Joey Savoie (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) carded a 7-under 65 Friday at the Kia Open de Ecuador presentado por Diners Club and leads by one as the second round was suspended due to darkness in Quito, Ecuador.
Savoie’s 13-under 131 total at Quito Tenis & Golf Club is his best 36-hole score since the 2024 BioSteel Championship in Windsor, Ontario, where he opened with rounds of 62-64 and went on to finish T4. He finished No. 13 on the PGA TOUR Americas Points List in 2024, but fell back to a No. 77 finish last season with just two top-25s in 16 starts.
So far this season, Savoie has made the cut in all three events, highlighted by a T8 at the 71st ECP Brazil Open, and he’s currently No. 17 on the points list.
Ollie Osborne (Reno, Nevada) carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 late in the day to charge into solo second at 12-under.
Charlie Nikitas (Glenview, Illinois) carded the day’s best round, 9-under 63, to move into a four-way tie for second at 11-under alongside first-round leader Thomas Ponder (Dothan, Alabama), Drew Goodman (Norman, Oklahoma) and Jake Sollon (Venetia, Pennsylvania). Also shooting 63 on Friday was Alex Weiss (Columbus, Ohio), who is T9 at 9-under.
Mark Lawrence Jr. (Richmond, Virginia) recorded an ace on No. 2, his 11th hole of the day. He hit a 7-iron from 232 yards for the fourth hole-in-one of his career and is T26 after back-to-back 69s.
The second round will resume at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, with only the Ecuadorian trio of Felipe Garcés (T26 at 6-under), Renato Naula (T36 at 5-under), and amateur Philippe Thorin (T104 at 1-over) left to finish.
The cut for the low 60 and ties is currently projected at 4-under 140, with 62 players currently in. After the cut is made, the third round will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10 tees in threesomes.
