Spain’s Ivan Cantero boosted his chances of securing his 2025 DP World Tour card with an opening 66 at the Genesis Championship in Korea, moving him to the top of the leaderboard at the final event of the 2024 season.
The final Back 9 tournament will determine who will retain their playing rights next year, with the top 114 after the event tipped to retain their card.
The Spaniard started the week in 117th place, but rolled in seven birdies and dropped a solo shot to make it six under at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.
Cantero needed a quick start in Incheon and he obliged with a stunning three-meter start to quickly get into the red numbers.
He was two under at the third when he took advantage of the par-five third and continued his momentum with back-to-back birdies from the sixth.
The world number 454 reached the opportunity in 31 thanks to a fifth birdie at the ninth and when he followed that up with an 11-foot effort at the tenth, he was six under.
Cantero erased his scorecard when he dropped his only shot on the 16th, but responded in style by putting his shot on the 17th to within six feet to get back to six under and put the clubhouse ahead.
Home duo Byeong Hun An and Hongtaek Kim, Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, South Africa’s Casey Jarvis, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, Scott Jamieson Jonas Blixt and England’s Richard Mansell sit on the same spot , with ten other players at 4 under.
Among those players are defending champion Pablo Larrazábal and his Spanish teammates Alejandro Del Rey and Manuel Elvira, two Koreans Tom Kim and Seunghyuk Kim, New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, Italy’s Renato Paratore, Dane Søren Kjeldsen, Germany’s Marcel Schneider and England’s Todd Clements.
Eddie Pepperell’s hopes of keeping his perfect card in 2025 are already looking slim, with the Englishman opening a 2-over-par 74, which saw him tied for 90th.
He currently sits 124th in the Race to Dubai standings, with only 114 players guaranteed to keep their cards next season.
To check the live leaderboard, click here.
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