Five tied for lead at Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship

Things to know

• Matt McCarty – who achieved the Three-Victory Promotion last month to earn an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR – shares the first-round lead along with Korn Ferry Tour winner Thomas Rosenmueller, as well as Tano Goya, Dalton Ward and Noah Goodwin.
• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Kris Ventura and Hank Lebioda trail by one stroke at 4-under.
• This marks the 18th playing of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course.
• Upon conclusion of this week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, the top 75 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List will be eligible to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.

First-round lead notes

2: First-round leaders/co-leaders to win the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship

1: First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2024

Charting the co-leaders

Noah Goodwin (co-leader/-5)

• Carded a bogey-free 5-under 66 for the second 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour Career (2023 Veritex Bank Championship/finished T60)
• Making his second career start at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (2023/MC)
• Owns nine top-25s and five top-10s in 21 starts on Tour this season
• In his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour, finished No. 110 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Finished T14 at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry to earn guaranteed starts in the first 12 events of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time in 2023 with No. 3 finish on the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada Fortinet Cup Standings off the strength of two victories in 10 starts
• Played five seasons at Southern Methodist University (2018-22) prior to turning professional last summer

Thomas Rosenmueller (co-leader/-5)

• First 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career
• Became the 16th player to be declared #TOURBound this season after last week’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
• In his third season on Tour, claimed his first career Korn Ferry Tour victory at the NV5 Invitational
• Earned fully exempt membership for the 2024 season with a No. 67 finish on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time ahead of the 2022 season, as he finished T11 at Final Stage of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry)
• Won three times on the Pro Golf Tour to win the 2020 Order of Merit and earn membership on the Challenge Tour for 2021
• Turned professional in 2019 after four seasons at University of North Texas (2015-19), winning two individual titles and earning All-Conference USA Second Team honors in 2016 and 2017

Tano Goya (co-leader/-5)

• Rolled in six birdies (Nos. 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16) against one bogey (No. 2) en route to a 5-under 66
• First 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 49th career start on Tour (previous career-high 18-hole position: T2/2024 Compliance Solutions Championship/finished T23; T2/2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance/finished T5)
• Making his second career start at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (2022/T65)
• Finished No. 19 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals Eligibility Points List to earn his first PGA TOUR card
• Has made 35 career starts on the PGA TOUR
• Owns seven career international victories
• Plays from Cordoba, Argentina

Dalton Ward (co-leader/-5)

• Turned in a bogey-free 5-under 66; highlighted by a hole out for eagle from 79 yards on the par-4 17th
• Holds first lead/co-lead of his career on Tour (previous career-high 18-hole position: T10/2021 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/missed cut)
• Earned Special Temporary Membership for the remainder of the 2024 season after a solo-third finish at the AdventHealth Championship
• Owns four top-10 finishes in 18 starts this season; didn’t record a top-10 finish in 19 starts last year
• Finished No. 135 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Plays from Sea Island, Georgia

Matt McCarty (co-leader/-5)

• Second career 18-hole lead/co-lead (2023 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH/finished T8)
• Became the 13th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to achieve the Three-Victory Promotion after his win at last month’s Albertson’s Boise Open presented by Chevron; also won the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper and Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse
• Stands No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List; the top finisher on the points list at season’s end will be fully exempt for the 2025 PGA TOUR season, not subject to reshuffle, and will gain access to the 2025 PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open
• Seeking to become the second player in Korn Ferry Tour history to win four events in the same season (Sean Murphy/1993)
• Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of the last two seasons (No. 55 as a rookie in 2022, No. 35 in 2023) and is fully exempt for 2024
• Turned professional in 2021 after five seasons at Santa Clara University (2016-21), where he earned three All-West Coast Conference honors (2018, 2019, 2021)

Quotables

Noah Goodwin on his 5-under 66… “I really didn't make too many mistakes. I put myself in a few bad places like three times today, managed to make a really good par save pretty much every time. Big one was on No. 11, hit it in the left fairway bunker, chunked my bunker shot to like 50 yards, hit it up there to like three feet, tapped it in. We just had a really good game plan and we stuck to it. You don't need to make a million birdies out here, you just need to not make any bogeys and that's kind of what we tried to do all day and I was able to.”

Goodwin on his season ending at this event last year… “It sucked. It was the lowest I've been with golf before, but at the end of the day I just kind of had to look in the mirror and remind myself why I play this game, it's because I love the grind, I love the fight of it all, I love seeing how good I can get every single day out here and learning more about myself. Golf's a lot like life in a lot of ways, it never goes as planned and you just roll with the punches. I was able to do that. It had to be a pretty quick turnaround, so it was sadness for a moment and understanding that it wasn't the end of the road and I just needed to do what I do to get back to where I am and take it one day at a time at that point.”

Tano Goya on his opening round 5-under 66… “Yeah, I feel like obviously played great on the greens, putted great today and feel very comfortable on the greens. I think I managed to stay very in the present today. It's a tough course, greens are getting super firm and sometimes when you miss a green it can be very easy to make bogeys, but I managed to stay in the present to make a lot of good recoveries and great putts, so I'm very happy with it.”

Goyaon staying present on the course … “I had my girlfriend on the bag again for three weeks and having her on the bag is great. We just chat and talk about whatever and she helps me a lot to stay present, staying focused. I don't get ahead of myself. It's easy sometimes when you're playing well, but today we did a great job.”

Notes

• Hank Lebioda (T6/-4), who enters the week No. 69 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, cards a 4-under 67 and holds his best 18-hole position of the season (previous; T8/Visit Knoxville Open/finished T14).
• Norway’s Kris Ventura (T6/-4), who is No. 23 on the points list, posted a 4-under 67, overcoming a double bogey on the par-4 14th after birding his first three holes of the day.
  • Ventura is seeking a return to the PGA TOUR after earning his first card by finishing No. 4 on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season points list.
• Frankie Capan II (T8/-3), Cristobal Del Solar (T8/-3) and Kevin Roy (T8/-3), who are all #TOURBound and have secured their PGA TOUR cards for the 2025 season, stand at T8 and two strokes back of the lead.
• Korn Ferry Tour rookie Davis Shore (T14/-2), who is No. 81 on the points list, turns in a 2-under 69 with four birdies (Nos. 5, 12, 16, 18) against two bogeys (Nos. 6, 10) as he looks to move into the top 75 on the points list to earn a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
• Five players are bogey-free through the first round: Goodwin, Ward, Yi Cao (T14/-2), Carter Jenkins (T14/-2), Jacob Solomon (T41/E).
  • Cao and Solomon both entered the week outside the top 75 on the points list at No. 103 and No. 78, respectively.