With a golf course measuring 6,710 yards and many of the best players in the world taking it on, scoring was expected to be low at LIV Hong Kong, but while 37 of the 54 players broke par on day one, nobody really took Hong Kong Golf Club to its knees.
Led by Dean Burmester’s seven-under 63, the Stingers grabbed the first-round team lead with a total score of 16 under. That’s one shot better than Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, the team that rallied past the Stingers last Sunday in a scintillating record-tying final-round 20-under performance.
Burmester and Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer share the individual lead, one stroke ahead of the six-man chasing pack that includes Burmester’s captain Louis Oosthuizen, Crushers’ Charles Howell III, Fireballs GC’s Eugenio Chacarra, 4Aces GC’s Harold Varner III, Ripper GC’s Matt Jones and Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer, whose 64 is his lowest score in a LIV Golf tournament Another stroke back is DeChambeau and Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka.
“Yeah, I didn’t think there was going to be that many low numbers,” said Ancer, “but I don’t know, I guess it’s just playing perfect. The greens are really good. There’s just a lot of guys that are playing really good at this time I feel like. Plus the golf course is in great shape. You’re hitting it good off the tee, feeling decent with the putter. You’re going to see some low numbers. Maybe we’ll get a little bit more wind because if it gets really windy, it’s actually very tricky. That’s why I felt like the numbers were a little bit lower than what I expected.”
Burmester almost didn’t play at all. He fell ill earlier in this week, and was nauseous on Tuesday, preventing him from practicing. Oosthuizen was also sick, but both managed to rebound. Burmester said it reminded him of the stomach bug he suffered last December at the South African Open when he was throwing up on the course and nearly withdrew. He finished that week by winning the tournament.
“Seems to be every time I get ill, I seem to play OK,” Burmester said, “so that’s great news.”
Graeme McDowell was among the 25 who were within four shots of the lead after making eagle on the par-5 third hole – his 15th – but bogeyed his final two to drop back to one-under and a tie for 31st.
Jon Rahm was moving nicely and birdied six of his opening 15 holes without a blemish to his name. That all changed on the next, which was the 18th, as he found the water and eventually made a triple bogey to fall back to -3.
Anthony Kim’s second start hasn’t seen his fortunes improve much, making just the one birdie and mixing in five bogeys and a double-bogey to finish on +6, but unlike last week, he’s not alone on that number with Hudson Swafford alongside and amazingly, they’re not even last. Phil Mickelson made three double bogeys and not a single birdie as he opened with a 10-over 80.
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