In a spectacular display that would have the golf gods nodding in approval, Brooks Koepka has stormed ahead in the first round of LIV Golf Chicago, putting a fair distance between himself and the chasers with a masterful 8-under 62.
Not just a stroll in the park, mind youโthis performance at the challenging Bolingbrook Golf Club has Koepka eyeing a hat-trick of season finale wins, a feat as rare as an albatross.
On a course that was anything but forgiving, with firm greens and winds that could turn a cap into a kite, Koepkaโs bogey-free round was the day’s high note.
His four-shot lead? Itโs tantalizingly close to breaking the record for the largest lead after the opening round in LIV Golfโs history.
โA good player gets hot and they can shoot 62 pretty easy,โ said Koepka. โThereโs a bunch of guys out here that can do that. When itโs your day, itโs your day.โ
Hot on his heels, Paul Casey of Crushers GC managed a solid 66, claiming the second spot solo, while his teammate Anirban Lahiri is just a stroke behind.
Itโs a team effort, as their captain Bryson DeChambeau rounds out a strong showing for the Crushers, who collectively have carved out a four-shot lead on the team leaderboard.
Koepkaโs not just playing for another trophy to hoistโheโs gunning for the third spot in the season-long Individual Championship.
The current holder, Tyrrell Hatton, might be feeling the heat after a first round that saw him plummet with a 3-over 73. Koepka, fueled by recent victories and that ever-blazing competitive spirit, knows it’s within his grasp.
While Koepka sets his sights on the prize, the Individual Championship tussle sees no room for him this year, being a tight race between Legion XIIIโs Jon Rahm and Torque GCโs Joaquin Niemann.
Both are locked in a point battle that could go down to the wire. They started the tournament within a shot of each other, keeping the suspense as thick as the Chicago wind.
โLook, there’s a lot of golf to play,โ Niemann said. โIt’s a good start, yes, but there’s still a nice long weekend to come, so looking forward to that.โ
Niemann, just a stroke better than Rahm in the first round, knows the weekend is long and the game, unpredictable.
Rahm, ever the strategist, is looking to climb each day, knowing well that keeping pace with Niemann could crown him champion by Sunday.
โWeโve got two more days,โ Rahm said. โHopefully weโll keep it going and get a little better every day.โ
As the tournament progresses, Koepkaโs blistering start has set the bar sky-high. If his putter stays as hot as it was on opening dayโechoing his own humorous nod to Cameron Smithโs legendary greenside magicโthe rest might just be playing for second.
Caseyโs wry comment summed it up nicely: if Koepka keeps this up, they might as well hand over the trophy now.
