Ricardo Gonzalez and rookie Søren Kjeldsen share the first-round lead after each opened with 3-under 67 at the Kaulig Companies Championship.
First-Round Notes
2025 Kaulig Companies Championship
Firestone Country Club South Course | Akron, Ohio
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Course Setup: Par 70 / 7,045 yards
Round 1 Scoring Average: 72.988
Weather: Cloudy and rainy. High of 72. Winds W at 14-18 mph. Gusts to 30 mph.
Interviews: Transcripts
Leaderboard
Second-Round Tee Times
ROUND 1 TOP SCORES
T1 Søren Kjeldsen -3 35-32 – 67
T1 Ricardo Gonzalez -3 31-36 – 67
T3 Steven Alker -2 31-37 – 68
T3 Retief Goosen -2 33-35 – 68
T3 Stewart Cink -2 34-34 – 68
Things to Know
Play was suspended for 59 minutes due to lightning from 1:50 p.m. to 2:49 p.m. ET.
Søren Kjeldsen, 35-32 – 67 (-3)
– The 50-year-old seeks his first win on PGA TOUR Champions (fourth start)
T8 (Senior PGA Championship)
P2 (Principal Charity Classic)
T2 (American Family Insurance Championship – team event with Alex Cejka)
– Turned 50 on May 17 after earning medalist honors at Q-School (Final Stage) in December 2024
– Looks to become the fifth first-time winner of the 2025 season on PGA TOUR Champions
– Previous instances: Justin Leonard (Chubb Classic); Steve Allan, (The Galleri Classic); Ángel Cabrera (James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational); Thomas Bjørn (American Family Insurance Championship – team event with Darren Clarke)
– This is his first time leading/co-leading after the first round on PGA TOUR Champions
– Previous best 18-hole position: T7 (Senior PGA Championship) – finished T8
– In three appearances at Firestone Country Club for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he finished T68 (2009), T12 (2015) and T42 (2016)
– This is his second appearance in a senior major (T8/Senior PGA Championship) and debut at the Kaulig Companies Championship
Ricardo Gonzalez, 31-36 – 67 (-3)
– The 55-year-old seeks his second win on PGA TOUR Champions (49th start)
– Previous win: 2024 Trophy Hassan II
– Seeks his first major title on PGA TOUR Champions
– Best finish in a senior major: T15 (2024 ISPS HANDA Senior Open)
– This is his second time leading/co-leading after the first round on PGA TOUR Champions (0-for-1)
– T1 at the 2025 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (finished T19)
– Making his 13th start of the 2025 season, he has one top-10 finish
– Best finish: T8 (Principal Charity Classic)
– Making his second appearance at the Kaulig Companies Championship, he finished T40 in 2024
Other Notes
– Charles Schwab No. 3 Steven Alker (T3) bogeyed two of his final four holes (Nos. 15, 17) to card 2-under 68. The 53-year-old seeks his 10th win on PGA TOUR Champions (86th start), second win of the 2025 season (11th start) and second senior major title.
Previous senior major win: 2022 Senior PGA Championship
Previous win of 2025 season: Cologuard Classic (March 7-9)
– Charles Schwab No. 5 Stewart Cink (T3) opened with 68. The 52-year-old seeks his third win on PGA TOUR Champions (26th start) and second win of the 2025 season (11th start).
Previous win: 2025 Insperity Invitational (May 2-4)
Best senior major finish: 3rd (2023 Senior PGA Championship); T3 (2024 Regions Tradition)
Note: won the 2004 WGC-NEC Invitational held at Firestone Country Club and finished runner-up at that event in 2006
– 2019 champion Retief Goosen (T3) posted 2-under 68. The World Golf Hall of Fame member seeks his fourth win on PGA TOUR Champions (133rd start) and first win of the 2025 season (13th start).
Previous win: 2024 Galleri Classic
Best finish of 2025 season: P2 (Insperity Invitational)
– Charles Schwab Cup leader Miguel Angel Jiménez sits T10 after opening with even-par 70.
– Looking to win three consecutive senior majors, Ángel Cabrera shot 1-over 71 and sits T17. Cabrera won the first two majors of the 2025 season (Regions Tradition, Senior PGA Championship).
– No players carded a bogey-free round, and no eagles were recorded on Thursday.
Happening tomorrow: Military Appreciation
Join us at the first tee of the South Course, as we kick off Folds of Honor Friday.
At 10:45 a.m. the national anthem will be played, and a military member will hit a ceremonial first tee shot courtesy of Induction Tooling to kick off the day before the professionals tee off for their second round.
Make sure to visit the 13th Hole, as a military member will tend an American Flag pin flag during the four rounds of competition.
Fans are encouraged to wear patriotic colors as part of a Red, White, & Blue Out to honor our military and first responders
All active duty, retired, reserve military members, first responders, and veterans, as well as one guest, receive complimentary admission to the Kaulig Companies Championship. Attendees can register prior to coming to the tournament.
Concert Series: A Night in Nashville
All tournament ticket purchases will include access to that day’s Concert Series, located in the Kaulig Infinity Zone, which will begin once play concludes. The headliner for the Military Appreciation Concert on Friday, June 20 is country music singer/songwriter and guitarist, Frankie Ballard. An Akron-based band, The Shootouts, will open for Ballard.
Monster Deck presented by Westfield
The Monster Deck presented by Westfield is back and will provide great views to all ticket holders of the signature 16th hole, nicknamed the Monster by Arnold Palmer, measuring 667 yards. This area will feature a Michelob Ultra bar with half price beers after a birdie is made on the 16th green.
Birdies Fore Trees
For every birdie made by a PGA TOUR Champions professional on Firestone’s signature 16th hole during the 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship, Davey Tree will plant a tree in the Northeast Ohio region. This is the second year of the initiative after 86 birdies
were made on the 16th hole in 2024.
