LIV Golf Las Vegas: Day One
Bouncing back: 2024 didn’t start strong for Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters, and Peter Uihlein. Out of 54 players in Mayakoba, the three respectively finished 54th, 43rd, and 51st. After day one in Las Vegas, the trio heads into Friday among the top 10. The 4Aces Varner III holds a share of the lead at 7 under par, shooting a bogey-free 63. Joining Varner III in first is Crushers GC’s Paul Casey coming in at 63 with eight birdies. Casey is carrying the momentum from a strong showing in Mayakoba where he shot 3 under par on the final day. Pieters ends day one in a tie for third with a 5 under par 65 while his RangeGoats teammate Uihlein is in a tie for 7th carding a 4 under par 66.
The rest of the top-10: Joining Pieters in third are his RangeGoats teammates Bubba Watson and Matthew Wolff. Watson ended day one with seven birdies while Wolff had an impressive bogey-free round and five birdies. Also, a part of the tie for third is the unsung hero of Smash GC Jason Kokrak with six birdies. Joining Uihlein in 7th are Talor Gooch, Anirban Lahiri, and Graeme McDowell. 2023’s individual champ Talor Gooch finishes Thursday with five birdies. Lahiri had an eagle on one and added three birdies. Gooch’s Smash GC teammate McDowell ended the day with five birdies.
Good problems to have: In the team competition, the RangeGoats deservingly find themselves in first place at -15. In second is Crushers GC at -14 and in a tie for third is Smash GC and the 4Aces at -13. On days one and two, only the first three scores count. This means Uihlein’s impressive first day does not count toward the team score, but not a bad problem to have when your last-place player is in 7th. The Crushers have two players in the top 10, with Bryson DeChambeau just outside in 11th with a three-under-par 67. Like the RangeGoats, Smash finds themselves with three players in the top 10, meaning captain Brooks Koepka’s score doesn’t count. Koepka heads into Friday at -2 and is in a tie for 22nd, certainly still in contention being only five back. Harold Varner III being in first has helped propel the 4Aces into a tie for third but Pat Perez bounced back with a hot opening round. Perez, who finished 51st in Mayakoba, is just outside the top 10 in a tie for 11th with six birdies, including four of them in a row. Rounding out the 4Aces scorers is Dustin Johnson who joins Perez in a tie for 11th.
Thinner margins and anyone’s ballgame: 46 players find themselves at even or better, with 46th place being eight back of the lead and four out of the top 10. Anyone’s ballgame at this point.
