Kirk leads World Wide Technology Championship with 9-under 63

Chris Kirk of the United States took sole first place after a bogey-free opening round at the PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship on Friday.

Kirk carded nine birdies to shoot a 9-under 63 at El Cardonal at Diamante (par 72, 7,452 yards) in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Friday (Korean Standard Time). The six-time PGA Tour winner held off Nick Dunlap and Jake Blair, both of the United States, who shot 8-under 64s, by one stroke to top the leaderboard.

Matthieu Pavon of France, Harry Hall of England, Taylor Montgomery, Ben James of the United States and Kensei Hirata of Japan all carded 7-under 65s to share fourth place.

Kirk is a veteran with six PGA Tour victories, including the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship, a FedEx Cup Playoffs event. He last won on tour at the RBC Heritage in April last year and enters this week's event as a contender once again.

No South Korean players are in the field. Korean American Michael Kim, known in Korea as Kim Sang-won, shot a 1-over 73 to sit tied for 101st and will need a strong second round to make the cut.

Rico Hoey of the Philippines made a strong start with a 5-under 67. Defending champion Ben Griffin of the United States is also in the field, looking to retain his title.

The tournament carries a purse of $6 million, with $1.08 million going to the winner. It is part of the FedEx Cup Fall, the PGA Tour's autumn series, with players competing for tour cards and FedEx Cup points heading into next season.