Brazil Open) had solo 54-hole leads on their way to victory, while MattRyan shared the lead with two others.

There were 13 Peruvians in the field when the week began. Only JoaquinLolas remains. Saturday, Lolas fired his second consecutive 2-under 70, and he’s tied for 30th with six other players.

All six 2022 tournament champions were in action this week. Four of the six made it to the weekend and are still playing. Leading the way is Alejandro Tosti. He fired his best round of the week, a 5-under 67 Saturday. He’s at 8-under and tied for 12th.

This is how the players inside the Totalplay Cup Points List top 10 stand through 18 holes:

Quotable

“I still have a lot of work to do. I always tell my mental coach is that all I want is a chance when I tee it off on (No.) 10 on the last day. I hope I give myself that chance.” – Rafael Becker

“I think I hit an incredible second shot on 14 that ended up in the bunker. I was behind the trees, and I hit a big hook. It was really good but was too long, and it rolled off the green. The bunker shot I hit afterward, I didn’t have much sand underneath [the ball]. To get it up and down for birdie was great.” –Rafael Becker

“The course is so good this year that if you’re playing well and you’re putting yourself in the right spots, you’re going to have a lot of chances because the putts are makeable because they’re rolling so nice.” –Rafael Becker

“I am going to be in the final group, and that’s where I wanted to be.” – Jose Toledo

“Don’t get me wrong, 3-under par is always good round, but I didn’t have my best start. I wasn’t hitting my shots that well for the first five or six holes. But I found some really good momentum in the middle of my round.” – Jose Toledo

“I think there’s always going to be someone who gets hot. There’s a good round out there. I did it on Friday. If you’re leaving your second shots in the great positions, and you’re making putts, definitely there’s a good round out there.” –Jose Toledo on the prospects of someone going low Sunday

Third-Round Weather: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High of 70. Wind S at 5-7 mph, increasing to 8-10 mph in the afternoon.