Clements and Gutierrez Lead First Round of Corales Puntacana Championship

England’s Todd Clements and Spain’s Ivan Cantero Gutierrez each posted a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday, sharing the lead at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic. The round was played amid wind gusts reaching 22 mph on the resort’s coastal layout. Clements recorded nine birdies and two bogeys, while Gutierrez matched his score with a steady performance.

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The event is a DP World Tour tournament co-sanctioned with the European Tour and runs opposite the British Open. Fifty European Tour players, including Clements and Gutierrez, are in the field. Both missed the cut at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky the previous week. Defending champion Garrick Higgo opened with a 72, and former PGA Tour winner Austin Eckroat, who tied for 30th at the Scottish Open, was a stroke behind the leaders.

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• Austin Eckroat: One stroke back, joined by Alejandro Del Rey, Johannes Veerman, Mackenzie Hughes, Jonathan Byrd and Gordon Sargent.

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• Blades Brown (special temporary member): 67.

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• U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker: 70.

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• Sangmoon Bae: 77, attempting to regain form after mandatory military service in South Korea.

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• “Turned up and it's a relaxing environment. Just get to enjoy myself and I kind of felt like it came out in my golf today.” — Todd Clements, Golfer

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• “I'm actually delighted with how I played today,” — Todd Clements, Golfer

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• “A few tweaks I'm going to try and solve this afternoon, but for the main part I was absolutely delighted and looking forward to tomorrow and what that brings.” — Todd Clements, Golfer

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• “We were over in Scotland last week and trying to qualify for the British Open, but when we saw we were going to be here, we said, 'Well, someone's got to win it,'” — Austin Eckroat, Golfer

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With the first round completed, the leaderboard remains tight as players adjust to the breezy conditions. The tournament will continue over the next two days, offering a critical opportunity for points ahead of the British Open and the season-ending race on the European Tour.

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