Brandon Crick leads at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open

First-Round Leaderboard

Things to know

• Brandon Crick ties his career-low round with a first-round 62 and clinches his first-ever 18-hole lead
• Rookie Marcus Byrd, playing in the same group as Crick, sits solo second after carding a 7-under 63
• Four players are tied at 6-under par, including Korn Ferry Tour winners Taylor Dickson and Kris Ventura
• Wichita native Sam Stevens tallies seven birdies against three bogeys en route to a 4-under 66
• The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics is one of four tournaments played every season since the Korn Ferry Tour’s inaugural 1990 season, with this year marking the 35th playing of the event

First-round lead notes

7 - First-round leaders/co-leaders to win the Wichita Open (most recently: Jared Wolfe, 2020)

0 - First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2024

Charting the leader

Brandon Crick (Leader/-8)

• Ties his career low with a first-round 62 via nine birdies against one bogey
  • Previous rounds of 62 were at the 2019 Ellie Mae Classic (R3/finished 2nd) and 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic (R2/finished T37)
• Sat 1-under par through his first eight holes before notching seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch (Nos. 9-10, 12-16)
• In the 143rd start of his Korn Ferry Tour career, claims his first 18-hole lead
  • Previous best 18-hole position was T5 (five times, most recently at 2023 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay)
• Marks his second lead of any kind on Tour (36-hole solo leader at 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic)
• Making his sixth ever start at the Wichita Open (2022/T23, 2021/T41, MC in 2020, 2019 and 2018)
• Entered the week 37th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• In 12 starts this season, has five top-25 finishes, with his best being a T5 at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank
  • Opened the season with three consecutive missed cuts, but has made the cut in nine straight starts entering this week
• In his sixth season on the Korn Ferry Tour after originally joining the Tour in 2018
• Last season, finished 76th on the points list after recording four top-25 finishes in 20 starts
• In 142 career starts prior to this week, has 30 top-25 finishes, including four top-10s
• Best career finish is solo second at the 2019 Ellie Mae Classic where he carded rounds of 67-67-62-68 and finished one shot behind winner Zac Blair
• Prior to joining the Korn Ferry Tour, spent time playing the Dakotas Tour, eGolf Tour, Adams Tour, Dreamchasers Tour and Gateway Tour
• Turned professional in 2010 out of the University of Nebraska, where he accumulated five collegiate victories
• Plays from McCook, Nebraska

Quotables

Brandon Crick on his first-round 8-under 62… “I feel like the ball striking has been there the last few months. It was just lining that up with putting. Today, I felt like I putted great, I chipped great and hit the ball really well. All of those are kind of a perfect storm and I finished with a good number.”

Crick on the challenge of Crestview Country Club… “It took me a year or two to figure this course out a little bit. Out here, it’s difficult to hit fairways so you kind of have to make the choice whether you want to push it up there and risk being in the rough, or lay back and if you don’t hit the fairway, then you’re way behind the eight ball. I had a little bit more of an aggressive approach today. The greens were a little bit softer today so that was helpful. I really kept the ball in front of me really well.”

Additional first-round notes

• Korn Ferry Tour rookie Marcus Byrd (2nd/-7) sits solo second after 18 holes to clinch his best position after any round in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned start (15 total starts across PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas)
• Byrd’s first-round 63 ties his career-low round, originally set in the second round of last week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX, where he logged his first career top-10 finish (T9)
  • Began the season with conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour after a T64 finish at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry
  • Turned professional in 2020 after playing collegiately at Middle Tennessee State University where he was named 2019 Conference USA Player of the Year
• Taylor Dickson (T3/-6) sits inside the top-10 after 18 holes for the first time this season following a 6-under 64 via seven birdies and one bogey
  • This week marks Dickson’s fifth-ever start at the Wichita Open (best finish: T43 in 2023)
  • Dickson currently sits 17th on the points list, supported by his first Korn Ferry Tour title earlier this season at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank
• Kris Ventura (T3/-6) rolls in eight birdies against two bogeys for a first-round 6-under 64
  • Marks the third time that Ventura is inside the top-10 after the first round (T4/Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished 65th; T9/Veritex Bank Championship/finished T16)
  • Currently No. 18 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, Ventura has four finishes inside the top 20 this year, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro
• Patrick Cover (T3/-6) cards a first-round 6-under 64 made up of six birdies, one eagle (par-5 14th) and two bogeys, and he sits inside the top-10 after 18 holes for the sixth time this season
  • In his third season on the Tour, Cover has two top-25 finishes this year, with his best finish being a T2 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic
• In just his fourth start of the season, Matt Atkins (T3/-6) opens with a first-round 64, tied for his lowest round of the season (64/R2/Veritex Bank Championship)
  • This week marks Atkins’ ninth appearance at the Wichita Open (best finish: T29 in 2019)
• Ben Crane (T7/-5), winner of the 2000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics, cards a first-round 65 via six birdies and one bogey
  • In 2000, Crane earned the start in Wichita as an open qualifier and went on to clinch a three-shot margin of victory, his first of seven career PGA TOUR-sanctioned wins (two on Korn Ferry Tour and five on PGA TOUR)
• S.Y. Noh (T7/-5) and Kyle Stanley (T15/-4) record the only bogey-free rounds Thursday
• In his first Korn Ferry Tour start of the season, Wichita native Sam Stevens (T15/-4) rolls in seven birdies against three bogeys for a first-round 4-under 66
  • Stevens earned his first PGA TOUR card at the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals and has remained on the TOUR since; in 17 starts on TOUR this season, Stevens has six top-25 finishes and currently sits 94th in the 2024 FedExCup Standings
• Roberto Díaz (T74/E) aces the 182-yard par-3 17th, marking the first hole-in-one recorded on No. 17 since Crestview Country Club began hosting the Wichita Open in 2001
• Defending champion Ricky Castillo (T98/+1) cards three birdies and four bogeys en route to a 1-over 71