Chris Kirk fires flawless 63 to take World Wide Technology Championship lead

The American produced an almost flawless performance at El Cardonal at Diamante, hitting every fairway and missing just one green on the course designed by Tiger Woods.

Kirk leads Nick Dunlap and Zac Blair by one shot after a superb scoring day in Mexico, with more than half of the 120-man field finishing below 70.

The 41-year-old has added motivation over the final three tournaments of the FedEx Cup Fall. Currently ranked 110th, he needs to break into the top 100 to secure his full PGA Tour card for 2027.

However, Kirk is focused on taking things one shot at a time rather than worrying about the standings.

"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 like 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 was remarkably consistent, with a birdie putt on every hole except the par-three second, where he recovered from a wayward tee shot to save par from 10 feet.

Ben James, who has already secured his PGA Tour card for next season as the leading player in the PGA Tour University rankings, was among those tied for fourth on seven under.

The group on six under included 19-year-old Blades Brown and Ryan Gerard.