Ryan Blaum ties 18-hole scoring record at 117th Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro

Things to Know

• Ryan Blaum cards career-low 8-under 62 to tie the Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro 18-hole tournament scoring record, as well as the Olivos Golf Club course record
• Making his second start of the 2024 season, Brandon Hagy opens in 7-under 63, his first score below 66 in PGA TOUR-sanctioned play since opening with back-to-back rounds of 5-under 65 and 7-under 63 last June at the 2023 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics
• Three of the eight players standing T3 – Mason Andersen, John Augenstein and Alvaro Ortiz – record bogey-free 6-under 64s
• The winner of the 117th Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro will earn an exemption for The Open Championship 2024 at Royal Troon this coming July

Ryan Blaum (first/8-under)

• Opens with career-low, 8-under 62, tying the 18-hole tournament scoring record previously established by Ángel Cabrera (2002, Round 2, Hurlingham Club) and Tyson Alexander (2017, Round 2, Jockey Club)
• Opening-round 62 also ties the Olivos Golf Club course record previously established by Mauricio Molina (1998 Torneo de Maestros, Round 2)
• Usurps previous career-low round of 63 (2014 Stonebrae Classic, Round 1), which was his lowest round across 724 career rounds played on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour
• Holds fourth career 18-hole lead/co-lead in what is his 134th career start on the Korn Ferry Tour
  • T1/2014 Chitimacha Louisiana Open – finished T11
  • T1/2014 Stonebrae Classic – finished T11
  • First/2014 Hotel Fitness Championship – finished T25
• Cards a field-leading nine birdies, including a streak of six consecutive birdies on the front nine (Nos. 3-8), the longest birdie streak of his Korn Ferry Tour career, and the fourth streak of six consecutive birdies on the Korn Ferry Tour this season
  • Previously made five consecutive birdies at the 2016 AdventHealth Championship and 2022 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
• Finished T5 in his only previous appearance at the Visa Argentina Open in 2013, which, coupled with two victories earlier in the season, propelled him to a No. 1 finish on the 2013 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit in what was his only year on the circuit
• Earned guaranteed starts for the first eight events of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season with a T14 finish at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry; he was exempt to Second Stage of Q-School and finished T12 at the Savannah, Georgia, site, qualifying for Final Stage on the number
• Played four seasons at Duke University (2002-06), winning four times individually, with the crown jewel being medalist honors a the 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship; he also earned back-to-back ACC Player of the Year awards in 2005 and 2006, joining David Duval (1992, 1993), Bryce Molder (1999, 2000, 2001), and Bill Haas (2003, 2004) as the only players at that time with multiple ACC Player of the Year awards

Quotables

Blaum on the venue for this week’s national open... “I played PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2013 and it kind of just brings me back to that atmosphere that I had at Nordelta, the last event of the season out there. It was the Argentina Open. It's going to be a good atmosphere on the weekend. They do it right, it's the national open and looking forward to it.”

Ortiz on competing in a national open compared to a traditional event... “It definitely is different. In South America or Latin America we don't have that many golf tournaments, so the opens of each country, they just become somewhat special, especially to the people that are there from that country. I know here in Argentina... they live it very well, they really feel the sport, the tradition and everything around it. I know the Argentina Open is one of the most respected opens in the world. The Mexico Open's a little bit of the same. For us it's always been a special tournament. They have the little extra. You want to engrave your name in one of those trophies.”

Ortiz on his top-15 finish at the Mexico Open at Vidanta on the PGA TOUR last week... “The support of the people that I got on the weekend was crazy. Crazy. I've never experienced something like that. Every single hole starting on Saturday was probably more than 100, 150 people on each hole. I know for some other players it's not big, but you know, I was getting, I don't know, 30, 50 feet and the people were just roaring and it was awesome. To have that experience, play like that, I know I was one shot away from top-10 and being in West Palm (Beach) this week, but just very happy that I had the opportunity to be there and just grateful for all the support that I got.”

Additional player notes

• Argentina’s Augusto Núñez (T3/6-under) holes a greenside bunker shot for a closing eagle at the par-4 ninth and a round of 6-under 64; he is making his 10th start as a professional at the Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro, with three top-10s in his last five starts at the event (T5/2017, T7/2019, T5/2022)
• Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz (T3/6-under), who finished T13 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta last week on the PGA TOUR, posts 5-under 65 for his lowest round in what is his 73rd career round on the Korn Ferry Tour (previous career-low round on Tour: 65, twice – 2022 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, Round 1; 2022 Veritex Bank Championship, Round 2)
• John Augenstein (T3/6-under) ties his lowest round on the Korn Ferry Tour with his sixth 64 (last: 2023 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank/Round 1) in what is his 157th career round on Tour
• Brian Campbell (T3/6-under), who finished runner-up in a playoff in the most recent Korn Ferry Tour event (Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in Bogota, Colombia), cards seven birdies and an eagle for his fifth consecutive round in the 60s; he is oneof four players in the field with at least eight combined birdies and eagles (Blaum, nine birdies; Hagy, eight birdies; Cristobal Del Solar, eight birdies)
• Chile’s Del Solar (T3/6-under), who finished T48 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta las week on the PGA TOUR, posts his third round of 64 or better this season; he recorded three rounds of 64 or better across his 25 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour last season
• Conditional member William Mouw (T3/6-under), who finished No. 6 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking and No. 98 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, ties his lowest round on Tour (2023 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open, Round 4; 2023 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, Round 2) in what is his 45th career round since joining the Korn Ferry Tour last June via PGA TOUR University performance benefits
• Matt McCarty (T3/6-under) is one of five players with multiple eagles through the first 18 holes, with the others being Davis Shore (T11/5-under), Kyle Westmoreland (T11/5-under), Alistair Docherty (T51/2-under) and Aldrich Potgieter (T75/1-under); the only player to make back-to-back eagles was Westmoreland, who closed his round with eagles at the par-5 eighth and par-4 ninth
• Three past champions of the Visa Argentina Open presentedby Macro are in the field this week: three-time winner Ángel Cabrera (T51/2-under), 2021 champion Jorge Fernández Valdés (T51/2-under), and 2013 champion Marcelo Rozo (T112/1-over)