MUNDELEIN, Ill. – Calgary, Alberta native, Ryan Yip, sits T17 on Thursday after the first round of the Rust-Oleum Championship. He recorded a 3-under 69 after firing three birdies on the back nine.

Andrew Novak made 10 birdies at Ivanhoe Club and posted a 7-under 65 to take the first-round lead. The Web.com Tour rookie grabbed the first 18-hole lead of his career and heads into Friday’s second round one clear of Wes Roach and Jacques Blaauw.

With the mentality of a Monday qualifier, Novak was aggressive on the Dick Nugent design en route to his best start of the season. The 23-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina ended the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament T73 and was left with conditional status to start 2018. Forced to Monday qualify each week, Novak has found success in the format successfully navigating the challenge twice on the PGA TOUR and three times on the Web.com Tour.

“It’s all just going low and not being afraid of making your seventh, eighth or ninth birdie,” said Novak. “I think the Mondays have taught me that, which has helped.”

The change in mindset has yielded favorable results the past several events. In five starts this season, the former Wofford Terrier made three cuts and entered the week No. 141 on the money list. Not knowing when you will get your next opportunity to compete can be difficult, but Novak has taken his lumps and remained resilient.

“It’s tough not knowing each week if you’re going to get to play,” he said. “It’s nice to know that I’ve earned it that way, but it’s tough.”

Each time Novak successfully qualified for an event, he felt pressure others didn’t. The need to perform so he wouldn’t be in this position the next week loomed over his head and made it difficult to post scores. Each shot was more important than it needed to be because he was in constantly in limbo. This week began differently as Novak got into the Rust-Oleum Championship on his number after the reshuffle.

“My first few events when I would Monday in, I knew I needed a good finish or else I’d be back trying to Monday,” said Novak. “I was definitely putting extra pressure on myself. Pressure that others may not have felt. I didn’t have status or the opportunity to play every week. It’s definitely different now, knowing that I shuffled in and can play every week.”

Novak has persevered through the tough times. The go-for-broke nature of the qualifiers has molded him into the competitor that posted a career-low 65 on Thursday afternoon.

While in Spartanburg, Novak admitted that he would let off the gas when he found himself a few shots under par. Since turning pro last summer, his conservative attitude on the course has shifted to a more aggressive style that yields more competitive scores on the Web.com Tour.

“I think what I learned is that I can go low,” he said. “The Mondays taught me how to go low. This is a birdie Tour and you have to be able to make a lot of birdies, so I think that was big for me.”

“I’ve had a lot of fun, even while doing the Mondays,” continued Novak. “It was still fun going out and competing and getting to play because this is what I want to do.”

RALEIGH, N.C. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, Albin Choi, fired a 3-under 68. The Toronto native finished 15-under for the tournament

Choi finished with a share of sixth while Roger Sloan finished with a share of 10th. Sloan had a bogey free final round recording 8-under 63 finishing 14-under for the tournament.

Being in the final grouping of the final round on the Web.com Tour can be a daunting task. Every shot seems magnified, and the crowds make it feel like you have eyes on your every step. It can seem even more nerve wracking when it’s your first year on Tour – and your first time in contention. But the momentum wasn’t too big for University of Georgia alum Joey Garber. After opening play at the Rex Hospital Open with rounds of 66-65-69, Garber entered Sunday T2, three strokes back of the lead. Playing in the final threesome for the first time in his career, he continued his stellar play, posting a final-round 5-under 66 to end the week at 18-under 266, enough to top fellow rookie Hank Lebioda and 2018 Panama Championship winner Scott Langley by one stroke to earn his first professional win.

“To get a win on this Tour,” Garber reflected after his victory, “is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life and to come through today, this early in the season, in my first year out here, and in my first time in the final group, it means everything to me. It just proves what I believed in myself. I’m very excited with my game and where we’re headed for the rest of the year.”

Garber, who turned professional in 2014, had a stellar college career. A Petoskey, Michigan, native, he spent his first year playing for the University of Michigan, leading them to an NCAA Central Regional win and carding the third-best freshman season in school history before transferring to the University of Georgia. While in Athens, Garber continued to excel. He was named first-team Golfweek All-American (becoming just the fourth Bulldog to do so) and spent time as the No. 1-ranked college golfer.

The professional world proved to be a test for Garber, who struggled to earn permanent status on any tour. He spent 2015 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, but six missed cuts in nine starts forced him to take the route of Monday qualifying on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour. The former “Mr. Michigan Golf” winner finally broke through at the 2017 Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, where he finished T30 to earn guaranteed starts in the 2018 Web.com Tour Season.

Garber has made the most of his first season on Tour, entering the week in Raleigh with four top-25s in 12 starts already under his belt, including a pair of T8 finishes at the Country Club de Bogotá Championship and the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER.

The field in Raleigh did not make Garber’s win easy for him, with the leaderboard becoming more and more stacked as the day went on. As the leaders neared the closing stretch, 13 players sat within three of Garber, who had brought a lead into his back nine after turning with a 4-under 32. The St. Simons Island, Georgia, resident had no clue what was going on around him, however, instead choosing to focus solely on his game.

“I never looked at one,” he remarked when asked how leaderboard-watching affected him. “My caddie I’m sure was looking at one, so he knew where we stood. In the fairway of No. 18, I asked him what we needed, and he told me we needed a par so I tried to put it in the middle of the green. It came a little left but ended up in a perfect spot. It was bunched up so I’m glad I didn’t see any leaderboards because I just played my own game, tried to make birdies, and be smart.”

Garber’s maiden victory comes with a $117,000 paycheck, enough to move him from 50th to No. 6 on the Regular Season money list and push him one step closer to earning his first PGA TOUR card.

His title in the Tarheel State coincided with another major win for Garber – the announcement of a 2019 PGA TOUR event in his home state of Michigan.

“Hopefully it’s just divine intervention,” he laughed when asked about the timing. “I’m very fortunate to be from the state of Michigan. It’s a great state for golf. While the season is short, I think it’s the best golf courses in the country, so I’m glad it’s back on the national showcase. I hope I’m there. That would be really special to me.”
With the way his season is going, there’s a good chance this time next year Garber could be competing on TOUR in his home state.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Albin Choi, of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad, shares a piece of fourth going into Sunday’s round at the Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation in North Carolina.

The Toronto native, who entered the third round after a tournament-low 64 on Friday, sits four strokes behind the lead at 12-under for the tournament.

Five-consecutive missed cuts. No professional golfer wants to experience it, especially during a season that started off with two top-20 finishes in three starts. It can be easy for a player to get discouraged in the midst of a string of missed cuts. They can start to force shots and change their approach, which can often lead to even more of a rut. Auburn University alum Michael Johnson is not most, though, so when he was hit with a string of five missed cuts beginning in April, he remained patient and focused, knowing his time would come.

At last week’s Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation, Johnson’s patience was repaid with a made cut – and a T15 finish. Now, just a week later, Johnson is in the mix once again, posting a third-round 6-under 65 to take the solo 54-hole lead at the Rex Hospital Open, the first of his Tour career. The 25-year-old enters Sunday three strokes ahead of Sebastian Muñoz and Joey Garber, both of whom played alongside Johnson in the final threesome on Saturday.

Johnson started Saturday slowly, carding two birdies and seven pars on his front nine. Johnson remained in the mix as the leaderboard became more and more bunched around him, with as many as five players tied for the lead at one point. The Birmingham, Alabama, native didn’t let the rest of the field shake him, however, remaining calm despite a bogey on the par-3 12th. It wasn’t until the end that Johnson truly heated up, making birdie on all three of his closing holes.

“I probably need to be more patient than ever tomorrow,” Johnson remarked. “Today I did a great job, I think. I was 2-under through three, but still two back of the lead and the whole day I was just trying to play well, I wasn’t trying to get the lead. So, I’m just going to try and do that again tomorrow and if I go out there and play well and lose, then somebody earned it and I’m fine with that. So I’ll just go out there and try and do the same thing.”

While Johnson has been in the hunt heading into Sunday before, Raleigh will mark the first time he finds himself in the final pairing. Prior to this week, the best position the newly-engaged third-year pro found himself in entering the final round was T6 (2017 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers and 2018 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER). Both events turned into a top-5 finish for Johnson, the only two of his career.

Despite not finding himself in this position on Tour before, Johnson will have plenty of prior experience to draw from. He won five times while at Auburn, the second most in school history. He also set the school’s single-season stroke average (70.37) and the single-season win record (three).

“This what we play for,” he said of being in the final grouping, “to be in the final group on Sunday and have the crowd follow you. It was fun out there today. I didn’t get off to a hot start, but I played well and I was patient. I’m glad to have a little bit of a cushion tomorrow. Like I said, this is what we play for. You sign up to be a little nervous on the first tee and have a chance to win.”

Nerves will serve as fuel for Johnson on Sunday as he chases his first Web.com Tour title and a chance to move into The 25 and lock up a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2018.

“Nerves are a good thing,” Johnson laughed. “I think if you’re a little nervous, then you’re doing the right thing. It should be a lot of fun. I have a chance to win and I haven’t really had a chance to win out here yet … so it’ll be fun to get out there and try to play well again.”

Also making the cut are Canadians Ryan Yip (-8), Roger Sloane (-6) and Seann Harlingten (-5).

RALEIGH, N.C. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi was inspired 18-hole leader and fellow Canadian Roger Sloan.

Choi, a Toronto native, fired a tournament-low 64 (-7) on Friday to tie Sloan for the best score through 36 holes, moving him to 10 under for the tournament. Choi finds himself with a share of 3rd, while Sloan sits with a share of 7th.

Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia holds the outright lead at 12 under par.

Click here for full scoring.

Raleigh, NC – It was a gloomy Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the 25th playing of the Rex Hospital Open contested at TPC Wakefield Plantation, but Colombian Sebastian Muñoz and Canadian Roger Sloan shone through the clouds, each posting rounds of 7-under 64 to stake a claim of the first-round lead. The lead marks Muñoz’s fourth first-round lead/co-lead of the 2018 Web.com Tour Season, and the first of Sloan’s career. Austria native Sepp Straka and Chris Baker sit one back of the duo.

Looking to make a return to the PGA TOUR is Roger Sloan, who posted a bogey-free round to claim his first round lead/co-lead since the 2014 Knoxville Open, when he shared the lead heading into the third round.

“We hit a lot of good shots off the tee today,” Sloan said of his round, “hit a lot of good iron shots and made a couple of good putts. It was pretty simple, nothing great, but we did everything really well.”

The 2018 Tour Season has proven to be an up-and-down one for Sloan. After opening with two-straight missed cuts, the 31-year-old picked up a T4 at the Panama Championship, followed by a T16 at the Country Club de Bogotá Championship. The past few weeks have been more difficult for him, however, having missed three-straight cuts before a T30 at last week’s Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation.

“Everything’s kind of been a process,” he remarked. “I played well early in the season and have kind of been in a little of a lull lately. I’m not too far off. I’ve been working on putting, I think putting is something everyone works on. We’re just working on that and – it’s a long season so you just keep the process going. You’re going to play well out here and when you do, you just have to take advantage of it.”

Ryan Yip from Calgary, AB recorded 4-under 67 finishing the round T15. He also had a bogey free round firing birdies on four holes.

The round wasn’t all smooth sailing for Muñoz, who opened play with a bogey on the par-4 first. The 25-year-old refused to be shaken, however, quickly picking up steam with a birdie on No. 3. The change in momentum was crucial for the University of North Texas alum, who has missed the cut in both of his prior appearances in Raleigh.

“It was huge,” he said of the early birdie. “It’s knowing that I’m playing good and just kind of getting on track and seeing the putts go in. You feed off of it and it showed in the round later.”

Muñoz went on to pick up seven more birdies on the day, posting a clean scorecard after the opening blemish. His opening-round 64 marked the sixth sub-70 opening round for him in 13 events this season and was his sixth round of 65 or better.

“I feel like the changes I made in the offseason on my swing and my putting are definitely kicking in,” Muñoz remarked when asked about his performance this season. “I know I’m hitting it really good now. I just have to keep trusting it and keep doing it.”

The payoff is a welcomed breath of fresh air for Muñoz, who struggled in his maiden PGA TOUR Season last year. After winning in his hometown of Bogotá, Colombia, on the Web.com Tour in 2016, he made just eight of 19 cuts on the PGA TOUR in 2016-17, picking up a lone top-25 finish at The Greenbrier Classic (T3). With three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the North Mississippi Classic, already under his belt this year, Muñoz has moved into a good spot to be poised for a return to TOUR. He currently sits at No. 13 on the money list, with $130,363 in earnings halfway through the Regular Season.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Adam Svensson made a spectacular effort during the final round of the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation but a dramatic day saw him finish tied for fifth.

The Surrey, B.C. product started the day off strong firing six consecutive birdies, trading spots for the lead throughout the day.

After fifteen years, Canadian Hall of Famer, Mike Weir, will be making his second-career Web.com Tour start in the BMW Charity Pro-Am this week at the Thornblade Club in Greer, S.C.

The native of Brights Grove, Ont., will be playing in a reserved category for current or former PGA TOUR members ages 48-49, which he has just recently qualified for after he turned 48 on May 12. Weir will play the rest of the year on the Web.com tour with hopes to upgrade to the PGA TOUR.

The eight-time PGA TOUR winner has struggled with his form after he hit a tree root during the Heritage tournament in 2011. Several surgeries and injuries have left Weir with inconsistencies in his game, more particularly with his driver.

Weir has spent the past years working on his game. He has been working on his swing at Taylor Made Canada headquarters’ high-tech performance centre in Vaughan, Ont., showing signs of improvement with strong play overseas.

The Web.com Tour circuit will mark the first time in three years that Weir will be able to play regularly without any long breaks with consistency in his schedule. The BMW Charity Pro-Am will mark the beginning of Weir’s race for a spot in The 25, as he hopes for a PGA TOUR return.

Click here for scoring.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Last December, Englishman Ben Taylor found himself in Chandler, Arizona, competing at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, attempting to better his status on Tour for 2018. Despite three top-25 finishes in 2017, the Tour rookie had finished the Regular Season at No. 80 on the money list, narrowly missing a berth into the Web.com Tour Finals and exempt status for the following year. Now, just two months later, the Louisiana State University alum is a first-time winner after carding a closing-round 3-under-par 68 at the Club Colombia Championship, good for a six-stroke victory – the largest in tournament history – over K.H. Lee, Erik Barnes, Jason Gore and fellow LSU Tiger Sam Burns.

“It’s still quite surreal,” Taylor said about the difference two months makes. “To know that I had to shoot 17-under in December to be here this week is certainly a good feeling now that I’ve become the champion. It just goes to show that the hard work does pay off. I’m certainly very thrilled to come out on top this week. It’s a surreal feeling and a dream come true.”

Taylor entered Sunday at Country Club de Bogota four strokes clear of the field, but a bogey on the opening hole ensured the 25-year-old would have to play aggressively to keep the lead as the leaderboard became more and more bunched behind him at 9-under par. Taylor went on par the next two holes before picking up his first birdie of the day on the par-4 fourth. He carded four more birdies on the round to move to 16-under before dropping a stroke on the par-3 15th.

As Taylor approached the fairway on No. 17, the London native and current Orlando, Florida, resident looked at the leaderboard for the first time, only to see he’d opened up a six-stroke lead on the rest of the field with two left to play.

“I made sure not to look at any leaderboards all day,” Taylor laughed, “But when I was coming down No. 17 and realized I was ahead by six, I realized it was pretty difficult to mess it up. That’s when I realized the job was done. It certainly made the three-shot par-5 finish a lot easier.”

The former NCAA Division I and Division II champion finished the week at 15-under 269 for the tournament, just three strokes shy of the tournament-best 266 carded by Patrick Cantlay in 2013. With his opening-round 4-under 67, Taylor also tied Cantlay for the lowest start by a tournament champion. This week also marked the first time Taylor held a 36- and 54-hole lead.

The maiden victory for Taylor came with a $126,000 paycheck, enough to move him to No. 3 on the money list. For Taylor, who played every event of the Regular Season in 2017, the win reorients his goals for the season from simply retaining his Web.com Tour card to making a chase for a spot in The 25 and his first PGA TOUR card. The win also allowed Taylor to live out a dream almost three years in the making.

“The walk up No. 18 was really special. I remember before I even had my card on this Tour or the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, I watched the highlights of Steve Marino and Patrick Rodgers from this tournament,” said Taylor, who was a Mackenzie Tour member in 2016.

“I saw how big the crowds were and I thought, ‘Man, that’s quite cool. I’d love to be there and do that one day.’ When I walked up and all the crowd were applauding for me; that was pretty cool.”

Canada’s Roger Sloan, of Merritt, B.C., continued his momentum with a second-straight top-20 finish (after missing the cut in the season’s first two events). The 30-year-old finished the tournament at 6 under par (69-66-71-72) to finish with a share of 16th. On the heels of two strong performances, Sloan finds himself at No. 17 on the money list—in line for one the coveted top-25 spots to earn PGA TOUR cards. As it stands, Sloan is joined by fellow countrymen Adam Svensson (No.2) and Ryan Yip (No. 20).

BOGOTA, Colombia – Former LSU golfer Ben Taylor opened his week at the Web.com Tour’s Club Colombia Championship with a 4-under 67 to sit one shot off the 18-hole lead entering Friday’s second round at host Country Club of Bogota. The 25-year-old, who spent much of the day flirting around the top of the leaderboard, took outright control of the tournament with birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to post 5-under 66 and 9-under 133 through 36 holes, good for a two-shot lead entering weekend play at the ninth annual event.

Taylor, who originally hails from London, England, was one-over par through three holes in his second round, but rallied early with birdies on Nos. 4 and 8 to turn in one-under 34.

A birdie on the par-5 10^th pushed him to two-under for the day, but it was a par save on the narrow par-4 13^th that kept the round going.

“I hit my tee shot left on 13, and I had to hit a good second shot knowing that I couldn’t go long of the green, and I managed to hit a chip-and-run 180 yards to the middle of the green, and from there two putt to keep the momentum going,” he said.

The clutch save on the back nine gave way to a torrid finish for the Orlando resident, as birdies on 15, 16 and 17 moved him from the role of hunter to that of hunted, thanks to a 9-under 133 tally and a two-shot advantage with 36 holes to play.

“I knew I was close, but I’ve been in this situation a couple of times now having played my rookie year last year, so I learned to stick to the game plan and close out a good finish, which we managed to do,” said Taylor when asked if he was looking at leaderboards.

Taylor, in his second full season on the Web.com Tour, entered the week with one top-25 in three starts this year – a T19 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

As a rookie in 2017, he recorded three top-25 finishes in 22 starts, including a career-best T7 at the Knoxville Open in August. One of Taylor’s three top-25s came at the Club Colombia Championship, where a final-round 65 propelled him 24 spots up the Sunday leaderboard and into a tie for 21^st.

“I like that it’s challenging, so if you have a couple of bad holes, you know you’re not going to fall down as far as you would on a golf course where it’s a birdie-fest,” Taylor said of the demanding Country Club of Bogota. “I really like the golf course and I’m very excited for the next couple of days.”

Argentina’s Augusto Nunez, Canada’s Roger Sloan and Conner Godsey of the United States are tied for second, two shots back of Taylor at 7-under 135.

Nunez, who was one of four players to share the opening-round lead, birdied three of his first six holes on his way to a 2-under 69.

Beginning his round on the opening nine, Nunez birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 6 to race out to a three-under-par start, immediately seizing the outright lead at eight-under for the week.

“I felt very good today on the golf course, especially on the front nine,” he said. “When I started the back nine, I saw the crowd and I felt some nerves. That’s normal when you have fans following you.”

Friday’s large crowds, which dotted the fairways and stands of the prestigious club located in the heart of downtown Bogota, triggered a few less-than-stellar holes for Nunez, as bogeys on the par-5 10^th and par-4 14^th dropped him down to 6-under par.

A late birdie on the par-4 17^th righted the ship for the Buenos Aires resident, who finished the day with a 2-under 69.

In 61 career starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica between 2012 and 2017, Nunez recorded 15 top-10 finishes, including a victory at the 2016 Flor de Cana Open, where his 25-under-par total set the Tour’s all-time scoring record. The $121,173 he earned that season gave way to a second-place finish on the Order of Merit and a Web.com Tour card for the 2017 season.

Nunez made 7 of 20 cuts on the 2017 Web.com Tour, recording a career-best runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Nunez missed the cut in Bogota with rounds of 72-82—154, a full 19 shots higher than his 2018 tally at the event’s halfway point.

“I started pretty well this season, but I need to continue working on my game. Like I said yesterday, my goal is get one of the PGA TOUR cards through this Tour,” he said. “Now, in 2018, I have more experience and I already know the courses, so that is so helpful.”

Sloan, who finished solo-fourth at last week’s Panama Championship, was even par through four holes today before playing his final 14 in 5-under par to move into a tie for second.

The former University of Texas-El Paso golfer is making his 94th career Web.com Tour start this week and looking for his first victory since the 2014 Nova Scotia Open.

Of the three players tied for second, Godsey is perhaps the biggest surprise, as the week marks just his sixth career start on the Web.com Tour. The 25-year-old finished T16 at Q-School in December to earn status for the 2018 season and entered the week with made cuts at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and the Panama Championship.

He is currently No. 81 on the money list with $3,534 in earnings.

#ShotOfTheDay

Canadian @RogerSloan87's monster birdie putt from 50+ feet away at the #ClubColombiaChampionship! pic.twitter.com/47rwOsb1vc

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) February 10, 2018

BOGOTA, Colombia – West Virginia native Christian Brand began the 2017 Web.com Tour Season with conditional status, trying to make the most of each sponsor exemption he received. Brand was able to record four top-25 finishes but the performance wasn’t enough to earn him a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals. Come December, the 29-year-old found himself back at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament. This time, however, Brand’s play was enough to earn him a T23 finish and guarantee him starts at the beginning of the 2018 season.

The job security that came with his December finish is allowing Brand to play more stress-free golf, and it’s showing, as the Marshall University alum opened play at the Club Colombia Championship with a 5-under 66 to take a share of the lead alongside international players Rhein Gibson, Augusto Nunez and Albin Choi.

Brand, who began play on the back nine at Country Club de Bogota, opened with four-straight pars before carding a birdie on the par-4 14th. He went on to pick up five more birdies and a lone bogey during his opening round. As for what was clicking Thursday, Brand gives all the credit to his short game.

“The putter [was key],” Brand commented. “I putted well today. I kept it in play, which you have to do around here. We just kind of hit our numbers. With the greens being so firm, you have to land it on specific numbers and get the correct bounces, and we did that today, so that was good.”

Tied with Brand atop the leaderboard is Australian Rhein Gibson, who is looking to pick up his fourth-consecutive top-25 finish. The 32-year-old hit 17 of 18 greens during the opening round, allowing him to pick up seven birdies along the way. Gibson opened 2018 with a T3 finish at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and went on to pick up a solo-third place the following week at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club and a T17 finish at last week’s Panama Championship. The start of the season is a relief for the Oklahoma Christian University alum, who currently sits at No. 5 on the money list.

“It has taken a lot of pressure off,” Gibson said of the start. “Last year was a bit of a struggle as I only just kept my Tour card, but to know I’ve pretty much solidified my spot in the Web.com Tour Finals this year – it just means I can make a good run at the top 25 (on the Regular Season money list).”

Argentinian Augusto Nunez joins the group atop the leaderboard as the highest-ranked Latin American player entering Friday. Nunez, who picked up his first professional win two years ago at the Flor de Cana Open presented by The Mortgage Store, currently holds the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica 72-hole record, earning his inaugural win after shooting a 25-under 259 for the week. Nunez made 20 starts on the Web.com Tour in 2017, picking up two top-10 finishes and ending the Regular Season at No. 39 on the money list.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi rounds out the top of the leaderboard, claiming a piece of the first-round lead for the first time in his Tour career. The 25-year-old carded a bogey-free back nine to finish the day with a 5-under 66. Like the other tournament leaders, Choi knew coming into the week that the tight fairways and firm greens would prove to be a challenge for the field.

“The course really firmed up,” Choi remarked, “So I really took some conservative clubs off of the tee and it really paid off. Just being in the fairways and trying to hit as many greens as possible. You can really get in some trouble out here when you start missing greens, so I just stuck to the game plan and it worked out great.”