KIA Open: Preview storylines, players to watch, more

The PGA TOUR Americas season continues with the KIA Open from the Quito Tenis y Golf Club in Quito, Ecuador.

Tournament facts

• Fortinet Cup points: 500 (winner) 
• Purse: $225,000 ($40,500 winner) 
• Field (as of April 22): 136 players from 16 countries
  • 93 – United States
  • 11 – Canada
  • 10 – Argentina
  • 5 – Mexico
  • 4 – Ecuador
  • 2 – England, Norway
  • 1 – Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Scotland

Players to Watch

• Maxwell Moldovan (United States) – After a rookie season where Moldovan missed eight cuts in nine starts, the second-year pro broke through for his first professional win at the 70th ECP Brazil Open. Last week, he Monday qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic and finished T54. Moldovan returns to PGA TOUR Americas as the No. 2 player in the Fortinet Cup.
• Ryan Grider (United States) – In his PGA TOUR Americas debut, Grider claimed his first victory as a professional in his 12th PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at the 93 Abierto Telecom del Centro presentado por Zurich in Cordoba, Argentina. Grider followed up his win with a T10 finish in Brazil.
• Michael Brennan (United States) – Brennan picked up where he left off in 2024, starting the season with a T3 finish at the 93 Abierto Telecom del Centro presentado por Zurich and a T4 finish at the 70th ECP Brazil Open. Through two events, Brennan is No. 5 in the Fortinet Cup.
• Conner Godsey (United States) – Godsey has made the cut in all four of his starts at the KIA Open, which included a win at the event in 2020. Godsey opened the season with a T3 at the 93 Abierto Telecom del Centro presentado por Zurich and currently sits No. 7 in the Fortinet Cup.
• Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Argentina) – Oliveira has two top-15 finishes through two events and currently sits at No. 10 in the Fortinet Cup. Oliveira won the 2022 South America Amateur Championship which was hosted at Quito Tenis Y Golf Club, and a year later he won the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship.
• Beau Breault (United States) – Breault began the season with no status on PGA TOUR Americas, but Monday qualified for the first two events of the season. After a T4 finish in Brazil, Breault earned himself a spot in the field this week in Quito.
• Drew Nesbitt (Canada) – After missing the cut in Argentina, Nesbitt bounced back with a T4 finish at the 70th ECP Brazil Open. After his finish in Brazil, Nesbitt jumped to No. 12 in the Fortinet Cup and is the top Canadian in the points list heading into this week.
• Joey Savoie (Canada) – Savoie registered his first top-10 of the season in Brazil which brought him into the top-25 of the Fortinet Cup (No. 24). The No. 13 player in the 2024 Fortinet Cup, Savoie posted eight top-25 finishes on PGA TOUR Americas last season.
• Ricardo Celia (Colombia) – After being granted a sponsor exemption into the 2024 KIA Open, Celia went on to jumpstart his 2024 season with a T3 finish in last year’s event. Last season, Celia secured status for the North America Swing by virtue of his finish in Quito and went on to finish as the No. 60 player in the 2024 Fortinet Cup to retain his card for 2025.
• Felipe Garcés (a) (Ecuador) – Garcés is making his fourth start in the KIA Open. The lone amateur in the field held the 18-hole co-lead in the event in 2024. The Quito native played collegiate golf at the University of West Florida from 2018-2023.

Tournament history 

Quito Tenis y Golf Club has hosted the KIA Open 10 times (2014-20, 2022-24). This week’s field includes two past champions of the event: Conner Godsey (2020) and Ricardo Celia (2015). In addition to the past champions, nine players who finished in the top-10 and ties in 2024 are in the field.

Fortinet Cup overview

The KIA Open is the third event of the Latin America Swing (Segment I) and the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas season. Segment I is comprised of six events in Latin America across six countries. After Segment I, the top 60 players in the Fortinet Cup standings will retain status for the in North America Swing (Segment II). Membership for Segment II will include the top 60 players in the Fortinet Cup, players who earn exempt status through PGA TOUR Americas Mid-Season Q-School and players 11-25 in the 2025 PGA TOUR University Ranking.