Robert TheodorsonPlayers set to compete at the 89th Masters were prominently positioned atop the leaderboard after Friday’s LIV Miami action concluded.
Former Masters Champion Patrick Reed set himself apart from the field with a near-perfect opening round, putting on a masterclass showcase in front of a field that struggled mightily.
Reed’s perfect day was broken up by a tough Par 3 that featured an errant tee shot, followed up by a pitch shot that landed short in the bunker protecting the green eventually ending with a double bogey.
Despite the ending, Reed was clearly Friday’s dominant force.
Phil Mickelson, Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau braved the unfavourable conditions and showed the world they are ready to win the green jacket.
Each had wildly different days, but all ended Friday in the Top 10. Phil and Bryson both only had one bogey while Dustin Johnson scored the most but also made quite a few mistakes, eventually making up for all of them.
Augusta Bound: How Did the LIV Dozen Perform?
Opening Round scores for all twelve LIV golfers that will be playing for the green jacket next week.
- Tyrrell Hatton; T46; 6-over
- Joaquin Niemann; T43; 6-over
- Bubba Watson; T35; 4-over
- Brooks Koepka; T17; 1-over
- Jon Rahm; T17; 1-over
- Cam Smith; T10; Even
- Sergio Garcia; T5; 2-under
- Charl Schwartzel; T5; 2-under
- Phil Mickelson; T2; 3-under
- Bryson DeChambeau; T2; 3-under
- Dustin Johnson; T2; 3-under
- Patrick Reed; 1st Place; 5-under
Niemann Not Ready for Augusta?
Joaquin Niemann, LIV’s individual leader on the season, got into serious trouble early and had to dig himself out of a huge hole that was crafted by a day full of mistakes and bad shots.
Joaco’s problems began with an early three-hole stretch of bogey, double bogey, double bogey.
It didn’t get any better from there.
Just as it seemed the Torque boss was about to right the ship, disaster struck again and again with a couple of late bogies and an awful finishing hole featuring a golf ball that is now forever underwater at Trump Doral. His day resulted in a T43 finish with a score of 6-over par.
One of the favourites amongst the LIV field, Niemann must have an incredible weekend to put himself back in contention.
He will need to go from worst to best in two days on one of LIV’s most difficult courses.
Blue Monster Takes No Prisoners
Trump Doral’s Blue Monster proved the most difficult test the LIV field has faced all season.
The Blue Monster absolutely shredded team scores like we have never seen before, and on the individual front, separated the best from the rest quickly and thoroughly.
Team standings changed drastically upon the conclusion of seemingly every single hole at Doral.
The only team to post a score under par were the Crushers, each led by Bryson DeChambeau.
Triple bogeys were plentiful with several teams’ players contributing to the rarely-seen score in professional golf.
The conditions in Miami did not help matters one bit. Gusty winds took palm trees sideways, multiple decent tee shots were swept out of play, and a sudden downpour made the entire field uncomfortable on the green.
Better weather tomorrow and Sunday should undo some of the damage done on Friday, though for several teams their hopes of a podium finish may have already been sunk.
Can Patrick Reed maintain his lead and build momentum for Augusta? Find out tomorrow as LIV Miami returns tomorrow at 11 AM ET on the Fox Sports App before switching over to FS1 for the remainder of the day.
