Things to Know

The 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season opened with The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, which is making its sixth appearance on the schedule since the inaugural event in 2017

28-year-old German Jeremy Paul (1st / -7) holds a two-stroke lead following a bogey-free 7-under 65

Defending champion Akshay Bhatia (T2 / -5) sits in a three-way T2, two shots off the lead

Transcripts from Sunday’s interviews are available here

Jeremy Paul (Leader / -7)

Would mark the third 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career (18-hole leader at 2022 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH, finished T19; 18-hole co-leader at 2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, finished T14)

Carded seven birdies amid a bogey-free first round, marking his first bogey-free round since the second round of the 2022 Live and Work in Maine (5-under 66)

The 7-under 65 matches his third-lowest round in his 116th career Korn Ferry Tour round, only behind first-round 8-under 63s at the 2022 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH and 2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank

Making second appearance at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay (75-76/MC in 2022)

Playing from Heidelbuerg, Germany and residing in Scottsdale, Arizona, begins his third season on the Korn Ferry Tour (previously 2017 and 2022)

First earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2017 season via the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament; he played as an amateur in the fall semester of his senior season at University of Colorado and earned conditional status with a T72 finish at Final Stage

Spent the following three seasons playing predominantly on PGA TOUR Canada (2018, 2019, 2021), in addition to three starts on PGA Tour Latinoamérica

Finished 37th on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn fully exempt status for 2023 season; he recorded a career-high finish (T3) at The Ascendant presented by Blue

Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership last season via a No. 10 finish on the 2021 PGA TOUR Canada Fortinet Cup, and finished T11 at Final Stage of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament for guaranteed starts in the first 12 events of the 2022 season

Jeremy’s identical twin brother, Yannik, won on the DP World Tour in October

Quotable - Jeremy Paul

“It feels good. I just had good control over my ball today. The back nine is really exposed to the water and super windy out there, so you really have to hit a lot of shots. It was tough to really prepare for this because, where I live in Arizona, it never gets that windy, so you really just have to be creative and shape shots around just to keep it in the wind. I was really happy I was able to hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens today and then I was able to roll in a couple putts.”

Notes

Defending champion Akshay Bhatia (T2 / -5) carded nine birdies, the most by any player in the field who completed their first round

Englishman David Skinns (T2 / -5) posted his first round under par in his fourth appearance at this event (nine total rounds played); his previous low round at the event was a 1-over 73 in 2018

Tain Lee (T2 / -5) eagled the par-5 first and made five birdies and two bogeys; he finished No. 75 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List for fully exempt status in 2023

Cody Blick (T5 / -4) had the lowest round by any player in Sunday’s morning groupings, carding a 4-under 68 with seven birdies and three bogeys

Of the players who completed the first round, Jeremy Paul (1st / -7), Brandon Crick (T5 / -4) and Josh Teater (T16 / -2) were the only players to card bogey-free rounds

Nassau, Bahamas native Devaughn Robinson (+2 / thru 13*), playing as a sponsor exemption this week, has three birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys thus far in his first round