Chris Kirk dialed in for a 63 to lead the PGA Tour’s second stop in Mexico

LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Chris Kirk was practically flawless Thursday by hitting each of the wide fairways and missing only one green on his way to a 9-under 63 for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the World Wide Technology Championship.

Kirk is at No. 110 in the FedEx Cup Fall with only three tournaments remaining for him to finish in the top 100 and keep a full card for 2027.

He was one shot ahead of Nick Dunlap and Zac Blair on a gorgeous day on the southern tip of Baja California at El Cardonal at Diamante, a course designed by Tiger Woods.

“Just go day by day, shot by shot. I know how cliche 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.”

Equally simple was explaining his round. He putted for birdie on every hole except the par-3 second at the start of his round, when he left his tee shot out to the right. He pitched that up to 10 feet and made the par.

His worst swing was on the 156-yard 16th hole when Kirk hit was he described as a “little bit of a chunk pull.” He was left with a 70-foot putt over the ridge and he holed 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 so pure that more than half of the 120-man field broke 70.

Ben James, who has a card locked up for next year as the No. 1 player from the PGA Tour University ranking, was among those at 65. The large group of players at 66 included 19-year-old Blades Brown and Ryan Gerard, who was eligible for the European tour’s postseason event in Abu Dhabi but chose not to travel to the Middle East.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., each had a 68.

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The Associated Press