For those out there who feel like giving up after that eagle chance lipped out or it took seven swipes to get out of a greenside bunker, look no further than Anirban Lahiri to inspire you to dust yourself down and give it another go.

The 36-year-old Indian, a seven-time champion on the Asian Tour, has had an impressive season so far in the face of adversity, helping his Crushers team take the top spot in the LIV Golf League 2023 opener at Mayakoba, before bouncing back from a disappointing showing at Tuscon with a runners-up spot at the International Series Vietnam behind Kieran Vincent and then matched that result at LIV Golf Adelaide in April, after starting the final round 11 shots behind eventual champion Talor Gooch.

“There have been some amazing strides on the Asian Tour,” Lahiri told Gold Digest Middle East. “I just missed out in Vietnam on the International Series and it is great getting to travel to all these places on the Asian Tour and also on LIV, with the likes of Singapore and Australia on the schedule.

Lahiri has had little time to relax as he is now gearing up for the International Series ‘UK Swing’, as well as having squeezed in LIV Golf events at Valderrama and a return to Centurion Club near London. 

“We are going back to England on both the Asian Tour and LIV Golf League, and then we have the wonderful bonus of heading to Scotland and St Andrews to play the Fairmont on the International Series, too, before we finish up back in Jeddah for the LIV Golf finale, where this journey all began really with the elevated PIF Saudi International joining the Asian Tour and really reinvigorating the tour.

“You couldn’t ask for more. We were in a rut with Covid, but thanks to LIV Golf Investments, the Asian Tour could not be in a stronger position, and then there is the added incentive of playing your way on to the LIV Golf League for 2024, with the Asian Order of Merit winner booking an automatic spot, while the next 30 or so go into a playoff for the remaining spots.” 

Lahiri is also loving the team bonding on the LIV tour, as he plays alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III for the Crushers, who are fifth in the season-long team standings at the halfway stage, with the highlights being a win, a third and two fourth-place finishes. 

“LIV Golf is amazing, there is a real unity in the team with Casey and Bryson each bringing their own ideas and experience to the table, while Charles has been playing phenomenal golf with that win in Mayakoba to open the season and get us the double,” Lahiri said.

That team unity was something Lahiri leaned on — along with family support and his own resilience — as tragedy struck during that period in Adelaide.

Lahiri shot 66 and 65 over the weekend at The Grange, matching his 13-under par show (67-64) over the final two rounds at the International Series Vietnam the week before. At KN Links as well, he came close, falling one short of winner Vincent.

The two performances came after a couple of tumultuous weeks for the family, which saw him reach Vietnam without playing golf for a fortnight.

Lahiri was preparing for the LIV Golf event in Orlando when he got a call from India that his mother-in-law, battling cancer, had to be rushed to hospital after she took a turn for the worse. He immediately flew back to Pune to be by her side with his family before heading to Vietnam for the International Series event two weeks later. While there he heard the news she had been moved to palliative care.

In Adelaide on Sunday, moments after finished his round of 65, Lahiri discovered his mother-in-law passed away during the round.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the family. Mom was in a lot of pain the last few days. So, we’re just relieved that she is probably at peace and she’s in a better place now,” Lahiri said at the time.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around a lot of this. So just trying to process it right now. It breaks my heart not to be there with my wife Ipsa and my children. I’m here in Adelaide, but mentally and in spirit, with them. I guess these are some of the professional hazards that we have to deal with, and I am so very proud of my wife.”

Unable to return for the funeral, Lahiri instead poured his emotions into his golf and remained on tour for the LIV event in Singapore. Remarkably, he finished inside the top 20.

Doug Defelice/LIV Golf

Lahiri said his run of form was due to gaining a new perspective in life, and taking that to the course.

“I did not have any expectations when I reached Vietnam. The family was going through a very challenging phase. We were just taking it one day at a time,” he told the LIV Golf website.

“I was forced to hit the refresh button. You have to still look at the positives and try to receive the messages that the universe is sending. What happened the last few weeks made me kind of reset and re-establish my goals, my perspectives in life.

“I think mentally I’ve managed to just get clearer, more focused, and get more involved in my processes. Honestly, I am just counting my blessings and enjoying a new perspective. Probably, I am just playing with a lot less fear and probably not trying so hard and just letting go a little bit more.

“I’ve always found that a very hard thing to do. I think all golfers find that hard. But you know, the last couple of weeks, it’s come a little easier.”

The Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015 is proud to be the only Indian on the LIV Golf roster, and is delighted to see the next generation of golfers coming through. Now at the age of 35, Lahiri is happy to help pass the torch to the likes of Shubshankar Sharma and Aditi Ashok.

“Jeev [Milkha Singh] held my hand through the Asian Tour and on DP World Tour as I was learning the ropes, and now it is my turn to help the younger players,” Lahiri said.

“Sharma has done some great things in the past decade with eight wins and is up around 60th in the world. He also had a great showing in Abu Dhabi [at the HSBC Championship] with a seventh-place finish and is showing the way for the future.

“Aditi is doing great things for the women’s game and has had some stunning results this year, with her win in Kenya followed by a third in Morocco and then a runners-up in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International behind world No. 1 Lydia Ko.

“The team events like the Aramco Team Series and LIV are really helping enhance the game on both men’s and women’s tours and it is an exciting time.”

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Nelly Korda produced a dominant display to win the Individual title at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – London.

The world number two had led from the first day and had a five-shot lead coming into the final round at Centurion Club.

And the Olympic champion began the day with a birdie on the first but soon dropped a shot on the sixth and was back to even par for the round.

However, she soon moved into the red once again with a birdie on the 12th before she rolled in a birdie at the last to seal a round of 71 (-2) and win with a total of 11-under-par.

“It was so much fun this week,” said Korda, who also won the Individual title at the 2022 Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande. “I got to play in some very interesting weather and got to hit shots that I don’t necessarily get to hit all the time. It was an amazing walk with my partners this week, my team and lastly Jason [McDede] as well.

“I am hoping that I can take this momentum into the next couple of weeks, I have Evian and the AIG Women’s Open coming up and hopefully I have learned a little bit about the weather this week and I can take that momentum into the next two big events.

“I knew Charley [Hull] was going to make a run for it, I think everyone was trying to. It’s tough to be the one out front and who everyone is trying to get. I just stuck to my game and took it one shot at a time. As boring as it sounds, it worked.

“I’m going to see my grandparents tomorrow; I have a couple of friends here right now, so we’ll celebrate after. I’ll be very full tomorrow.”

????? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?
 #RaiseOurGame | #BringTheEnergy pic.twitter.com/6YhOf974Rf

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) July 16, 2023

England’s Charley Hull finished in second place on seven-under-par after firing a round of 68 (-5) on the final day.

The three-time LET winner rolled in three birdies in four holes on the front nine but dropped a shot on the ninth to make the turn in 35 (-2).

Hull rolled in three further birdies on her back nine for a round of 68 and to seal her second consecutive second-place finish.

“I played pretty well today, I was pretty happy,” said the 27-year-old. “It was very windy out there. I just felt very tired this week after last week, it kind of hit me yesterday but I got a good night’s sleep last night. It was good fun out there and nice to be playing in front of the home crowds.

“I feel really good, I feel like my game is in good shape. Second last week and second this week, roll on Evian. It feels like a good week at the office, but at the same time it sucks because you just keep knocking on the door but hopefully, a win is around the corner.”

South Africa’s Nicole Garcia finished in third place on five-under-par after a final round of 72 (-1) which included three birdies and two bogeys.

Garcia explained: “I have been working hard on my technique, the last time I was in that position I didn’t feel so much nerves – obviously a little bit of anxiety and nerves – but not to the point that I should have had such mis-hits. It just came down to technique.

“I think I managed to hold it together. I hit a few shots out there I’m not really proud of but again it just feels like it’s a technique issue. I just need to grind it in a little, so it holds under pressure. I was aiming for at least top two this week, so I got pretty close and I’m pretty proud of that.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire produced a final round of 70 (-3) to finish in outright fourth place on three-under-par with England’s Georgia Hall one shot further back in fifth place.

Tristan Jones/LET

Six players finished in a share of sixth place on level par including Germany’s Sophie Witt, who fired the round of the week with a 67 (-6).

Team Hall were declared team champions earlier on Sunday once the second round was completed, after the quartet of Hall, Kylie Henry, Lea Anne Bramwell and amateur Michael Austick finished with a total of 24-under-par.

Captain Hall said: “I think most importantly when one of us was out of a hole then another player came in and managed to save that par or get that birdie. We all got on really well and had a nice fun group and I think that’s really important, and our amateur helped two or three times in the round which was really handy.”

In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, the standings in the top 10 have not changed with Spain’s Ana Peláez Triviño still leading the way ahead of India’s Aditi Ashok, Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova and Sweden’s Linn Grant.

India’s Diksha Dagar is fifth with Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson in sixth, England’s Lily May Humphreys in seventh, Germany’s Chiara Noja sits eighth, Spain’s Carmen Alonso is still ninth and France’s Celine Herbin round out the top 10.

The biggest movers are Hull, who jumped from 104th to 33rd place and now has 401 points from two events, while South Africa’s Garcia was 33rd and is now 17th with 591.93 points.

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Charley Hull conjured up a great golfing comeback as she recovered from a ten on the front nine to go on to take a share of the individual lead – and also help lift her team to the top – after a rain-drenched round one at Centurion Club.

The English star, who finished tied second in the US Women’s Open last week, looked to have wrecked her chances of success at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – London when she recorded a quintuple bogey at the sixth hole.

She lost two balls on the par-5 but came back in stunning style. Hull made six birdies in her closing seven holes before signing for a five-under-par 68 that left her atop the leaderboard, alongside Nelly Korda, at the Ladies European Tour-sanctioned event.

Hull’s birdie blitz was part of a brilliant scoring spree from her quartet that comprised of Isabella Deilert, Hayley Davis and England former ace Teddy Sheringham. At the conclusion of round one they’ve opened a two-stroke lead in the team event from the quartet captained by Virginia Elena Carter after finishing on 18-under-par.

Former England star Teddy Sheringham helped Team Hull top the leaderboard in round one. Paul Severn

Hull, 27, said: “I was just out there having fun. I did play pretty well and I felt confident even after I made the 10. One bad hole, even though it’s a 10, I know it does affect a lot of people, but I managed to bounce back.”

It fell to Sheringham to give the lowdown on the fine form of Team Hull. As well as the captain’s sparkling display, Deilert made an eagle and four birdies, while Davis chipped in with four birdies and Sheringham – receiving two strokes – delivered on a couple of holes.

The former Spurs and Manchester United striker, 57, said: “It was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. The girls were fantastic. They showed me how to control a golf ball today and I was privileged to watch it. It was a joy to be out there, even in that weather.”

World number two Korda also dealt well with the heavy rain that fell for much of the day. Her only bogey came at the 12th but she responded with four birdies in the next five holes to join Hull at the top in the individuals’ competition.

World number two Nelly Korda co-leader after round one at ATS-London. Tristan Jones/LET

Korda said: “Overall I played really well. I made one boo-boo and that was for my bogey – I hit my tee shot a little right. But other than that I played pretty solid. The conditions got worse and worse as the day went on. I told my caddie not to put the umbrella away because for a bit it was going in and out, but then towards the end, the winds started to become much heavier.”

Hull and Korda hold an overnight one-shot advantage from Germany’s Leonie Harm and South Africa’s Casandra Alexander. A further shot back on three-under-par sits Anne Van Dam, Noora Komulainen, and Ana Pelaez Trevino.

The Aramco Team Series, which launched in 2021, sees teams of three professionals and one amateur competing over 36 holes – the Friday and Saturday of the tournament – with $500,000 prizemoney on offer.

Sunday’s final day of play will see only the lowest-scoring 60 players and ties from the opening two rounds return to the course to battle it out for a share of another $500,000, this time in individual earnings.

The teams get underway for round two at 6.45 am today with the leaders Hull and Korda teeing off at 12.22 pm and 12.39 pm respectively.

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If casual golf fans didn’t know a lot about England’s Charley Hull before last week, they got a taste of her explosive game on Sunday when she charged in the US Women’s Open with a final-round 66 at Pebble Beach. She had a memorable 18th hole, lashing a fairway wood and dropping to her knees from under the pine tree in the fairway and then having a putt for birdie and a 65 that would have tied Tiger Woods and Gary Woodland for the record-low score in a US Open at Pebble.

That was all very thrilling, but what Hull suffered and then overcame with fireworks on Friday on the Ladies European Tour borders on rollercoaster golf at its finest.

In the Aramco Team Series event in London, Hull had a nightmarish sixth hole at Centurion Club, where she made a quintuple-bogey 10 on the 474-yard par 5. Unfortunately, women’s golf doesn’t have ShotLink, so we can’t see how that transpired, but we can say that No. 6 has no water on it, which makes it even more intriguing.

Hull already had made two birdies early, so she stood at three over after the 10. The two-time LPGA winner then showed some bounce-back resilience when she birdied the next hole and added another birdie at the par-5 ninth to make the turn in a respectable 38.

A 10 and 10 birdies. Fantastic #psychoscorecard here from Charley Hull. pic.twitter.com/N09z5OeK3Z

— Meg Adkins (@megadkins_TFE) July 14, 2023

It’s then what Hull did on the back nine that will long be recalled. She birdied six of her last seven holes, including four in a row from 12 through 15 to shoot 30 on the back. So, one 10 and 10 birdies led to a five-under-par 68 that had Hull tied for the lead with Nelly Korda after Round 1.

There were no quotes available from Hull, but she did say before the event that she was beginning to feel better after struggling with some mental issues off the course.

“I have been playing well all season, hitting it well and everything, but it was confidence,” Hull said. “I have been struggling mentally this year, not on the golf course but off the golf course. I had to fix my head to get better, and I feel better, and it just shows on the golf course that when you’re healthy you can play good golf.”

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Nelly Korda has confirmed she is fully fit and eager to enhance her brilliant Aramco Team Series record when she tees up at Centurion Club, London, this Friday.

The world number 2 won the Aramco Team Series Sotogrande last year and finished second and fourth in her two other ATS starts, both in New York. This week sees her initial appearance at Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – London and she is hungry for a first success in 2023.

Korda has put behind her an injury issue and believes her best golf is not far away, despite missing the cut in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June and finishing tied-64th in last week’s U.S Women’s Open.

Korda, 24, said: “I feel very close with my game – the scores may not seem it right now.

“At the start of the year, I had a really strong start. I was barely finishing outside the top ten and then had two missed cuts. Last week at Pebble (Beach) wasn’t the greatest of showings, but I think that’s golf and you just got to take it how it is, and you have to grow from it. I mean, that’s when you appreciate the highs when you go through the lows.”

Korda is an advocate of the innovative format of the Aramco Team Series in which the first two days see 36 teams target the lion’s share of a $500,000 prize pot. Each quartet has a captain who selects one team-mate at a players’ draft, while they are also allocated a further professional with an amateur. The last hole 18 of the tournament is for professionals only when there’s a further $500,000 on offer.

Korda said: “I think it’s a super fun event. Especially the team aspect of it, I think it brings in a different kind of energy. It’s fun, it’s light, and it makes golf a lot of fun, having teammates out there with you.”

Korda’s opening look at the Centurion Club came this morning and followed up a visit yesterday to the Wimbledon tennis tournament (“tried strawberries and cream for the first time – really yummy”).

She said: “I played the back nine – it’s a really nice golf course, in really nice condition. The wind started picking up towards the end and I know high winds are forecast for the week, so I think it’ll be a tricky test.

“Every single time I tee up, I try to play my best. There’s only one goal in mind, and that’s to hopefully hold the trophy at the end of the week. So I’m going to give it my all and see how it goes.”

Bronte Law looking forward to title defence of Aramco Team Series – London. Tristan Jones/LET

Bronte Law delivered one of the moments of the 2022 season when she sunk an incredible long-range eagle putt on the 18th green to win the last renewal of Aramco Team Series – London. And this week the Englishwoman has already revisited the scene of one of the most dramatic strokes of her career.

“We actually just recreated the putt on 18, so that was fun,” said Law. “It’s great to be back.  I think each victory has kind of a special place just for different reasons. This one being in front of a home crowd, in front of my family – each time I’m in a situation like that, it just feels really nice to share that with them.”

Law finished tied-45th in the U.S Women’s Open, but was encouraged by much of her play over the week.

She said: “I played really nicely last week. I mean, Pebble’s a beast so didn’t have the Sunday that I wanted, but I hit a lot of really good shots. Overall, my golf is in a pretty good place now.”

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They grow up so fast these days … 

The Aramco Team Series can allow itself a bit of a nostalgic moment this month as it returns to where it all began.

Following the experimental Saudi Ladies Team International in Jeddah way back in November 2020, the ATS came into being and it all teed off at Centurion Club, just outside London.

From July 16 to 18, some of the world’s top female golfers will be back to swing into action for what is already a third birthday at the St Albans course.

Marianne Skarpnord and Bronte Law have tasted success in the individual event here in 2021 and 2022 respectively, while Olivia Cowan and Nicole Garcia led their quartets to the team titles.

Anyone hoping to join that esteemed group this time around will face a tough battle as a stacked field of 108 contenders will be vying for the two trophies and the $1 million prize fund.

Not only will we have ATS regulars such as Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and defending individual champ Law, whose epic 55-foot eagle putt won the title, two more big fish will be on the hunt.

World No. 2 Nelly Korda — she of 12 pro wins and a major at the age of 24 — and Ireland’s Team Europe Solheim Cup hero Leona Maguire are signed up for the showdown. 

As the ATS comes back to the Centurion, with its tall redwoods on the front nine and expansive parklands on the back, this third instalment will surely be one of the hottest tickets in town during the British summer season. 

Korda has recovered from a blood clot that sidelined her for much of last year, and the 2021 PGA Championship winner has bounced back to form and secured six top-10 finishes out of just eight starts this year. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion showed she was back to her best with a third-place finish in the first major of the year at the Chevron Championship. 

Bronte Law is the defending champion from the Aramco Team Series London. Tristan Jones/LET

Korda also knows how to win on the ATS, having taken home the trophy from Sotogrande, Spain, last year.

“The Aramco Team Series is a special event that showcases a unique blend of individual talent and team dynamics in golf, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to once again compete alongside top professionals and amateurs,” she said. “I’ve had great performances in the past three Aramco Team Series events I’ve played in, so I hope to deliver a top performance for the fans in London and capture my second Aramco Team Series title.”

Maguire is also up for the challenge after a sensational 2022 that included the LPGA Drive On Championship title, and she also has ATS pedigree, having taken part in the stormy New York event, with a T18 finish. 

Nicole Garcia, Mia Baker, Madelene Stavnar and Kelly Whaley took the team title last year. The Aramco Team Series will once again be back at Centurion Club just outside London. P54

“I had a great time competing in the Aramco Team Series — New York last year, and I’m looking forward to being part of the Aramco Team Series on European soil and compete alongside an exceptional field that’s lining up,” she said. “Hopefully, we can put on a great show for the fans in the UK.”

London is the third stop on the ATS 2023 schedule, having already been on trips to Singapore and Florida, with Hong Kong and Riyadh still to come.

How it works

The format is the same as in 2022, with two competitions happening side by side — the individual strokeplay competition alongside the team event.

Each team will contain three professionals and one amateur. The team captains are selected based on their Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings ahead of the events.

The 26 captains pick one player from the remaining field of 78 professionals in reverse order — the 26th ranked captain will pick first with the top-ranked picking last, while the third pro and an amateur in each team are decided by random draw to complete the quartet.

The team competition will conclude after 36 holes, with the final day being the final round of the individual strokeplay competition.

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Cameron Smith and his Ripper GC are one of four teams this LIV Golf League season that has yet to reach the podium.

But the Australian lineup has an opportunity to end that drought at LIV Golf London – and perhaps even grab their first-ever team trophy.

Ripper GC enters the final round at Centurion Club with a one-shot lead over the defending London champion Stinger GC, while Smith has a three-shot lead on the individual leaderboard. Smith already has one individual win in his LIV career, winning last season in Chicago. He would love to have company on the podium and sweep both titles on Sunday.

“In our group chat, we’ve said multiple times that we need to get up there and spray champagne over each other,” Smith said after his 4-under 67 moved him to 12 under. “I think that would be a pretty fun experience. Still work to be done on the individual side, but it would be nice to see us at the top of the leaderboard on the team side, as well.”

Smith and teammate Marc Leishman have handled the bulk of the contributions through the first two days, with Leishman among the group of pursuers tied for second at 9 under after shooting 69 on Saturday. Matt Jones contributed a 67 to match Smith’s round, and the fourth member of the team, Jediah Morgan, shot a 69 to match Leishman’s counting score.

“If we can look after the individual, play as well as we can, all shoot good scores, the team stuff will take care of itself,” Leishman said, who will play with his captain in the same group for the second consecutive round. “Hopefully I can make a bit of a run at Cam tomorrow and make things interesting.”

Leishman will have company in trying to chase down Smith, who will defend his Open Championship title in two weeks at Royal Liverpool. Also at 9 under is Stingers GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen and RangeGoats GC’s Thomas Pieters, with 4Aces GC’s Patrick Reed (-8) and Majesticks GC Co-Captain Henrik Stenson (-7) also lurking.

The team competition certainly promises to be interesting in the final round. The South African Stingers started the day eight shots off the lead but quickly moved up the leaderboard Saturday, with Oosthuizen and defending London individual champion Charl Schwartzel off to hot starts.

Oosthuizen was 7 under through his first 10 holes while Schwartzel was 7 under through his first 11. Dean Burmester was also 5 under through his first 14. When Oosthuizen eagled the par-5 13th, the Stingers had overtaken the Rippers for the lead.

“I went through a stretch there where I made a few birdies and an eagle, and then Dean and Charl probably had to go through the same,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s unbelievable how the leaderboards can change out here with three scores to count.”

Late in the day, the leaderboard flipped again, as the Stingers finished on tougher holes while Smith and Leishman had more scoring opportunities. Smith’s birdie on the par-5 18th to finish his round not only added to his individual lead but gave the Rippers the 36-hole team lead.

“It’s nice to see Leish and I at the top of the leaderboard,” Smith said. “I know the other two boys are trying their hardest out there to get their team score up, and hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and show them what we’re really made of.”

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf London. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.

1. RIPPER GC (-23): Cameron Smith 67, Matt Jones 67, Marc Leishman 69 (Rd. 2 score: -10)
2. STINGER GC (-22): Louis Oosthuizen 63, Charl Schwartzel 66, Dean Burmester 67 (Rd. 2 score: -17)
T3. 4ACES GC (-19): Patrick Reed 64, Dustin Johnson 65, Peter Uihlein 68 (Rd. 2 score: -16)
T3. RANGEGOATS GC (-19): Harold Varner III 66, Thomas Pieters 67, Bubba Watson 71 (Rd. 2 score: -9)
T5. MAJESTICKS GC (-16): Henrik Stenson 66, Laurie Canter 69, Lee Westwood 70 (Rd. 2 score: -8)
T5. CRUSHERS GC (-16): Paul Casey 65, Bryson DeChambeau 67, Anirban Lahiri 69 (Rd. 2 score: -12)
7. SMASH GC (-14): Chase Koepka 66, Brooks Koepka 66, Jason Kokrak 69 (Rd. 2 score: -12)
8. HYFLYERS GC (-13): Brendan Steele 67, Cameron Tringale 69, James Piot 70 (Rd. 2 score: -7)
9. CLEEKS GC (-12): Graeme McDowell 65, Martin Kaymer 68, Richard Bland 70 (Rd. 2 score: -10)
10. FIREBALLS GC (-11): Abraham Ancer 68, Eugenio Chacarra 69, Carlos Ortiz 69 (Rd. 2 score: -7)
11. IRON HEADS GC (-9): Kevin Na 64, Danny Lee 67, Scott Vincent 67 (Rd. 2 score: -15)
12. TORQUE GC (-7): David Puig 68, Joaquin Niemann 69, Sebastian Munoz 69 (Rd. 2 score: -7)

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With his Open Championship defence looming in two weeks, Cameron Smith seems to be peaking at the right time.

Friday’s opening round at LIV Golf London is the latest piece of evidence.

The Ripper GC captain shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 to grab a one-stroke lead over teammate Marc Leishman as LIV Golf made its return to Centurion Club, the host course for last year’s inaugural tournament. RangeGoats GC’s Thomas Pieters is in solo third, three strokes back, while red-hot teammate Talor Gooch is in a three-way tie for fourth with HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale and Majesticks GC’s Laurie Canter.

Thanks to Smith and Leishman, the all-Australian Rippers took the team lead at 13 under, with the RangeGoats at 10 under. The home favourite Majesticks are in solo third at 8 under.

Neither Aussie at the top of the leaderboard competed at Centurion Club last year, but they both looked comfortable on a sun-drenched day outside London.

“Wasn’t much bad stuff in there, to be honest,” said Smith, who posted Friday’s only bogey-free round. “… I feel like I’ve been on this kind of trend for a few months now.”

Smith has finished 12th or better in his last seven starts, including top 10s in the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Although he’s yet to win in 2023, Smith is building plenty of momentum going into Royal Liverpool.

“I think any tournament that Cam enters, he’s certainly a strong contender,” Leishman said. “I think playing this week is going to help him. The wind is very different, I feel like, in England and Scotland. It’s a lot heavier. Getting used to that is pretty important.”

Thomas Pieters of RangeGoats GC is only three shots back following round one of LIV Golf London. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf)

Smith navigated the first six holes, the most difficult stretch at Centurion, in 1 under. Starting with the ninth hole, he birdied seven of the next nine holes before settling for par on the par-5 18th. He said the big difference Friday was getting more in sync with caddie Sam Pinfold.

“Sam and I worked really nice today, which is probably the first time in a long time where we really stuck it out and actually talked through some shots,” Smith said. “Probably something that had kind of been a missing piece to the puzzle. It was nice to figure that stuff out before another big tournament coming up.”

Marc Leishman of Ripper GC sits in second after the first round of LIV Golf London. (Photo by Richard Washbrooke/LIV Golf)

Leishman has struggled to find consistency this season but started hot on Friday. After a par on his opening hole, the 12th, he birdied six of the next seven holes before reaching the toughest part of the course.

“Happy to finally get a score on the board,” Leishman said. “It’s been a while.”

The two will play in the leaders group on Saturday with Pieters. But the group ahead of them will include the hottest LIV golfer in Gooch, who won his third tournament of the season last week in Andalucía and opened Friday with four birdies in his first five holes en route to his 11th round of the season at his target score of 67 or better.

“It was a good day,” said Gooch, who has won the last three LIV Golf tournaments held outside the U.S. “This golf course is not as easy as what Cam just made it look.”

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf London. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds win the team title.

1. RIPPER GC (-13): Cameron Smith 63, Marc Leishman 64, Matt Jones 73
2. RANGEGOATS GC (-10): Thomas Pieters 66, Talor Gooch 67, Bubba Watson 70
3. MAJESTICKS GC (-8): Laurie Canter 67, Ian Poulter 69, Henrik Stenson 69
4. HYFLYERS GC (-6): Cameron Tringale 67, James Piot 69, Brendan Steele 71
5. STINGER GC (-5): Branden Grace 68, Dean Burmester 70, Louis Oosthuizen 70
T6. CRUSHERS GC (-4): Anirban Lahiri 68, Bryson DeChambeau 70, Paul Casey 73
T6. FIREBALLS GC (-4): Abraham Ancer 68, Sergio Garcia 69, Eugenio Chacarra 72
8. 4ACES GC (-3): Patrick Reed 70, Peter Uihlein 70, Pat Perez 70
T9. SMASH GC (-2): Jason Kokrak 69, Chase Koepka 70, Brooks Koepka 72
T9. CLEEKS GC (-2): Richard Bland 68, Martin Kaymer 71, Bernd Wiesberger 72
11. TORQUE GC (E): Joaquin Niemann 69, Mito Pereira 71, David Puig 73
12. IRON HEADS GC (+6): Kevin Na 72, Sihwan Kim 73, Danny Lee 74

The post Smith shoots 63, Ripper GC takes round 1 team lead in London appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

For the first time in its young history, LIV Golf returns to a host course.

Centurion Club was the site of the inaugural Invitational Series tournament in 2022’s beta-test year. Now it’s back as the venue for LIV Golf London, the ninth event of the 2023 LIV Golf League season.

Many things have changed in the last 13 months between events. Of the 48 players in last year’s field, just 23 will tee it up this season. That includes individual winner Charl Schwartzel and third-place finisher Branden Grace, two of the three members of Stinger GC that swept the individual podium and – obviously – LIV Golf’s first team title.

The par-71, 7,068-yard course yielded few low scores last year, as just nine of the 48 players finished at par or better last year, with Schwartzel winning at 9 under. It may very well be as difficult this year.

After getting a look at the course’s first 10 holes, Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith said: “I think there’s a really, really good mix of extremely tough holes where you’re grinding to make par and then also some holes where you get a wedge in your hand and you’re looking at making birdie.

“As long as that theme continues, I think it’ll be a good test. I think those first four or five there in the trees are quite tough, and once you get through there, I think you’re looking at birdies the whole way in.”

With that in mind, here are the picks for our top five players and top four teams at this week’s LIV Golf London.

FIVE PLAYERS

1. TALOR GOOCH. The season-long points leader and winner of the last three LIV Golf tournaments played outside the U.S. The RangeGoats GC star keeps making statements with each victory. He’s No. 1 until further notice.

2. BRYSON DECHAMBEAU. Came so close in Andalucía to ending his two-year drought. He just needs to tidy up a few things, but no doubt he’s trending in the right direction. Will be interesting to see how he navigates Centurion’s woodlands holes.

3. DUSTIN JOHNSON. His win in Tulsa is his only top 5 points finish of the season, but a return to Centurion should be a positive, having finished 8th here last season. Plus, the 4Aces GC captain is probably tired of seeing his former teammate at the top of the podium.

4. CAMERON SMITH. Like DeChambeau, he was not a LIV Golf member last year when the inaugural event was played, so he’s unfamiliar with Centurion Club. But the Ripper GC captain obviously knows how to win in the UK and will look for a good result going into his Open title defence.

5. BROOKS KOEPKA. His three LIV Golf podium finishes this season – including the win in Orlando – have come in warm weather. But it was chilly in Rochester, New York when he won the PGA Championship, so the Smash GC captain should be just fine.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Branden Grace finished third in the Stingers’ individual podium sweep last season, and he’ll seek a bounce-back week after a non-points finish in Andalucía … Five Englishmen are in the field, and the best bet for a good result is Majesticks GC’s Laurie Canter, who played well in qualifying for the Open on Tuesday … If David Puig can as well in the first two rounds as he does on Sunday, he could give Torque GC its first individual champ … Smash’s Jason Kokrak has produced five straight top-12 finishes, the most recent one without a practice round.

Image supplied

FOUR TEAMS

1. TORQUE GC. Like Gooch with the Individual rankings, it would be foolish to pick against the only three-time team winners this year. But only Puig has seen Centurion Club.

2. CRUSHERS GC. None of the current Crushers were members of LIV Golf playing in London last year, but the course may be well-suited for its veteran ball-strikers.

3. 4ACES GC. Dustin Johnson’s teammates are completely different from the ones he drafted going into London last year. The Aces are at the top of the point standings for now, but their lead has been shrinking.

4. RANGEGOATS GC. Bubba Watson’s team comes into London with five consecutive podium finishes. Yet they’ve only managed to convert one of their four individual titles into a team trophy.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Stinger GC won by 14 strokes last year; the South Africans may very well win again but duplicating the margin is a big ask … Majesticks GC co-captain Ian Poulter promises his team will finish on the podium at some point this season. Why not this week at their “home” event?

The post Power Rankings: 5 Players, 4 Teams for LIV Golf London appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

For the second time during the LIV Golf League season, teammates will play together as groups in the opening round of a tournament.

Threesomes were announced for Friday’s first round of LIV Golf London at Centurion Club. All non-playing captains will be grouped as teams, while captains from various teams make up the remainder of the groups.

The only exceptions are Majesticks GC co-captains Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter playing with teammate Laurie Canter as an all-England group starting on the 18th hole. The third Majesticks co-captain, Swedish star Henrik Stenson, will start on the opening hole with Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith and Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen.

The first time groups were arranged by teams came in the opening round of LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia. In the second and third rounds, groups are determined by the individual leaderboard. In the first 15 regular-season tournaments in LIV Golf’s history, no group in the second or third round has consisted entirely of one team.

The Majesticks’ English trio should get plenty of hometown support, as will the other Englishmen in the field – Crushers GC’s Paul Casey, who starts on the 13th hole with teammates Anirban Lahiri on India and American Charles Howell III; and Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland, who starts on the 16th hole with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

Along with the captains’ group on No. 1, the other captains’ groups include:

• HyFlyers GC’s Phil Mickelson, 4Aces GC’s Dustin Johnson and Smash GC’s Brooks Koepka starting on hole No. 2
• Fireballs GC’s Sergio Garcia, Torque GC’s Joaquin Niemann and Cleeks GC’s Martin Kaymer starting on hole No. 3
• Crushers GC’s Bryson DeChambeau, RangeGoats GC’s Bubba Watson and Iron Heads GC’s Kevin Na starting on hole No. 4

Shotgun start for Friday’s opening round is 2:15 p.m. local (9:15 a.m. ET).

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