Ricardo Gonzalez leads after opening round of Pro Football Hall event

Argentine golfer shoots 6-under 66 to take one-shot lead in Florida

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez opened the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational with an eagle and holds a one-shot lead after the first round of the event on Friday in Boca Raton, Florida. Gonzalez shot a 6-under-par 66 at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club, with Stewart Cink one stroke back and George McNeill and Australian Steve Allan tied for third at 4 under.

Why it matters

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational is a prestigious senior golf event that attracts many of the top players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Gonzalez's strong opening round puts him in contention to potentially win his second career title on the senior tour.

The details

Gonzalez began his round on the par-5 10th hole, reaching the green in two and sinking the putt for an eagle. He then recorded five birdies before making his lone bogey of the day at the par-3 eighth hole. Cink's steady round featured three birdies on each nine surrounding his lone bogey at the par-4 ninth hole.

  • The first round of the event was played on Friday, March 7, 2026.

The players

Ricardo Gonzalez

An Argentine golfer who holds a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational. Gonzalez's lone PGA Tour Champions win came in 2024 in Morocco.

Stewart Cink

A former Open Championship winner who is one stroke back of Gonzalez after the first round. Cink owns five career senior wins, including the Charles Schwab Cup Championship last fall and the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January.

George McNeill

An American golfer who is tied for third at 4 under par after the opening round.

Steve Allan

An Australian golfer who is tied for third at 4 under par after the opening round.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I feel great because I think is my first time starting the top of the leaderboard and so happy to do that. And especially here on this golf course, very tough in this wind today. I think one of my best day in golf.”

— Ricardo Gonzalez (statenews.net)

“This is my first time playing this course, and every day I've played it this week it's been the same wind, the same wind direction. There's been very little variance. So we're getting accustomed to playing this course with this kind of wind direction. Now, if it flipped around and blew the (other) direction, it would be a completely different course, but as it is we're kind of getting the feel for some of these tee shots and some of the approaches.”

— Stewart Cink (statenews.net)

What’s next

The second round of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational will be played on Saturday, March 8, 2026.

The takeaway

Ricardo Gonzalez's strong opening round performance puts him in prime position to potentially win his second career title on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. However, with several top players within striking distance, the tournament remains wide open heading into the weekend.