Jesus Montenegro leads after Round 1 at inaugural Bupa Championship

Jesus Montenegro carded a 7-under 65 to lead the first round of the Bupa Championship at Tulum. Davis Shore is in solo second with a 6-under 66. Three players are tied for third at 4-under entering Friday’s second round at PGA Riviera Maya.

Montenegro won the 2022 Bupa Tour Championship on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in his first season as a professional. In what was then the Tour’s season finale, Montenegro finished 10th in the Totalplay Cup standings to retain membership and would go on to earn a spot on the inaugural PGA TOUR Americas roster after a competitive 2023 season on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

A first-round 65 is the lowest score for Montenegro since June of 2022 at the Fortox Colombia Classic where he carded a career-low 64; in his next start, he posted his first career victory at the Bupa Tour Championship.

After turning professional in 2021, Shore held membership for two seasons on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, finishing 13th in the 2023 Totalplay Cup standings and therefore gaining membership into the inaugural PGA TOUR Americas season.

Shore earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour this season by placing T81 at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry in December. He made his first career Korn Ferry Tour start last month at the 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro where he got in on his number and finished T44. The following week, Shore finished T11 at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank, which earned him a spot in the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, and will likely improve his priority ranking in the next reshuffle.

First-round play was suspended at 7:07 p.m. CT due to darkness with 11 players yet to complete their round; the first round will resume at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and the second round will begin as scheduled at 6:50 a.m.

About Jesus Montenegro (1st/-7)

Age: 27

Birthplace: Mar del Plata, Argentina

Residence: Birmingham, Alabama

College: Jacksonville State University

Fortinet Cup (start of week): N/A

• Helped Jacksonville State win the team title at the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Championship, in addition to the 2019 OVC Championship where he earned medalist honors.
• Capped his collegiate career with a fourth consecutive All-OVC accolade, becoming the seventh four-time All-OVC selection in history.
• His first (and only) career victory was the 2022 Bupa Tour Championship.
• Is one of eight children in his family. Has four brothers and three sisters.
• Favorite professional soccer team is Argentina's River Plate.
• Favorite athletes are Lionel Messi, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.

About Davis Shore (2nd/-6)

Age: 25

Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee

Residence: Sarasota, Florida

College: University of Alabama

Fortinet Cup (start of week): N/A

• Made two appearances at the Bupa Tour Championship (T13/2022, 25th/2023).
• Has raised money for the First Tee of Knoxville since his junior golf days in East Tennessee, which was important to his early life. Is also passionate about St. Jude Children's Hospital since it is a Tennessee-based organization.
• Best golf memory as a fan was going to the final round of the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club with his dad, which inspired him to want to play professional golf.
• Is an accomplished musician and has thought about pursuing music as a career. Guitar is his favorite and best instrument to play. Played saxophone in high school and took piano lessons for seven years.

Competition Notes

Course Setup: Par 72 / 7,272 yards; R1 average: 74.280

Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 88. Wind from the SE at 6-11 mph.

• Six-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica winner José de Jesús Rodríguez is the top-ranked Mexican player in the field, and is tied for third after carding 4-under in the first-round.
• Two Canadians are in the top-six: Jimmy Jones (T3/-4) and Matthew Anderson (T6/-3).
• Hole 6 – the 432-yard par 4 – was the most challenging hole at PGA Riviera Maya; averaging a +.470 with only five birdies carded.