Ben Carr fires 64 to take first-round lead at OccuNet Classic

Ben Carr leads the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank with a first-round 64.

Charting the leader (stats entering week)

Ben Carr (first/-6)

• Opens with an 18-hole career low 6-under 64; highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 17th (previous best: 65/four occurrences)
• First 18-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 12th career start; previously had not stood higher than T10 (2026 Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank/finished T26)
• In nine starts this season, he’s recorded three top-10 finishes with an additional top-25 (best finish: T7, twice: Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club; UNC Health Championship)
• Began the season with conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership following a T79 finish at Final Stage of 2025 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry
• Spent the past two seasons on PGA TOUR Americas, recording finishes of No. 51 (2024) and No. 62 (2025) on the PGA TOUR Americas Points List
• Columbus, Georgia native played five seasons at Georgia Southern University (2018-23); he was named the 2022-23 Sun Belt Golfer of the Year
• Was the No. 1 junior golfer in Georgia when he graduated high school in 2019

Additional notes

• Ryo Ishikawa (T2/-4), who is credited with 20 career wins on the Japan Golf Tour, establishes a new 18-hole high position (previous 18-hole high position: T5, twice: 2017 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron/finished T9; 2026 Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya/finished T19).
• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Chan Kim (T2/-4), who is coming off his best finish of the season at last week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX (T3), matches his career-high first-round position (previous: T2, twice: 2023 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo/finished T23; 2026 BMW Charity Pro-Am/finished T3).
• Cole Sherwood (T2/-4), winner of the 2026 Colonial Life Charity Classic, records a new 18-hole high position in his 47th start on Tour (previous 18-hole high position: T2/2025 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/finished T3).
• Yuta Sugiura (T5/-3), who is a three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, led the field in total birdies in the first round with seven en route to a 3-under 67.
• William Sides (T16/-1) and Frankie Harris (T16/-1), who are making their professional debuts this week, pace the nine PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 graduates through the first round o Sides, from Southern Methodist University, and Harris, from the University of South Carolina, finished Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, in the 2026 PGA TOUR University Ranking; players who finish Nos. 2-10 earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the 2026 season.