Darren Clarke and Michael Wright each shot 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead at the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO at Tiburón Golf Club. Clarke eagled two of his last four holes, while Wright recovered from a double bogey with late birdies. Defending champion Justin Leonard sits at T3 with a 66.
The first round of the 2026 Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO unfolded at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida, where Darren Clarke and Michael Wright posted matching scores of 7-under 65 to take the early lead. Clarke, a 57-year-old from Northern Ireland, carded a 34 on the front nine and 31 on the back, including eagles on the par-5 15th and 18th holes. He played the par 5s in 6-under for the day, marking his lowest 18-hole score at the venue in his 13th round there. This performance equals his previous low of 67 from the 2025 opening round. Clarke, who last won an individual event at the 2022 ISPS HANDA Senior Open, now seeks his sixth PGA TOUR Champions victory in his 152nd start. He has held the first-round lead or co-lead seven times on the tour, converting two into wins, including the 2021 Sanford International.
Michael Wright, a 51-year-old Australian in his 45th start, opened with a 31 on the front and 34 on the back. He reached 5-under through 12 holes before a double bogey on the 13th, then birdied four of his last five to join Clarke atop the leaderboard. Wright led the field with nine birdies and is making his second appearance at the event, having finished T12 in 2025. He previously co-led after the first round at the 2024 Invited Celebrity Classic but ended T53.
Several notables followed closely. Defending champion Justin Leonard birdied eight times for a 66, placing T3; his recent finishes at the Chubb Classic include T8, first, a win, and now T3. Scott Parel, the 2020 winner, overcame a double bogey on 17 with birdies on 11-15 for another 66. Ricardo Gonzalez closed with an eagle on 18 for 66, his only tour win coming in February 2024 at the Trophy Hassan II. Rob Labritz birdied 11-14 en route to 66 in his 82nd start. Debutant George McNeill, a Naples native who turned 50 in October 2025, started with three birdies for a 70 at T23. Five-time Chubb Classic winner Bernhard Langer opened with 71 at T34; one more victory would tie Hale Irwin's record of six wins at a single event.
Tiburón Golf Club has hosted the tournament since 2021.
