El ISCO Championship, tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour that started this Thursday at the Championship Course of the Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of those events that, due to its circumstances, sharing the week with the Genesis Scottish Open where the big stars compete, and because of the prizes it offers, becomes an unbeatable opportunity to dream. And that is precisely what the Spaniard Ángel Ayora (-4) has started to do this Thursday, getting into the top 5 of the leaderboard from the start.
The Marbella native is one of the 50 players from the European circuit who have packed their bags this week to try their luck on the other side of the Atlantic. Winning on Sunday, in addition to an attractive cheque of 720,000 dollars and the corresponding points from both tours, grants the winner an exemption for the US circuit until the end of the 2026 season for non-members of the PGA Tour. And that is precisely what both Ángel with his great start and the other five members of the Armada present at the tournament are seeking.
In the case of Ayora, taking positions from the first day after a great round of 66 strokes, with five birdies, an eagle, a bogey, and a double bogey on a Friday where he showed very orderly golf, maximising his strong point, the tee-to-green game, and minimising mistakes. Starting his round from the 10th tee with three consecutive birdies, on the 14th he went long recovering from the rough and came out with a painful double bogey that practically returned him to the starting point. But his reaction was truly fantastic…
In his second half of the course, he made birdies on the 3rd and 5th and saved the best for almost the end, a spectacular eagle on the par-five 7th hole where his second shot from the fairway was sensational, finishing with a four-metre putt. Unfortunately, the five under par he had on his card, which would have allowed him to be tied for second, remained at four under due to a more than avoidable three-putt on the 8th, with his ball always less than five metres from the flag. A stroke that prevented him from sneaking onto the podium of a fairly even leaderboard except for the leader.
This quote is relatable … this score is not.
Chan Kim leads by FOUR @ISCOChamp. pic.twitter.com/ORUT1k2FEM
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 10, 2025
Chan Kim (-9), a South Korean naturalised American, trained at Arizona State University and professional for 15 years, left a tremendous 61 at the Clubhouse, on a flawless card, improving by two strokes his previous best result in a round on the PGA Tour. Interestingly, the 63 with which he had beaten his previous records came a year ago in the final round of this same ISCO Championship, a tournament that seems to suit him wonderfully. His margin in just 18 holes is already four strokes over his immediate pursuers.
The Englishman Callum Shinkwin (-5), the German Thomas Rosenmueller (-5), and the American Peter Malnati (-5) share second place, with a one-stroke margin over the group in which Ayora appears.
Manuel Elvira (-2), with a notable 68 with four birdies and two bogeys, is also in the fight for the top spots on the leaderboard. Joel Moscatel (PAR), with 70 strokes after closing Thursday with three birdies and three bogeys, would be within the provisional cut. Spots to continue playing over the weekend for which Iván Cantero (+1) and, especially, Rafa Cabrera Bello (+5) and Alfredo García-Heredia (+6) will have to push, as they have struggled on this short course, but with challenging rough and hard greens, on a day with humid heat and temperatures over 35 degrees.
