The start of a new season always brings the promise of fresh beginnings. Just ask Ryan Grider and Maxwell Moldovan, the winners of the first two events on the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas schedule. Among the early-season hopefuls who traveled to Cordoba, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Grider and Moldovan kicked off the race for the Fortinet Cup with a bang.

Following the disappointment of falling short at Second Stage of the 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, Grider began his first PGA TOUR Americas season with conditional status. Moldovan, No. 20 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, had missed eight cuts in nine starts last season and was looking for a reset.

At the season-opening Abierto Telecom del Centro presented by Zurich, Grider remained in contention all week. A clutch eight-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole got him into a playoff, which he won with yet another birdie. He followed with a Sunday 66 in Brazil, jumping 30 spots on the leaderboard to tie for 10th and secure the Fortinet Cup lead for a second straight week.

Moldovan rebounded from a missed cut in Cordoba with a breakthrough performance at the ECP Brazil Open. An opening-round 63 that tied the lead set the tone for a consistent week in which the 23-year-old never fell outside the top three. On a weather-challenged final day, he birdied Nos. 13 and 16 to reach the final hole tied for the lead. At the 587-yard par-5, he hit the green in two and drained a double-breaking 45-footer for eagle to seal the win. The victory earned him 500 points and the second spot on the points list.

Aside from the two winners, the 16 players inside the Fortinet Cup top 15 have already positioned themselves well in the Latin America Swing. With 109 points or more, they’ve virtually secured a spot inside the top 60—those exempt for Segment II in North America. For comparison, 86 points were needed last year to lock up the 60th position through the six events in Latin America.

The following is a look at the Fortinet Cup leading 10 through the second tournament of the 16-event season:

1. Ryan Grider – 568 pts

He is second in total birdies (42) and has recorded two top-10 finishes, including his playoff win at the season opener. Following in the footsteps of former teammate and 2024 Fortinet Cup winner Johnny Keefer, he is the second Baylor University alum to lead the PGA TOUR Americas Points List.

2. Maxwell Moldovan – 500 pts

After a tough rookie year, Moldovan’s perseverance paid off in Rio. His dramatic 45-foot eagle putt for his first pro win capped off a week of steady play and patience. His wife, Emily, was there to witness it all as his caddie.

3. Joey Vrzich – 352 pts

The 25-year-old Pepperdine alum surged late at the season opener with a birdie-eagle-par-birdie finish, shooting a final-round 63 that nearly stole the title. He followed up with another Sunday low round, a 64 in Brazil, to finish in a tie for 14th.

4. George Markham – 300 pts

Markham, 27, went toe-to-toe with Moldovan in Rio, where both opened with 63s. His solo second was his best since a share of runner-up honors at the 2024 Commissionaires Ottawa Open.

5. Michael Brennan – 271 pts

The only player with all eight rounds in the 60s, this 23-year-old Wake Forest University alum tied for third in Cordoba and fourth in Rio. Including five top-five finishes, he has now recorded seven top-10s in 12 PGA TOUR Americas career starts.

6. Chris Francoeur – 190 pts

The 26-year-old from Massachusetts held a 54-hole lead for the first time in his career at the ECP Brazil Open. Despite opening the final day with a birdie, he had to settle for a solo third after a round of 72. Still, it was the best finish of his career across 29 PGA TOUR-sanctioned events.

7. Conner Godsey – 186 pts

The 33-year-old lefty from Alabama was two holes away from winning in Cordoba before back-to-back bogeys left him one shot shy of a playoff for the title. Dating back to last season, he has been inside the Fortinet Cup top 14 across his last 16 starts.

8. Wil Gibson – 153 pts

He joins Grider and Brennan in a trio of players who recorded top-10s in the first two events. The 25-year-old from Arkansas was in solo second through 54 holes in Rio, but a Sunday 74 knocked him out of contention.

9. Theo Humphrey – 137 pts

The 29-year-old from Dallas, Texas, owns the lowest 18-hole score of the season with a second-round 61 in Cordoba, which carried him to a tie for fifth finish. He had a steady week in Rio, where he tied for 20th. Through two starts he ranks fifth in total birdies with 40.

10. Mateo Fernández de Oliveira – 122 pts

The leading Latin American in the standings, Fernández de Oliveira rallied in his home country to make the cut and tie for 10th at the season opener. Then he birdied the 36th hole to make the cut on the number in Rio, where he worked his way into a tie for 14th. He ranks fourth in total birdies with 41 and is tied for second in rounds in the 60s with six.

Next stop:

The Fortinet Cup race continues at the Kia Open in Quito, Ecuador (April 24–27) at the Quito Tennis & Golf Club.