LIV Golf LIVE: Leaderboard and Day 1 scores as Carlos Ortiz leads the way after the opening round in Portland
Follow all the action from the second event of the Saudi-funded breakaway series
Golf’s newest and most controversial tour, the LIV Golf Series, hosts its second event in Portland, Oregon this week with the action kicking off tonight. The Saudi-backed venture has added more high-profile names to its roster, with America’s Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed among the latest players to defect from the PGA Tour, joining the likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
The American PGA Tour and European DP World Tour have issued suspensions and fines respectively in a bid to halt the breakaway but players Carlos Ortiz and Matthew Wolff have committed themselves to LIV Golf in the last week alone. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, amongst others, have spoken publicly in favour of golf’s two main tours yet the field in Portland is set to be significantly stronger than at LIV Golf’s inaugural event in England last month.
South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel bagged the first winner’s cheque for £3.85m after triumphing at the Centurion Club and another eye-watering £20m prize pot will be on offer in Oregon with the lure of the Saudi-backed rebel series’ riches proving hard to resist for players. The full field of 48 players has been confirmed and the format will continue to be a 54-hole shotgun start played across three days with Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland hosting this week’s event.
Relive all the action from Day 1 of the second event of the controversial tour below:
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Despite Ortiz’s heroics, the day has to go to Dustin Johnson. He never quite found his rhythm and on more than one occasion ended up playing shots from the footpaths, mingling with the crowd almost as much as finding the fairways.
But, he’s Dustin Johnson.
The captain of the 4 Aces led his team to an impressive two shot lead in the team tournament and is himself just one behind Ortiz in the individual event.
Johnson somehow managed to rescue holes, make pars and - barring a mishap on his first hole - avoid picking up bogeys in a frantic round that brought entertainment and skill in equal measure.
He was ably joined by new teammate and LIV Golf debutant Pat Perez (-3) who could have finished the day at the top of the leaderboard if it weren’t for a double bogey on the 18th from the middle of the fairway.
Still, the 4 Aces GC are well positioned to attack Day 2 and take control of LIV Golf’s second invitational. Join us again tomorrow night to see how they fare and whether Carlos Ortiz can cling on to his place at the top of the leaderboard.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
It was a fantastic opening day at Pumpkin Ridge for 31-year-old Carlos Ortiz who recorded a five under par 67.
Starting his round on the ninth hole as part of LIV Golf’s unique shotgun start selling point, Ortiz birdied the opening hole and never looked back. He went on to collect two more shots on 10 and 12 before hitting a stumbling block for his round with consecutive bogeys at the 14th and 15th.
Yet, just like the gloriously weather blazing down on the course in Portland, Ortiz’s spirits were not dampened. He recorded four further birdies during the rest of his round and finished off with a par on the eighth to take a one shot lead over Dustin Johnson into the second day’s play.
It was a much needed low score from Ortiz whose Fireballs GC teammates struggled to get to grips with the tricky greens and all ended the day in the black. Abraham Ancer (+1) was the next lowest tally and their combined score sees the Fireballs still in the running for the team event at (-4).
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1 leaderboard
Individual leaderboard
-5 Carlos Ortiz
-4 Dustin Johnson
-3 Pat Perez, Hideto Tanihara, Wade Ormsby, Branden Grace
-2 Brooks Koepka, Hennie Du Plessis
-1 Scott Vincent, Martin Kaymer, Yuki Inamori, Jinichiro Kozuma, Louis Oosthuizen
Team Leaderboard
-7 4 Aces GC
-5 Stingers GC
-4 Torque GC, Fireballs GC
-3 Punch GC
-2 Clerks GC
-1 Smash GC
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Dustin Johnson gave his post-round reaction after recording an opening 68 around Pumpkin Ridge.
“I was swinging well and had a really good warm up this morning.” he said, “I played really nicely, I hit a lot of fairways and just played really solid.
“I gave myself a lot of chances and missed quite a few short ones but the greens are really tough to read and it felt like I hit a lot of good putts. I’m very pleased with how I played.”
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
An opening round of 67 for Carlos Ortiz sees him head into the clubhouse with the lead at (-5). Dustin Johnson has a tricky putt to hold onto par on his final hole...
... it drops. It’s a round of 68 for DJ who is just one off the lead.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
The opening rounds at Pumpkin Ridge are winding down. Brooks Koepka holes his par putt on 18 to end his first ever LIV Golf round on two-under par.
Hideto Tanihara misses his birdie putt on the eighth and has to settle for par.
Elsewhere Jinichiro Kozuma (-1) and Matthew Wolff (E) have completed their rounds.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Carlos Ortiz!
Birdie on six, birdie on seven and now there’s a new leader. The 31-year-old is the first to reach five under par for the day and moves into the outright lead with one hole to play.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Wade Ormsby’s come from nowhere!
He opened his round with nine straight pars over the back nine before recording four birdies and a bogey in the first seven holes of the front nine.
He’s got two to play and is down to three under, one shot off the leaders.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Carlos Ortiz started strong and he’s ending strong. Two holes to play for the Mexican and he’s just moved to the top of the leaderboard with a three on the par-4 sixth.
Jinichiro Kozuma has earned a shot back after his double bogey on the third but Bryson DeChambeau has dropped back to level par with a bogey on 14.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
A birdie at 11 for Justin Harding moves him within one of the lead at three under par.
Pat Perez and Jinichiro Kozuma both drop shots and collect double bogeys on 18 and 3 respectively falling all the way back to one under and putting bug dents in their rounds.
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