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
Phil Mickelson gets the crowd cheering as he rolls in his first birdie of the day to cancel out a previous bogey. He’s back to level par.
Following Phil down the 10th, Brooks Koepka comes up well short out of the fairway bunker on 10 but guides his third shot right to the back of the green and leaves himself a gettable nine to 10 footer for par.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Louis Oostuizen completes his first nine holes with a birdie on 11. Three birdies and a bogey so far for the Stingers captain sees him move within one shot of the lead.
He’s also dragged the Stingers into second in the team comp.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Bryson DeChambeau makes birdie!
It’s been a quietly consistent round for the big name America who is playing in his first LIV Golf event this week. Starting on 18 DeChambeau made seven consecutive pars before finally rolling in a putt for three on the par-4 seventh.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Branden Grace makes very good par on the 18th and gets up and down from about 80 yards out for a four to reamin without one shot of the lead.
Hudson Swafford’s up and down round goes on as he follows a birdie on 15 with a bogey on 16.
Almost halfway through the round now and a few of the big names are struggling. Greame McDowell is languishing at (+4) with Ian Poulter and Charl Schwartzel (+3) just ahead of him. Sergio Garcia (+1) and Lee Westwood (+2) are also in the black.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Hideto Tanihara moves into the lead after taking advantage of the par-5 17th to record his third birdie of the day. It’s been a consistent round for the Torque GC captain who is three under thru eight with no drop shots.
His teammate Jinichiro Kozuma is just one shot back and together their scores have given Torque a two shot lead in the team competition.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Torque GC’s Jinichiro Kozuma takes a share of the lead with a three on 13. The Japanese player is having an interesting day so far. Four birdies, two bogeys and two pars thru eight holes.
After a tricky start to his round Branden Grace now looks like he’s picked up where he left off in London. Two bogeys in his opening three holes put him in the black but he’s emulated Brooks Koepka and birdies his last three holes (15, 16, 17) to move to two-under for the day.
DP World Tour players want LIV Golf stars to face ‘very strong sanctions’, reveals Padraig Harrington
Padraig Harrington has revealed how DP World Tour players are pushing for “very strong sanctions” to be handed out to LIV Golf players.
The Irishman, captain for Europe last year in the 19-9 defeat to the Unites States, has also confirmed he will be consulted in discussions over new qualification rules for the Ryder Cup.
And there is pressure from current DP World Tour players to penalise those who have already jumped to the rebel tour in a bid to be rewarded with some resisting snubbing offers as large as £25m to sign up to Greg Norman’s new tour.
That could mean Ryder Cup stalwarts Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, all fined £100,000 and banned from the upcoming Scottish Open, could have played their last Ryder Cup match.
DP World Tour players want ‘very strong sanctions’ for LIV Golf stars
The Irishman, who captained Team Europe last year in a 19-9 loss, will be consulted over new qualification rules with pressure to freeze out those defecting to the Saudi-backed tour
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Peter Uihlein saves par with a 10-foot putt on the third to remain one-under for the round.
I bet Brooks is feeling happier about his choice to join LIV Golf now. Three birdies in a row on five, six and seven sees the American and captain of Smash GC take a share of the lead.
He’s certainly found his range now.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Hudson Swafford gets a highlight real for this beautiful approach at 12. He followed up that birdie with a five on the par-4 13th though and gave the shot straight back.
LIV Golf Portland Invitational: Day 1
Dropped shot!
Carlos Ortiz drops back into the pack with a bogey four on the 14th. That dropped shot has also closed the gap in the team competition with the Fireballs GC now only one shot in front.
The Hy Flyers, Torque, Crushers and 4 Aces are all hunting them down.
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