Yamashita and Laopakdee repeat as Novak takes a six-shot lead into Sunday

Andrew Novak shot 62 on Saturday and takes a six-shot lead into the final round of the VidantaWorld Mexico Open. Overnight, two players defended titles: Miyu Yamashita won the LPGA's Maybank Championship in Malaysia for the second straight year, and Fifa Laopakdee did the same at the Asia-Pacific Amateur in New Zealand.

Platforms

GOLFZON told GolfWRX forum members that GDR MAX buyers will pay a monthly maintenance fee and get a coaching suite (story). FlightScope spent Halloween pointing GSPro players to Scary Acres, a short-game course it says is built around tricky chips and approaches.

Build & Gear

GolfWRX's Champions Tour bag photos include Retief Goosen's Odyssey TRTL putter. Retail TRTL models start shipping Friday, Nov. 6, at $349.99, per Odyssey's site.

Courses & Play

Indiana's Supreme Court heard a neighbor's fight over 1,500 range balls a year (story). The Fried Egg's Kevin Van Valkenburg filed from Te Arai South and wondered whether its ocean holes make it the most visually arresting course ever to host a major tournament.

Creators

NUCLR Golf posted that Grant Horvat's heart rate hit 150 beats per minute on a fairway bunker shot in the Internet Invitational. Episode 2 is out, and the event's own clip teases one putt that decides which of 32 people stay alive for $4 million.

Swing Lab

Full Swing posted a Me and My Golf breakdown of why iron apex height matters, measured on its KIT launch monitor.

The Game

Novak sits at 23-under 190 after rounds of 61 and 62. Matthieu Pavon is second at 17 under, and BYU amateur Kihei Akina is tied for seventh at 14 under (milestone watch).

Yamashita closed with 68 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to finish at 22-under 266, two ahead of Yan Liu. It is her second LPGA win this season after the CPKC Women's Open. Thai amateur Marisa Tojai tied for third with Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.

Laopakdee closed with 70 at Te Arai Links to win by three over Zack Swanwick, who made triple bogey on No. 11. The Arizona State senior joins Hideki Matsuyama as the event's only back-to-back winner and gets invitations to the 2027 Masters and the Open at St Andrews.

On PGA Tour Champions, rookie Darren Fichardt shot a bogey-free 61 at the Simmons Bank Championship and leads Zach Johnson by one. Bryson DeChambeau also spoke about LIV's new structure (story).

Coming up and why it matters

• Today: Novak tries to close in Mexico. The Simmons Bank final round sets the top 36 for the Schwab Cup Championship (Nov. 12-15), and the HotelPlanner Tour Grand Final in Mallorca settles 15 DP World Tour cards, with John Catlin on the bubble.
• Monday, Nov. 2: South Australia's premier has called it a critical date for LIV's financial restructuring.
• Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 5-8: The World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal, a Tiger Woods design, is the sixth of eight fall events, so it is one of the last chances for players chasing 2027 cards. Ben Griffin defends. The LPGA plays the TOTO Japan Classic, a no-cut event at Taiheiyo Club's Minori Course.
• Sunday, Nov. 8: WTGL debuts at SoFi Center with Los Angeles Golf Club against New York Golf Club at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

What to do now

Watch Novak's finish today and pencil in Nov. 8 for the WTGL opener. If you play GSPro, Scary Acres is a quick short-game test, and if your launch monitor shows apex height, compare your irons against the Full Swing breakdown.