Smash GC sits atop the workforce leaderboard at Jack Nicklaus Golf Membership
INCHEON, South Korea – Whereas Bryson DeChambeau continued his quick-start prowess Friday, Talor Gooch hopes his opening-round efficiency at LIV Golf Korea will jump-start his season.
DeChambeau, the Crushers GC Captain, rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on his last gap to shoot a bogey-free 7-under 65 and be a part of Gooch atop the person leaderboard at Jack Nicklaus Golf Membership Korea. It’s the second consecutive week that DeChambeau has held at the least a share of the lead after 18 holes, and the fifth time in his final seven worldwide begins – together with the latest Masters – by which he’s been in a top-5 place after the opening spherical.
“It was a troublesome, grueling spherical of golf,” stated DeChambeau, who completed tied for fifth final week at LIV Golf Mexico Metropolis. “I used to be pleased with the way in which I caught in there. I performed some nice golf as we speak.”
Gooch, in his second season with Smash GC, posted six birdies throughout an eight-hole stretch to gas his spherical of 65. His stellar iron play regarded very acquainted to the shape he displayed in 2023 when he gained three tournaments and the 2023 LIV Golf Particular person Championship whereas enjoying with RangeGoats GC.
After a disappointing 2024 season and a sluggish begin to 2025, his final two begins have been encouraging, with top-15 finishes in Miami and Mexico Metropolis. Friday’s spherical was one other constructive step.
“Yeah, it was a troublesome begin to the 12 months,” stated Gooch, who put collectively two streaks of three consecutive birdies between the second and ninth holes. “The sport was fairly rusty. It has been good these previous couple occasions to point out some life and get some good golf going once more.
“Hopefully this spherical type of kick-starts a great remainder of the season and we will type of channel a few of that 2023 season once more.”
With Gooch and DeChambeau main their groups, Smash and Crushers additionally stand atop the leaderboard. Smash – captained by Brooks Koepka – shot a cumulative 10 beneath to guide the Crushers by one shot. The RangeGoats, who’ve Korean participant Minkyu Kim of their lineup this week, are in solo third at 8 beneath.
Fourth within the workforce standings is Stinger GC, captained by Louis Oosthuizen, who’s tied for third with Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland on the person leaderboard at 6 beneath. Ten years in the past, Oosthuizen went undefeated on the Presidents Cup at Jack Nicklaus Golf Membership Korea, successful 4 matches with accomplice Branden Grace and halving his singles match with one other future LIV Golf participant, Patrick Reed.
Grace, now one in every of his Stingers teammates, is out this week with an harm, however Oosthuizen stated he nonetheless discovered time to reminisce. “Positively as we speak on a couple of events I keep in mind pictures that I hit again in 2015,” Oosthuizen stated. “Simply good reminiscences.”
DeChambeau and Gooch every search to carve out some good reminiscences this weekend in Korea. Final week in Mexico Metropolis didn’t finish in addition to DeChambeau hoped, and final season definitely didn’t present many positives for Gooch contained in the ropes. However each are feeling upbeat after Friday.
“I’m excited for the weekend,” DeChambeau stated. “It’s going to be a enjoyable battle.”
TEAM SCORES
LIV Golf’s new scoring format this season now entails all 4 scores now counting in each spherical within the workforce competitors. Listed below are the outcomes and scores for every workforce after Friday’s Rd. 1 of LIV Golf Korea introduced by Coupang Play.
1. SMASH GC -10 (Gooch 65, Kokrak 69, Koepka 71, McDowell 73)
2. CRUSHERS GC -9 (DeChambeau 65, Lahiri 68, Howell III 70, Casey 76)
3. RANGEGOATS GC -8 (M. Kim 69, Watson 69, Uihlein 71, Wolff 71)
4. STINGER GC -7 (Oosthuizen 66, Burmester 68, Catlin 73, Schwartzel 74)
5. CLEEKS GC -6 (Bland 66, Meronk 69, Kaymer 72, Kjettrup 75)
6. MAJESTICKS GC -4 (Poulter 69, Stenson 69, Horsfield 73, Westwood 73)
7. TORQUE GC -2 (Niemann 68, Ortiz 71, Muñoz 73, Pereira 74)
8. IRON HEADS GC -1 (Kozuma 68, Na 70, Lee 73, Jang 76)
9. LEGION XIII E (Hatton 69, Rahm 72, Surratt 73, McKibbin 74)
10. RIPPER GC +1 (Herbert 71, Leishman 71, Smith 73, Jones 74)
11. 4ACES GC +3 (Pieters 71, Reed 71, Johnson 72, Varner III 77)
12. FIREBALLS GC +5 (Puig 71, Ancer 72, Masaveu 73, Garcia 76)
13. HYFLYERS GC +8 (Ogletree 72, Steele 73, Mickelson 75, Tringale 76)
Wild Playing cards: C. Lee 73. A. Kim 79
ROUND 1 NOTES
TWO ACES: For the second time in LIV Golf historical past, two aces have been made in the identical spherical, with Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester making a hole-in-one on the 205-yard thirteenth, whereas Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman following about an hour later with a hole-in-one on the 172-yard fifth.
That brings the LIV Golf whole to 12 aces in league historical past, and 4 within the 2025 season. Final 12 months in Hong Kong, two aces have been made within the last spherical by Joaquin Niemann and Kalle Samooja.
For Burmester, it’s his second ace in competitors and fifth general since recording his first ace on the age of 24. His ace on Friday additionally resulted in a fan receiving a brand new BMW automobile. Along with his ace, Burmester additionally holed-out for eagle on the par-5 18th.
“A hole-in-one and an eagle in sooner or later, that doesn’t occur fairly often,” Burmester stated.
For Leishman, it’s his fourth profession ace in competitors and sixth general.
ELEVATION CHANGE: Final week in Mexico Metropolis, the LIV Golf gamers competed at an elevation slightly below 8,000 ft. Now they’re enjoying at sea stage in Korea. For giant-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, that’s fairly a change.
“A novel take a look at for me,” stated the Crushers GC captain after grabbing a share of the lead with a 7-under 65. “I curve the ball rather a lot, so at elevation, it was good for the ball to fly rather a lot straighter. Right here, it’s curving rather a lot. So controlling my curvature, plotting across the golf course properly.”
GOOCH’S SMASH SUCCESS: Though Talor Gooch didn’t win a person match final season, he did take pleasure in two workforce victories in his first season with Smash GC. A 12 months earlier, he led the RangeGoats to their solely workforce victory, and within the inaugural 2022 LIV Golf season, he was a member of Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC that gained 4 regular-season occasions and the Workforce Championship.
Smash has struggled for consistency this season however they’ll go into the weekend in Korea with the lead – and an opportunity for Gooch to increase his streak of successful at the least one workforce trophy every season.
“If we go shoot 10-under par for the subsequent two days, that will be a fantastic recreation plan,” Gooch stated. “Nice day for the workforce, and hopefully we will hold it going the subsequent two days.”
IRON HEADS UPDATE: Native favorites Iron Heads GC, with its three Korean-born gamers, shot a cumulative 1-under for solo eighth on the workforce leaderboard. The workforce did effectively to bounce again from Yubin Jang’s early sextuple bogey when he hit three balls within the water on his second gap of the day, the par-4 eleventh. Jang rallied to play his last 16 holes in 2 beneath.
RESERVES UPDATE: Korea’s Minkyu Kim, within the RangeGoats’ lineup as a alternative for Ben Campbell, shot a 3-under 69 and is tied for ninth. American John Catlin, within the Stinger lineup as a alternative for Branden Grace, shot a 73 and is tied for thirty second.
ROUND 1 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Talor Gooch, 100% (14 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance common (for measured holes 3 and 16): Mito Pereira, 369.7 yards avg.
Longest drive (amongst measured holes 3 and 16): Mito Pereira, 422.6 yards, third gap
Greens in regulation: Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, 83.33% (15 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Jinichiro Kozuma (6 of 6), Talor Gooch (5 of 5), Bryson DeChambeau (5 of 5), Tom McKibbin (5 of 5), Anirban Lahiri (4 of 4), 100%
Placing: Ian Poulter, 1.22 putts per gap
Bogey-free rounds: Bryson DeChambeau (65), Jinichiro Kozuma (68)
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
Need nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
LIV Golf
Get extra from LIV Golf Comply with your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra
