Kirk grabs early Mexico lead

LOS CABOS, Mexico — Chris Kirk turned in a near-flawless performance Thursday, hitting every fairway and missing just one green en route to a nine-under-par 63 and a one-shot lead after the opening round of the World Wide Technology Championship.

Kirk is currently No. 110 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, with only three tournaments left to break into the top 100 and secure full PGA Tour playing privileges for 2027.

He holds a one-shot advantage over Nick Dunlap and Zac Blair on a picture-perfect day at El Cardonal at Diamante, a Tiger Woods-designed layout on the southern tip of Baja California.

“Just go day by day, shot by shot. I know how cliché that sounds, but there’s not really anything I can do to control where I finish on a points list,” Kirk said. “The only thing that I have somewhat of control over is just how I approach each day and how I look at each shot. Just trying to keep it as simple as that.”

His opening-round performance was just as straightforward. Kirk had a birdie putt on every hole except the par-3 second, where he missed the green to the right. He recovered with a pitch to 10 feet and made par.

Even his worst swing turned into a highlight. On the 156-yard 16th, Kirk hit what he described as a “little bit of a chunk pull,” leaving himself a 70-foot putt across a ridge. He managed to hole it for an unlikely birdie.

“There was a lot to like, for sure,” Kirk said. “It felt like my swing was in a really good spot and hit a bunch of really nice putts. I’m sorry I’m not going to have a very exciting answer for you, but yeah, it was just a really steady day.”

Scoring conditions were favorable, with more than half of the 120-player field breaking 70.

Ben James, who has already secured his PGA Tour card for next season as the top player in the PGA Tour University rankings, was among those shooting 65.

The group at 66 included 19-year-old Blades Brown and Ryan Gerard.