Jason Kokrak (US) and Paul Casey (Eng) lead the individual event after round one six under par 65’s in the 54 hole $25 million LIV Golf Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
This week sees the start of LIV Golf’s 2023 season at the Greg Norman designed El Camaleon golf course in Mexico.
Kokrak and Casey hold a two shot lead over Peter Uihlein (US), Talor Gooch (US) and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz, who all shot four under 67’s.
Kokrak made six birdies, including a chip-in, and stayed bogey-free and just 21 putts in this shotgun start no-cut format featuring 48 players in 12 teams.
‘With my type of game, I don't always get the chance to have a bogey-free round,’ said Kokrak.
Casey, meanwhile, started his round with a birdie at the par 4 sixth and was five under before taking a double bogey at the par 4 second hole. He bounced back by finishing his round with three consecutive birdies at Nos. 3-5.
Casey, two time winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and 2021 Dubai Desert Classic winner said, ‘I’ve never played here before. I’m used to desert golf, where you’ve got that feeling of two hazards either side of the fairway. This place just puts you on edge …. There are so many difficult tee shots that kind of get your attention. They kind of make you a bit nervous, to be honest, in this wind.’
Gooch was the only other player in the field to go bogey free Friday.
Dustin Johnson (US), last season's individual champion and the Captain of the defending team champion 4Aces, is tied for sixth at three under 68 with Charles Howell III (US), England's Ian Poulter, Australia's Marc Leishman and South Africa's Branden Grace.
LIV's highest ranked player, OWGR number five, Cameron Smith (Aus), is alone in 11th at two under 69.
Casey and Howell helped the Crushers GC take the team lead at 10 under through one round. Dubai based Anirban Lahiri (Ind) also contributed with a one under 70. The top three scores for each four man team count for each round of the team score. Crushers Captain Bryson DeChambeau (US) was the odd man out for his team after opening with a one over 72 that included a double bogey-bogey-bogey stretch.
Crushers have a three shot lead over Johnson's 4Aces GC and Brooks Koepka's Smash GC, each at seven under. 4Aces had contributions from Johnson, Uihlein and Pat Perez (even par 71), and Smash featured Kokrak, Koepka (even) and Matthew Wolff (one under).
Round One Leaders (Par 71, 7,003 Yards)
Individual
1 - P. Casey (Eng) 65 (-6)
- J. Kokrak (US) 65(-6)
3 - P. Uihlein (US) 67 (-4)
- C. Ortiz (Mex) 67 (-4)
- T. Gooch (US) 67 (-4)
Team
Crushers GC -10
Smash GC -7
4Aces GC -7
Ripper GC -6
Fireballs GC -4
Majesticks GC -1
