Mr. 57 Cristobal Del Solar’s next act is contending at Mexico Open at Vidanta

Earlier this month, Cristobal Del Solar made history as the first player to shoot 57 in PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition.

This week, he has a chance to change his career.

Del Solar opened the Mexico Open at Vidanta in 6-under 65, sharing the early lead alongside Henrik Norlander and David Lipsky at Vidanta Vallarta. Del Solar is a Korn Ferry Tour member this year, and a win would mean PGA TOUR membership through 2026. Considering that the Chile native is making just his second TOUR start, the prospects are tantalizing. There’s a long way to go – 54 more holes against a deep field of TOUR pros – but Mr. 57 has already proven that plenty is possible.

“Obviously I want to be playing the PGA TOUR, but last year was my first year on the Korn Ferry (Tour) and I think I learned a lot,” Del Solar said. “I learned about myself, my own way of doing things, my own formula.

“The competition on the Korn Ferry (Tour), I mean, it's the same as the PGA TOUR, the guys are so good. Obviously you've got the top in the world playing the PGA TOUR, so that's where I would like to be and compete against them.”

Del Solar, competing this week on a sponsor exemption, made birdie on his first two holes Thursday, Nos. 10 and 11, then caught fire with three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn. He recorded back-to-back two-putt birdies at the par-5 sixth and short par-4 seventh to move into a share of the lead on a Thursday morning that featured more blustery than normal conditions at idyllic Vidanta Vallarta.

Del Solar, 30, made his TOUR debut at last year’s Mexico Open, missing the cut with rounds of 68-74. This year, though, he’s a new player. The Florida State alum finished fourth at the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, and he finished T27 at The Panama Championship before he headed to Colombia for a week that became etched in golf history.

In the opening round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard, exactly two weeks ago, Del Solar carded 13-under 57 at Country Club de Bogota’s Pacos Course. He shot 8-under 27 on the opening nine and then cruised home in 30. The previous TOUR-sanctioned mark of 58 was first set by Stephan Jaeger at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, then equaled by Jim Furyk at the following week’s Travelers Championship on TOUR.

More than seven years later, Del Solar hopscotched that mark.

The remainder of the week was a roller coaster, as Del Solar followed the record-setting 57 with rounds of 69-75-63, ultimately finishing in fifth place. It wasn’t the victory he might have expected after a historic opening round, but the performance moved him to No. 10 on the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-long standings nonetheless. The top 30 after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

Del Solar has never held TOUR membership, but now he has two potential paths to get there. The native of Vina del Mar, Chile, has won four times on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, and he finished No. 52 on last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Points List to retain full status for 2024.

His results are trending, and his game is building, perhaps toward something big. Maybe that comes this weekend at Vidanta Vallarta.

“Just learn kind of my own way of doing things, my formula, how people call it,” Del Solar said of his evolution in the past year. “Just learned a lot about myself … things that I do on the road, how much I should practice, how much I should go to the gym … The only way to learn it is just to be out there.

“I think we have been just putting in the work for years now, and I think it’s just coming along. It’s good to see.”