Jay Card III wins KIA Open for first victory as professional

QUITO, Ecuador – Jay Card III held on at Quito Tenis y Golf Club with a 1-under 71 in Sunday’s final round to claim his first career victory as a professional at the KIA Open.

After carding a bogey-free, 9-under 63 in the second round to surge to the top of the leaderboard, Card opened with a 2-over 38 on the front nine Sunday to temporarily surrender the lead. Despite the slow start, Card battled back with a bogey-free, 3-under 33 on the back nine to reclaim the lead and ultimately secure a one-stroke victory. He is the third first-time winner on PGA TOUR Americas in 2025.

Card’s triumph came after playing 35 holes Saturday to complete his first and second rounds. He initially earned PGA TOUR Americas status through Mid-Season Q-School in 2024 and went on to finish No. 80 in the 2024 Fortinet Cup eligibility points list — the last position to retain status for the 2025 Latin America Swing.

After securing his win, Card reflected on his journey since beginning his professional career.

“I wasn't recruited out of high school," he said. "I walked on and played one semester of college golf. People my whole life have been telling me you won't be good enough, you're not good enough, you won't make it, why are you trying, and I just kind of kept my head down and did my work.

“After college I worked at a couple golf courses down in Florida. I'm so thankful for them, Bear's Club and Jupiter Hills, Dye Preserve. National Golf Links, I caddied there in the summers to make money so I could come down and work and play and get better.

After Bear's Club, I qualified for Korn Ferry for the first time I had status on any Tour. Yeah, from there it's been a tough road. Golf is hard, winning is harder. I had status, lost status, got it again, lost it again, got hurt, got status in Canada last summer. It's so hard.”

With the win, Card is now fully exempt on PGA TOUR Americas through the 2026 Latin America Swing. He also jumped to No. 2 on the Fortinet Cup points list, only trailing Ryan Grider, after entering the week T20. Card turned professional in 2018 after competing collegiately at High Point University in North Carolina. He has made 53 career starts across the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas, with his first win coming in his 13th PGA TOUR Americas start. Card is expected to be in the field next week at the Diners Club Peru Open in Lima, Peru, set for May 1–4.

Charting the Champion

About Jay Card III (first/-16) 

• Claims his first win as a professional in his 53rd PGA TOUR-sanctioned start
• Moves to No. 2 in the Fortinet Cup after started the week T20
• Earned PGA TOUR Americas status through PGA TOUR Americas Mid-Season Q-School in 2024; made starts in all 10 2024 North America Swing events
• Finished as the No. 80 player in the 2024 Fortinet Cup eligibility points list to retain membership for the 2025 Latin America Swing
• First win comes at the age of 30 years and 11 months in his 13th PGA TOUR Americas start
• With a win, is exempt on PGA TOUR Americas through the 2026 Latin America Swing • Knows how to play the flute, oboe and saxophone
• Is a classically trained opera singer and has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Vatican

Competition notes 

Course setup: Par 72 / 7,412 yards; R3 average: 69.960

Weather: Cloudy with a high of 63. Wind from the NNW at 1-5 mph with gusts up to 14 mph.  

• Jay Card III became the third first-time winner on PGA TOUR Americas in 2025; Ryan Grider (93 Abierto Telecom del Centro presentado por Zurich) and Maxwell Moldovan (70th ECP Brazil Open) won the first two events of the 2025 season to claim their first career wins.
• Three countries are represented in the top five and ties: United States (three), Colombia (one) and Argentina (one).
• Ricardo Celia finished as the low-Latin and registered his best finish of the season after finishing T2; in 10 starts at the KIA Open, Celia has recorded seven top 10s, including a win in 2015.
• Noah Steele finished as the low-Canadian after finishing the week T29 at 8-under.
• The cut was made Sunday morning after the conclusion of second round play; 69 players made the cut at 3-under.
• Ecuadorian amateur Felipe Garcés made the cut for the second consecutive year, finishing T19.
• Jay Card III and Jake Staiano led the field in birdies made with 19.
• The 2025 KIA Open was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather on Thursday and Friday.
• Hole No. 6, the 220-yard par 3, has played as the toughest hole at Quito Tenis y Golf Club in the second round (+0.170 strokes over par).