VILLA ALLENDE, CORDOBA, Argentina—A PGA TOUR Latinoamérica member since 2015, Dalan Refioglu is quite familiar with the Cordoba Golf Club. “I love this golf course,” he said of the tight, par-71, where he has made the cut in each of his three previous visits. Thursday he got off to his career-best start, firing an afternoon, 5-under 66 to claim the outright lead at the 90th Abierto del Centro Memorial Eduardo “Gato” Romero presented by Telecom.

The 30-year old Californian finished the day one shot ahead of fellow American Nicolo Galletti, who carded a bogey-free 68 early in the day, and Argentina’s Leandro Marelli, who closed with an eagle on 12 and a birdie on 18.

The winner of this event in 2018, Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar, finished birdie-birdie-birdie to shoot 3-under 68 to tie for fourth with Guatemala’s José Toledo, Mexico’s José Narro and American Matt Gilchrest.

Including one of the 12 players who was unable to finish due to darkness, there were only 25 scores under par on a cool and beautiful sunny day that brought swirling wind.

“It was tough out there,” said Refioglu. “This golf course rewards really good ball-striking, and you have to be very disciplined here. It’s a place where you literally have to take it shot by shot, hole by hole, and it’s a place where if you get a couple over par early it’s hard to claw your way back because it’s just a very demanding course.”

Opening his afternoon round with back-to-back birdies, Refioglu went on to shoot 3-under on the front, recording his only bogey of the day on No. 7 and two other birdies on Nos. 6 and 9. He kept his momentum going with a miraculous birdie at the par-4 11th.

“I hit it pretty far left off the tee, and I was lucky to have a (second) shot over the trees. (I) caught a massive flier that ended up over the back of the green, probably by 10 yards, and then I pitched it in; (I) flopped it basically for birdie there,” said Refioglu, who locked up the outright lead by sinking a seven-footer for birdie at the par-4 17th.

Key Information

Officials suspended play due to darkness at 7:17 p.m., local time. There were three threesomes unable to finish. The suspension will not delay the start of the second round, with this same wave of players beginning at 8:15 a.m. Friday.

Dalan Refioglu is playing the Abierto del Centro for the fourth, and Thursday’s 66 is his lowest score in 13 rounds played at Cordoba Golf Club. He tied for 37th in 2017 (72-72-70-75), tied for 62nd in 2018 (71-67-76-77) and tied for 48th in 2019 (75-70-68-75).

The Cordoba Golf Club suits Nicolo Galletti pretty well. The Arizona State University alum has finished inside the top four in his only two previous starts, tying for fourth in 2018 and finishing solo second in 2019. Firing a bogey-free, 4-under 67 Thursday, he is only one shot off the lead. The 27-year old birdied holes 1, 2, 8, and 9 before finishing with nine pars.

Coming off a tie for 29th last week at the Termas de Rio Hondo Invitational after missing three consecutive cuts to start the season, Leandro Marelli’s confidence seems to be on the rise. At 1-under through 11 Friday, he sank an uphill 36-footer for eagle on the 12th and then made a 15-footer for birdie at the last. His 4-under 67 moved him into a tie for second along with Galletti.

Playing in his hometown, Totalplay Cup points list leader Jorge Fernández Valdés birdied the ninth, his final hole of the day, to finish at 1-under 71 and join a group of 14 players tied for 12th. With several family members and friends in his afternoon gallery, the 29-year-old had four birdies and three bogeys.

This is how the players inside the Totalplay Cup Points List top 10 stand through 18 holes:

There are 35 Argentine players in this week’s field. The following are the scores and positions of those inside the top 55 and ties through the opening day:

Quotable

“I started birdie-birdie. I hit it really close on one and close on two. I didn’t have to do anything too crazy, which was nice. For the rest of the day, I kind of played pretty solid. On nine, again, I hit it to like a foot as well. It was a nice tap-in.” –Nicolo Galletti

“I played great on the back nine, as well. I just didn’t make any putts really. I mean, it’s a little bit tougher, and it was playing pretty tough, a little bit windier. Obviously, 15 and 11 are some really tough holes. I was just happy makings pars.” –Nicolo Galletti

“Maybe it’s going to be another good week, and, yeah, who knows? It’s a really long week, but it’s a good start, and I’m excited to see how it’s going to go the rest of the way.” –Nicolo Galletti

“A round under par at Cordoba Golf Club is always a good thing, and to have a round of 4-under leaves me very happy and pleased. This a very difficult course, and you have to be at your best to shoot under par.” –Leandro Marelli

“We have a good strategy with Nani (my caddie). He and I got back together again last week, and I feel I’m getting my confidence back, so that’s huge in a course as difficult as this one.” –Leandro Marelli

First-Round Weather

Sunny and clear. High of 65. Wind NW at 9-20 mph.