Defending champion Stewart Cink opened with bogey-free 10-under 62 to take the first-round lead at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren.

Stewart Cink, 31-31 – 62 (-10)

• Despite hitting only five of 14 fairways, he hit all 18 greens in regulation and leads the field in Driving Distance (313.0 yards)
• The 52-year-old seeks his third win on PGA TOUR Champions (29th start)
  • Previous wins (two): The 2024 Ally Challenge; 2025 Insperity Invitational
• Seeks his second win of the 2025 season (14th start)
  • Previous win: Insperity Invitational (May 2-4)
• Entered the week No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings
• Entered the week having finished third (Kaulig Companies Championship), second (U.S. Senior Open) and second (Boeing Classic) in his last three starts
• Looks to become the fifth multiple winner of the 2025 season, joining Miguel Angel Jiménez (four), Ángel Cabrera (three), Steve Allan (three) and Padraig Harrington (two)
• Seeks his second win at The Ally Challenge (second start)
  • Cink’s positions by round at this event (chronologically): T2-first-won-first
• Would become the first multi-time winner of The Ally Challenge, which is being held for the eighth time
• Looks to achieve the first successful title defense of the 2025 season on PGA TOUR Champions
  • Last successful title defense: Steve Stricker (2024 Sanford International)
  • Best finish by a defending champion in 2025: T5 (Steven Alker at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai)
• This is his third time leading/co-leading after the first round on PGA TOUR Champions (0-for-2)
  • Led at the 2024 Cologuard Classic (finished T7)
  • Led at the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup Championship (finished T6) – 72-hole event
• Matched his low 18-hole score on PGA TOUR Champions (91st round)
  • Previous round of 62: 2024 Cologuard Classic (first round)
• Matched the low 18-hole score of the 2025 season by any player
  • Previous instances: Jerry Kelly (Mitsubishi Electric Classic/R1), Richard Green (Rogers Charity Classic/R2), Boo Weekley (Rogers Charity Classic/R3)
• This is the low 18-hole score in The Ally Challenge history
  • Previous low: 63 (two times; Scott McCarron/2018/R2, Scott Dunlap/2022/R2)
• This is the largest first-round lead in The Ally Challenge history (two strokes)

Other notes

• Charles Schwab No. 3 Steven Alker (second) posted a bogey-free 8-under 64. In his last four starts of the season, his first-round position has been (chronologically) first-T4-T1-second. Alker, who has one win this season (Cologuard Classic) and has finished in the top 10 in 12 of his 15 starts in 2025.
• World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els (third) carded a 7-under 65. The Charles Schwab No. 6 entered the week off back-to-back top-five finishes (T5 at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open; T3 at the Boeing Classic).
• Kirk Triplett (76th) made a hole-in-one on No. 17 with a 7-iron from 154 yards.
• Making his PGA TOUR Champions debut, Lt. Col. Dan Rooney (77th) birdied his final hole (No. 9) to open with 78.