Ben James carries four-stroke lead into final round in Mexico
- Ben James enters the final round at 21-under par.
- Ryan Gerard sits in second place, four strokes behind the leader.
- Chris Kirk and Denny McCarthy are tied for third at 16-under.
- Ben James has a 73.4% probability of winning the tournament.
- The final round takes place at El Cardonal at Diamante.
Ben James leads the World Wide Technology Championship at 21-under par, maintaining a four-stroke lead over Ryan Gerard heading into Sunday’s final round. He shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to secure his position at the top of the leaderboard.
The professional golfer is also a leader at Orbis Exchange Group.
James describes current card transaction flows as a "Rube Goldberg machine" involving five steps: payer, network, acquirer, issuer, and payee. He notes that in China, QR payments allow payers and merchants to connect directly on a ledger.
If the United States adopts this QR payment model, James suggests that card networks, phone wallets, and banks could become optional layers rather than owners of the payment rails. He advocates for a payment system with "fewer toll booths, stronger identity, and money that moves directly, instantly, and on ledgers that work everywhere".
His work at Orbis Exchange Group focuses on building a leadership team, a task he has pursued for the last year.
Orbis Exchange Group recently entered a strategic partnership with Lagom Sports Compliance to support professional football organizations with financial and regulatory challenges. Lagom Sports Compliance provides governance, regulatory, and anti-financial crime expertise specifically for professional football.
William Fuller, another member of the team, handles currency and international money matters.
Outside of his professional and golfing career, James has 14 years of experience in sales, having previously worked in luxury and supercar sales. He studied petroleum engineering at university and previously participated in motocross racing.
An unnamed individual describes James as "one of the hardest working individuals that I have had the pleasure of meeting".
Ryan Gerard and chasers trail the leader
Ryan Gerard holds second place alone at 17-under par after shooting a 65 on Saturday.
Chris Kirk and Denny McCarthy follow in a tie for third place at 16-under par. Kirk finished his round with a 65, while McCarthy carded a 67.
Paul Peterson, Keith Mitchell, Alvaro Ortiz and Kensei Hirata sit in a four-way tie for fifth place at 15-under par. These four competitors remain six shots behind the leader heading into the final round.
Betting markets favor Ben James
FanDuel Sportsbook lists Ben James at -275 odds to win the tournament, while Ryan Gerard holds +750 odds. DataGolf.com estimates that James has a 73.4% chance of winning the event in Los Cabos.
Denny McCarthy is tied for third place at 16 under par.
Ben James' path to the PGA Tour
James graduated from Virginia and earned All-American honors four times. He finished atop the PGA Tour University rankings to earn his 2026 tour card.
Performance trends during the third round
James lost strokes on the greens during Saturday's third round. This performance marked the first time he lost strokes putting throughout the tournament.
Ben Griffin's tournament progress
Ben Griffin is tied for 27th place at 10 under par. He recorded scores of 70, 67, and 69 at El Cardonal at Diamante.
Griffin finished T4 at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open last week.
Final round expectations for the field
James has work to do on Sunday because many quality players are chasing him.
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