Kirk, 110th in the FedExCup Fall, leads in Los Cabos with a 63

Chris Kirk came to Los Cabos 110th in the FedExCup Fall standings, with three events left to reach the top 100 who keep full PGA TOUR cards for 2027. On Thursday he shot a bogey-free nine-under 63 at El Cardonal at Diamante and leads the World Wide Technology Championship by one from Nick Dunlap and Zac Blair.

Kirk hit every fairway and missed one green, at the par-3 2nd, where he pitched to ten feet and saved par. His worst swing came at the 156-yard 16th: a pull he called a “chunk” left him 70 feet away with a ridge in between, and he holed the putt. The 63 equals his best round of the season and is one outside his lowest on the tour, according to Athlon Sports.

He has six PGA TOUR wins, the latest at The Sentry in 2024, but has not converted any of the eight first-round leads or co-leads he has held. “Just go day by day, shot by shot. I know how cliché that sounds,” he said.

Blair, 121st in the standings, birdied four of his last five holes for his own bogey-free 64. Dunlap opened here last year with a 61, one of the four rounds of 61 that share the tournament record. He is 165th this year but exempt until the end of 2027. He has moved to a longer, softer driver shaft to hit a higher fade, according to Athlon Sports.

Pos	Player	To par	R1
1	Chris Kirk	−9	63
T2	Nick Dunlap	−8	64
T2	Zac Blair	−8	64
T4	Matthieu Pavon	−7	65
T4	Harry Hall	−7	65
T4	Taylor Montgomery	−7	65
T4	Kensei Hirata	−7	65
T4	Ben James	−7	65

Eight players are tied ninth on −6, among them Ryan Gerard, Blades Brown, Karl Vilips and Beau Hossler.

Ben James already has a 2027 card as the leading player in the PGA TOUR University ranking, and Taylor Montgomery is playing on a sponsor’s invitation. Kensei Hirata was also second after the first round in Mexico last week. Ryan Gerard, 23rd in the world and the highest-ranked player here, was eligible for the DP World Tour’s Play-Off in Abu Dhabi but chose not to travel, according to the Associated Press. He shot 66, as did Brown, who is 19. Ben Griffin, the defending champion, had a 70 and is seven behind. More than half the 120 players broke 70. Jorge Villar shot 87.

Darkness stopped play at 17:48 local time with four players still out. Jay Leng is five under and Jesper Svensson two under, each with a hole to play; Trace Crowe and John VanDerLaan are three under with two left. They finish on Friday morning before the second round.

Friday’s leading groups: tee times

Los Cabos is seven hours behind GMT. The second round starts at 06:30 local time (13:30 GMT) and the cut comes after it. Golf Channel is on air between 20:00 and 23:00 GMT.

GMT	Local	Tee	Player
14:41	07:41	1st	Matthieu Pavon
14:52	07:52	10th	Nick Dunlap
15:03	08:03	10th	Ryan Gerard
15:14	08:14	1st	Chris Kirk
15:36	08:36	1st	Taylor Montgomery
15:47	08:47	10th	Kensei Hirata
19:38	12:38	1st	Ben Griffin
19:49	12:49	1st	Ben James
20:00	13:00	1st	Zac Blair

Sources

• PGA TOUR: Chris Kirk fires bogey-free 63, grabs early lead
• Golf Channel (AP): Chris Kirk, No. 110 in FEC points, shoots 63 to lead
• Athlon Sports: Chris Kirk shoots 63 as the stakes rise in Los Cabos
• Golf Today: World Wide Technology Championship 2026 R1 leaderboard
• Yahoo Sports: Second-round tee times and how to watch