Three Players Share LIV Golf Korea Lead At Five Under

Three Players Share LIV Golf Korea Lead At Five Under

Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III and Scott Vincent each shot a 5-under 65 at Asiad Country Club in Busan on Thursday to share the first-round lead at LIV Golf Korea. It marks the second consecutive year that DeChambeau and Howell, both members of Crushers GC, have sat atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the Korean event, having contested the individual title here in 2024 as well.

Joaquin Niemann, Ian Poulter and Thomas Pieters are one shot back in a three-way tie for fourth, while Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Laurie Canter share seventh place at 3 under. Poulter is competing with a torn meniscus in his left knee, sustained at the previous LIV Golf tournament, and has been told surgery will be required after the season concludes. Crushers GC lead the team standings at 10 under, with OKGC second at 7 under and HyFlyers GC and Fireballs GC tied for third at 5 under. Korean GC, the home side, are fifth at 3 under after Younghan Song and debutant Doyeob Mun both posted 68s, their strongest opening-round team position of the season.

DeChambeau reached 6 under through ten holes before bogeys at the 13th and 15th pulled him back to the group. Vincent’s 65 was the only bogey-free round of the day, continuing a run of form that has coincided with his move from independent Wild Card status into the HyFlyers GC lineup as a replacement for captain Phil Mickelson. Points leader Jon Rahm, who entered the round with 38 consecutive rounds of par or better in LIV Golf, recovered from 3 over through 13 holes to card an even-par 70 and joins an 11-way tie for 27th.

The second round takes place Friday at Asiad Country Club, with DeChambeau, Howell and Vincent needing to hold off a tightly packed field – ten players are within two shots of the lead – to maintain their position heading into the weekend.