GUADALAJARA, Mexico—Starting on the first group off hole 1 at 7:40 a.m., Thursday, Andrew Alligood carded a 6-under 65 that nobody else was able to match at the 2022 Jalisco Open Guadalajara. The 24-year old Floridian finished the day one shot ahead of four players, including former PGA TOUR members Andrés Romero of Argentina and José de Jesús Rodríguez of Mexico. American Sam Anderson and Mexico’s Armando Favela also posted 66s, Favela’s the low-of-the-afternoon score, a bogey-free performance. Five other players are tied for sixth, at 4-under 67.

“It was a good day, the weather was perfect, it wasn’t hot and the greens are perfect. You have to go out and take advantage of those conditions,” said Alligood, who birdied six of the last 12 holes at Atlas Country Club.

Alligood is delighted to be playing the tree-lined, 7,169-yard, par-71 course the Tour is visiting after a nine-year absence. “It’s a strength of mine getting the ball off the tee and in play. If I can get a driver in my hand, I like my chances, and then, if I need to back off and hit 3-wood or 2-iron, or whatever club that I have, I feel that I have the ability to shape it both ways if I need to,” added the University of North Florida alum who is playing his second full PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season.

With the course giving plenty of chances to go low, Alligood’s patience was tested early. Starting birdie-bogey, he remained at even-par through six holes. “It was just staying patient; that was my only goal today. There are a lot of chances, a lot of short irons, a lot of wedges around here, and if I just stay patient, I usually can sneak a couple of those close to the hole or make a couple of putts here and there, and that’s what I did,” said the outright leader of the ninth event of the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season.

Did you know Andrew Alligood’s only top-10 finish in 16 career PGA TOUR Latinoamérica starts was a tie for fourth at the 2020-21 season-ending Bupa Championship? He held that tournament’s lead through 54 holes but carded a final-round 74 to finish four strokes outside a playoff for the title that Patrick Newcomb won at PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum, Mexico.

Key Information

Making his first PGA TOUR Latinoamérica start since claiming 2017 Player of the Year honors, Mexico’s José de Jesús Rodríguez took advantage of a personal trip back home to sign up for this event. Ranked 29th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and trying to make his return to the PGA TOUR, Rodríguez got off to a hot start. Beginning on hole 10 Thursday morning, he went eagle-birdie-birdie, and after another birdie on No. 6, he seemed to have a shot at the 10-under Atlas Country Club course record. That came during the second round of a Mexican Tour event Rodríguez won here in 2010. “It was a dream start and after making the birdie on 15, the course record kind of crossed my mind. I picked up the driver off the tee at the next hole, which is something I normally wouldn’t do on that hole, and I hit it in the water and made a double bogey,” he said of a hole that slowed him down. Rodríguez had four birdies and two bogeys on the remaining 11 holes for the 5-under 66 that left him fairly pleased about his performance.

The last time Andrés Romero carded a 65 in a competitive round, he moved within one shot of the lead through 54 holes of play at the VISA Open de Argentina that opened the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season. The following day he was able to grab the lead for a few minutes, before collapsing to shoot 80 and tie for 34th. After a 59th-place finish on his next PGA TOUR Latinoamérica start, at the Estrella del Mar Open, the 2008 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year went on to miss back-to-back cuts in Termas de Rio Hondo and Cordoba. Thursday’s 65, which featured six birdies and only one bogey, lifted his spirits as he seeks more consistency while chasing playing opportunities at the higher levels. “I haven’t been able to get any rhythm going, but I have been working very hard, practicing and doing gym work. It’s obviously not the same as competing, but luckily today I was able to hit many good shots. I have the game, but I need to get my confidence back,” said the 41-year old who will be playing next week’s event in Bogota before traveling to Germany to play the DP World Tour’s BMW International Open (June 23-26), an event he won in 2017.

Samuel Anderson went deep early in the day. Going birdie-par-birdie-birdie-par-eagle starting on No. 10, and then making back-to-back birdies on 2 and 3, he got to 7-under for the day. Late in the round, Anderson bogeyed Nos. 6, 7 and 8 before getting a shot back with a birdie at the last for his 5-under 66. “It was a good start. Obviously, I was frustrated with the three bogeys in there, but I played good golf overall and was happy to close with a birdie. It left me with a better taste in my mouth than if I had continued with the bogey streak or finished with a par. All in all, (it was) a good day,” said the 23-year-old University of Wisconsin alum, who has made five cuts this season, with a best finish a tie for 43rd, something he’s done twice.

At No. 97 in the Totalplay Cup standings, SamuelAnderson has his father, Thor, caddying for him this week. The elder Anderson caddied for him a week ago at U.S. Open local qualifying. Before that tournament, he said his father last caddied for him at the Western Junior Amateur when he was still in high school. “I’m happy to have him down here. He is enjoying Guadalajara so far, as am I. You just have to get used to a lot of hanging out and watching TV. It’s good to have him here, (and to) meet a lot of guys I have become friends with down here. It’s always good when he can carry the bag and keep up at least,” he said.

Making it two Mexican players inside the top two, Armando Favela fired a bogey-free 66 in the afternoon when the wind picked up. Starting off No. 10, Favela birdied holes 12 and 17 on the back and then birdied three of his last five on the front (Nos. 5, 8, and 9). “I made three to four par putts within three to five feet, and I took good advantage of the five birdie chances I had,” said the 36-year-old from Tijuana.

ArmandoFavela is one of 12 players in this week’s field who played the 2013 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica event here at Atlas Country Club. He shot 2-under for the week, posting rounds of 68-69 on the weekend to tie for sixth. “You know, I had never seen the course as good as it is this week. My coach (Francisco Saracho) works here, so I come here a few times a year, and honestly, I had never seen it this good, especially the greens. The ball is rolling great, and they are playing fast. I had never seen them this fast,” said the left-hander, who entered the week ranked 46th in the Totalplay Cup standings, with a tie for sixth at the 2022 Estrella del Mar Open as his lone top-10 this season.

There are 38 Mexicans playing this week, six of them amateurs. The following are the scores and positions of those inside the top 55 and ties through 18 holes:

All eight 2022 tournament champions are in action this week and all of them are currently inside the top-55 (and ties), those who will advance to the weekend. Leading the way from that group after the first round is the Argentine trio of Alan Wagner, Alejandro Tosti and Jaime López Rivarola, who all shot 3-under 68s to tie for 11th. Here are where the 2022 champions stack up after the first day.

Jorge Fernández Valdés of Argentina, Mitchell Meissner of the U.S. and José Toledo of Guatemala, the Totalplay Cup top-three players in their respective order, opened the tournament in tie for 42nd at 1-under 70. This is how the players inside the Totalplay Cup Points List top 10 stand through 18 holes:

First-Round Weather: Partially cloudy. High of 94. Wind E at 3-19 mph.