Austin Hitt, Nelson Ledesma co-lead after Round 1 of Visit Knoxville Open

Austin Hitt and Nelson Ledesma share the lead after Round 1 of the Visit Knoxville Open.

Charting the co-leaders (stats entering week)

Austin Hitt (T1/-9)

• Opens with a bogey-free 9-under 62 and holds the third 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 64th start (previous: 1st/2024 Price Cutter Charity Championship/finished T44, T1/2025 The Blue Championship/finished T31)
• Owns three top-25 finishes in 10 starts on Tour this season (best finish: T11/The Panama Championship)
• Finished No. 30 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List off the strength of nine top-25 finishes and a runner-up at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, securing full status for the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Season (top 75 from Points List)
• Finished No. 48 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, earning fully exempt status for the 2025 season (top 75 from Points List)
• Missed the cut in two previous starts at the Visit Knoxville Open (2024, 2025)
• Played two seasons on PGA TOUR Canada (2021, 2022) and two seasons on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (2022, '23), earning Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time with a No. 4 finish on the 2023 Order of Merit
• Played five seasons at University of North Carolina (2016-21), where he posted a 72.20 career scoring average and earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference selections in 2019 and 2021

Nelson Ledesma (T1/-9)

• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner makes seven birdies (Nos. 4, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 18) and an eagle (No. 5) en route to a bogey-free 9-under 62
• Holds sixth 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career and first since the 2025 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation (finished T15)
• Began this season with conditional membership following a No. 90 finish on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List (finishers Nos. 76-100)
• Earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title as a rookie at the 2018 LECOM Health Challenge en route to a No. 33 finish in the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour standings
• Finished No. 8 on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn PGA TOUR membership for the first time
• Recorded top-75 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List two of the last four seasons (No. 60 in 2024, No. 53 in 2022)
• Owns two made cuts in five previous starts at the Visit Knoxville Open, including a top 10 (T10/2023)
• Played six consecutive seasons on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (2012-17) and earned Korn Ferry Tour membership with a No. 5 finish on the 2017 Order of Merit

Additional notes

• Drew Nesbitt (T3/-8), who earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season with a No. 8 finish on the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas Points List, posts a career-low 8-under 63 (previous low: 66/twice); holds his best first-round position on Tour in what is his 11th start (previous 18-hole high position: T10/2026 Club Car Championship/finished T65)
• Sponsor Exemption and conditional member Hunter Wolcott (T3/-8), who played five seasons at the University of Tennessee (2016-22), cards the lowest round of his Korn Ferry Tour career with a bogey-free 8-under 63 (previous best: 67/2026 Astara Chile Classic/R1)
• Conditional member Max Schliesing (T5/-7) opens with a bogey-free 7-under 64 in his Korn Ferry Tour debut; stands No. 69 on the 2026 PGA TOUR Americas Points List through three starts this season
• Knoxville, Tennessee native Davis Shore (T8/-6) holds his best 18-hole position at the Visit Knoxville Open in his third attempt (previous event 18-hole high position: T56/2025/MC)
• Ian Holt (T97/-1), who stands No. 1 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, makes his second hole-in-one of the 2026 season with a pitching wedge from 135 yards on the par-3 eighth (previous: Astara Chile Classic/Prince of Wales Country Club/No. 15/R2)