Chad Ramey, S.H. Kim share early lead at Cognizant Classic

Field Level Media|published: Thu 29th February, 18:26 2024

Chad Ramey watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the opening round of The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at PGA National Resort & Spa on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. credits: JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

Chad Ramey and South Korea's S.H. Kim are tied atop the leaderboard at 7-under 64 after one round of the Cognizant Classic on Thursday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Both Ramey and Kim went bogey-free, with Kim benefitting from an early eagle hole-out while Ramey rang up five of his seven birdies on the front nine at PGA National's Champion course. Six players were tied one stroke behind the co-leaders, a group headlined by Cameron Young.

Neither Ramey (World No. 253) nor Kim (No. 122) were big favorites entering the week. Ramey missed three of five cuts, and his only PGA Tour win came at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship. Kim has won three professional events in Japan and South Korea but none stateside.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland kicked off a run of three straight Florida tournaments with a 4-under 67. That placed him in a large tie for 16th that includes defending champion Chris Kirk, Ireland's Shane Lowry, Australia's Min Woo Lee, Sweden's Alex Noren and FedEx Cup leader Matthieu Pavon of France.

—Field Level Media