Three foreigners and Felipe Álvarez lead the 77th edition of the Colombian Open golf tournament at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club.

Mexican Luis Felipe Torres became the first leader this Thursday of the 77th edition of the Colombian Open 'Joaquín and Tomás Samper Brush Cup,' being played at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club.

Torres, a regular on the Mexican Professional Golf Tour and with stints on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamérica, was one of nine golfers who made the cut on the first day of the tournament.

The Mexican was error-free in the first half of his round, scoring birdies on the 10th, 15th, and 17th. Meanwhile, during the next round, he bogeyed the 2nd and 9th, but also bogeyed the 5th and 7th with an eagle on the 4th, to post a 67, five under par for the course.

In second place there is a three-way tie: the two most recent champions of the tournament, Mexican José de Jesús 'Camarón' Rodríguez (winner in 2017 and 2023) and Brazilian Alexandre Rocha, defending champion, plus the best of the local delegation, Felipe Álvarez, all with 68 (-4).

In the first men's category, Carlos Ardila (Independiente) finished the first day at the top of the table, with 69 hits (-3).

“A very calm round. Honestly, I kept it on the right side. At first, the cold weather made it difficult, but everything was under control […] Positive feelings. I have to maintain my game strategy and remember that I'm on a golf course enjoying myself,” Ardila commented.

In second place is the defending amateur champion, Carlos Hernández (Serrezuela), after reporting 70 strokes, two under par at Pueblo Viejo, with four birdies and two bogeys.

In the women's event, Catalina Monroy (Club Campestre de Cali) started in the lead with a card of 69 (-3): 'bogey' on the 10th, 'birdie' on the 12th, eagle on the 13th, 'bogey' on the 4th and 'birdie' on the 17th for the first nine. In the second nine she repeated simple successes on the 3rd, 4th and 7th, but failed on the 5th and 6th.

“I felt super comfortable, especially off the tee, but also rolling the ball. What worked best for me was my head after starting with a bogey […] I'm going to keep working on my head, staying calm, and trusting the process,” Catalina said.

Valentina Zuleta (La Sabana) is in second place with a 70 (-2), while María Mercedes Rodríguez (Farallones) completes the top three with a 71 (-1). Both of them complete the red card group in this ranking.

With information from Fedegolf