After a challenging round in Australia, Sebastián Muñoz of Torque GC took the lead on Friday at LIV Golf Singapore with a stellar 6-under 65 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course.
He holds a one-shot advantage over six players, including Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka, Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer, and others.
The team leaderboard is equally competitive, with Fireballs and Smash sharing the lead at 11 under, closely followed by Cleeks, RangeGoats, and Stinger GC.
Muñoz’s impressive performance came after a disappointing showing in the first round in Adelaide, where he recorded five bogeys.
He credited his teammates for their support during a “little low point.” “We kind of had a deep talk,” he said.
“Just having good, solid teammates can help you a lot.” Muñoz started strong in Singapore, with birdies on two of his first three holes.
Koepka, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, found his putting groove, recording five birdies in his first seven holes.
Despite a three-putt on the 16th, he felt positive about his putting. “Thought I putted OK,” he said. “Speed was off, but the ones that I needed to make, I felt like I made.”
Thomas Pieters of RangeGoats GC showed consistency with a bogey-free 66, including an eagle on the 18th.
Pieters has been improving recently, and he attributes it to his focused practice.
“Putting a lot of work in it over the last few months,” Pieters said. “I just had a rough time last year personally, and I finally found the time and the focus to kind of re-focus on my game.”
Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer also continued his strong form, despite an early bogey, by hitting three consecutive birdies in his first nine holes.
Ancer, who finished near the bottom in Singapore last year, expressed his relief at a strong start.
“I was not in the same spot with my swing last year,” Ancer said. “Feel a lot better today. Big difference.”
Other notable performances include Kaymer’s 66 after an impressive 8-under 64 in Adelaide, and Na’s solid play with a bogey-free first 15 holes.
ROUND 1 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Louis Oosthuizen, 92.86.% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Joaquin Niemann, 330.4 yards avg.
Longest drive: Joaquin Niemann, 345.4 yards, 5th hole
Greens in regulation: Abraham Ancer, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Matthew Wolff, 88.89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Graeme McDowell (6 of 6), Jon Rahm (6 of 6), Scott Vincent (6 of 6), Paul Casey (4 of 4), Brooks Koepka (4 of 4), Thomas Pieters (3 of 3), Adrian Meronk (3 of 3), Matthew Wolff (2 of 2), 100%
Putting: Marc Leishman, 1.33 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Thomas Pieters (66), Adrian Meronk (67), Graeme McDowell (68), Scott Vincent (70)
TEAM COUNTING SCORES
Standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore.
The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round.
The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
T1. FIREBALLS GC -11 (Ancer 66, Chacarra 67, Garcia 69)
T1. SMASH GC -11 (Koepka 66, Gooch 68, McDowell 68)
T3. RANGEGOATS GC -10 (Pieters 66, Wolff 68, Uihlein 69)
T3. CLEEKS GC -10 (Kaymer 66, Meronk 67, Bland 70)
T3. STINGER GC -10 (Burmester 67, Oosthuizen 67, Grace 69)
6. TORQUE GC -9 (Muñoz 65, Niemann 67, Ortiz 72)
T7. RIPPER GC -8 (Herbert 67, Leishman 67, Smith 71)
T7. LEGION XIII -8 (Hatton 68, Vincent 68, Rahm 69)
9. HYFLYERS GC -7 (Tringale 66, Steele 68, Mickelson 72)
10. IRON HEADS GC -5 (Na 66, Vincent 70, Lee 72)
11. 4ACES GC -4 (Johnson 67, Reed 71, Varner III 71)
T12. CRUSHERS GC -1 (Casey 69, Lahiri 70, DeChambeau 73)
T12. MAJESTICKS GC -1 (Poulter 70, Horsfield 71, Westwood 71)
