Ryan McCormick, Nicholas Lindheim share lead at The Ascendant presented by Blue

Things to Know

· Making his fifth and final start in preparation to return to the PGA TOUR on a medical extension, two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Nicholas Lindheim cards 6-under 66 to earn his second lead/co-lead of the 2023 season

· Ryan McCormick cards eight birdies against two bogeys for 6-under 66 and a share of the 18-hole lead

· McCormick, who finished in the top 75 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of the last two seasons, holds his second 18-hole lead/co-lead in his 90th career start on Tour

· Making his fourth Korn Ferry Tour start, rookie winner Adrien Dumont de Chassart, who finished No. 3 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, stands inside the top five for the seventh time in his 13th career round on Tour

· There are 26 players within two strokes of the lead, and 42 players within three strokes of the lead

· Play suspended at 5:15 p.m. local time and resumed at 6:23 p.m. (1 hour, 8 minutes)

· Second-round tee times will run from 6:30 a.m. through 2:07 p.m. local time off the first and 10th tees

First-Round Lead Notes

2: First-round leaders/co-leaders to win The Ascendant (Nelson Ledesma/2019; Will Zalatoris/2020)

0: First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (last: David Lingmerth/2022 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship)

Nicholas Lindheim (T1/-6)

· Making his fifth and final start in preparation to return to the PGA TOUR on a medical extension, cards 6-under 66 to earn his second lead/co-lead of the 2023 season (Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/finished T8)

· Cards seven birdies (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16 – started round on No. 10) against a bogey at the par-4 18th

· Holds fourth career 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour; he previously converted 18-hole co-lead at 2017 DAP Championship into a win, and finished T8 at the 2014 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae and 2023 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club

· In four starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, has three top-10s, including a solo-third at the Compliace Solutions Championship last month

· Making fourth start at this event, with previous finishes of T44/2020, T44/2022, and withdrawal/2021

· In nine previous rounds at TPC Colorado, lowest score was 4-under 68 (2022/Round 4)

· Previous Korn Ferry Tour wins are 2016 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank (2-stroke victory over J.J. Spaun), 2017 DAP Championship (defeated Chesson Hadley and Rob Oppenheim in playoff)

· In 19 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, recorded 15 made cuts, a season-high finish of T6/LECOM Suncoast Classic, and five top-25s, including two in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to secure a return to the PGA TOUR

· Previously earned or retained PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022

· Won twice on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (2014 and 2015) while playing the Korn Ferry Tour

· Did not take up golf until 2003 at age 19 and turned professional in 2006, after which he moved to Florida

Ryan McCormick (T1/-6)

· Cards eight birdies, tied for the most in the field Thursday, and two bogeys en route to 6-under 66

· Birdies came at Nos. 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17, while bogeys came at Nos. 4 and 18 (started round on No. 10)

· Holds his second career 18-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event (T1/2022 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished T2 – career-high finish)

· Making fifth start at The Ascendant presented by Blue; he finished T13 and held the 36- and 54-hole co-leads at last year’s event

· In 12 previous rounds at TPC Colorado, his lowest round was 5-under 67 (2022/Rounds 1 and 2)

· Has played in all 16 events this season and boasts two top-10s, five top-25s, and 12 made cuts

· Finished top 75 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of the last two seasons to maintain fully exempt membership (No. 65/2020-21; No. 28/2022)

· As a conditional member and rookie in 2020-21, open qualified into the 2020 Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass, the first event in the Return to Golf following the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, and finished T14, earning a spot in the next event, where he finished T6 and shuffled up the priority ranking for remainder of the season

· Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time ahead of the 2020-21 season via a T126 at Final Stage of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament

· Played two seasons on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014 and 2015, recording one top-10 in 11 starts each season

· Played four seasons at St. John’s University (2010-14) in Queens, New York, where he won three tournaments (all as a senior) and was named the 2013-14 BIG EAST Conference Golfer of the Year, as well as the 2013-14 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award winner

· Three collegiate wins included medalist honors at the 2014 BIG EAST Championship

· Won the 2012 New Jersey State Golf Association Amateur Championship and 2012 Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur Championship, becoming the fifth player in history (and first since 1949) to win both events the same year

Quotables

Nicholas Lindheim on adjusting to the elevation… “Morning rounds are the toughest I think just because it's cool out and ball's not traveling quite as far as the afternoon. I did a pretty good job managing distance control. A couple loose shots out there, to be honest. I didn't really play my best, but I think I scored well today.”

Lindheim on his goal for the week since he will return to the PGA TOUR next week… I just want to play well. I've always played with a lot of pressure. I put it on myself, so it's nice to kind of use these to just freewheel it, I guess. I've seen some pretty good results doing that. It's been beneficial.

Ryan McCormick on what he enjoys about TPC Colorado… “I grew up in New Jersey with no mountains. The beach is nice, but it's beautiful out here. It's just a nice place to be. I love playing at elevation. It's just nice to hit it high and straight and far. And this place is one of our better events of the year. Everybody comes out here to support the event, it's a great atmosphere, a great golf course, it's in great shape. I look forward to coming here.”

McCormick on electing to play every event this season… “I love competing so much. Sometimes I'm moseying around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but I love competing out here. It's so much fun to play against all of these guys. These guys are so good and I learn every week from them. It would be brutal for me to sit at home and watch everybody play. I'm going to go play golf anyway at home, so I just tell everyone I'm showing up for work every week, so I'm here.”

Notes

• Korn Ferry Tour winner Adrien Dumont de Chassart (T3 / -5) stands inside the top 10 through 18 holes for the third time in his fourth career Tour start, and he stands inside the top five for the seventh time in his 13th career round on Tour

• BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX – T17 / T11 / T5 / Won

• Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics – T2 / T1 / 1st / P2

• Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS – T7 / T21 / T22 / T8

• Dumont de Chassart cards eight birdies, tied for the most in the field Thursday, against a bogey and double bogey

• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Mark Anderson (T3 / -5) stands inside the top five through 18 holes for the first time since the 2022 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna (finished T57); his highest 18-hole positions this season prior to Thursday were T6/Astara Chile Classic (finished 66th) and T15/Compliance Solutions Championship (finished T21)

• Rookie Frankie Capan III (T3 / -5), who has three finishes of T6 or higher in his last six Korn Ferry Tour starts, stands higher than T20 through 18 holes for the second time in his 14th career start on Tour (T3/2023 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH/finished T6)

• University of Colorado alum Jeremy Paul (T59/-1), who finished T3 at this event last season, opens in 1-under 71

• Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders (T59/-1) plays his final five holes at 4-over par to card 1-under 71

• Cheyenne, Wyoming native Josh Creel (T59/-1) makes five birdies against four bogeys for 1-under 71

• Past champions Nelson Ledesma (2019), Tag Ridings (2021) both sit outside the top 100 following over-par rounds