Kanter tied for the 54-hole lead with Italy's Guido Migliozzi and shot a one-under 72 at Green Eagle Golf Links to finish at 13 under, two shots ahead of Bernd Wiesberger and Thriston Lawrence.
After birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, Kanter easily made a three-putt bogey on the par-3 17th hole, just minutes after Wiesberg in the group ahead made the same bogey, completely ruining his chances of winning.
Lawrence shot a four-over 77 in the first round and finished with a 68, making birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes, but missed a brilliant eagle shot on the final hole when he came within seven feet of his target.
Kanter was one of the first players to switch to LIV Golf in 2022, but has spent the past two seasons as a reserve for the Saudi-funded Independence team and is now back playing golf in his homeland.
“I find it difficult,” the 34-year-old said in an interview. Sky Sports What it means to finally get that first win.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do before I became a professional footballer so it’s hard to be rational about it right now but I’m really happy.
“I tried not to get caught up in the tournament and keep it as real as possible. Everything went my way today, whereas it didn’t in the past. Now that I do, and looking back at the times when I didn’t, I think it was less about what I did and more about what other people did.
“I hit a great putt today on the 15th and 16th holes, and that happened to me today, and from my perspective, I kept putting one foot in front of the other.
“I know how to play golf, and I just kept telling myself that, and even on the 18th hole, I think in the past I was thinking about things that could go wrong, but just kept a clear head and hit the ball where I wanted it on the right side of the fairway and hit the hole.
“It’s a great feeling and it may take a while to process what’s happened.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to do and now that I’ve done it, it’s going to open up some opportunities for me.
“In July I think I can play the Scottish Open, which is great, it means I can play these tournaments at the end of the year and ultimately if I want to move up the world rankings and play in the biggest tournaments in the world, you have to know how to win and you probably don’t have that belief until you’ve done it.
“Hopefully this means I can keep working hard and keep improving.”
