Ricardo Celia is the best place at the PGA Tour Américas stop in Colombia

The 25-year-old Scot is one stroke ahead of the Argentine Abel Gallegos and the Canadian Matthew Anderson, who made 65 (-7).

Anderson is the leader of the Fortinet Cup (the equivalent of the FedEx Cup on this circuit) and that first place would already secure him one of the two conditional Korn Ferry Tour cards, the prize for the first part of the season.

Of the 11 members of the local delegation, the one who responded best in the first round of the championship was Ricardo Celia from Barranquilla, who delivered a card of 69 strokes, three under par.

Celia took advantage of the softness of the greens in the morning and scored three birdies, against a solitary bogey.

“I hit the ball pretty well, I made a single bogey that I feel was bad luck on the 16th, a pretty difficult hole but I hit a good shot and it went into the bunker, but for the rest I gave myself chances, I hit the ball pretty well “I left them pretty close and I’m happy because I followed my game plan very well,” said Celia, who achieved full status on this circuit thanks to her third place at the Kia Open in Ecuador.

The round was not so good for the other Colombian participants in the tournament. Juan Pablo Luna, with 71 (-1), was in box 66 and is the closest to making the cut, this Friday.

Diego Vanegas, Alejandro Velásquez and Santiago Chamorro tie in 79th place, with the field pair, while Esteban Jaramillo and Juan Francisco Mejía are in box 106, with +2.

Iván Camilo Ramírez (+3), Felipe Álvarez, Gabriel Cadena and Juan Aleán (+7) were much further behind in the standings. The second round of the tournament, this Friday, will begin at 6:30 in the morning, with tee times for holes 1 and 10.

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