Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra of Spain shot a course-low 63 Saturday to stand alone in first place after two rounds — five strokes ahead of the field at 16-under par — at the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Lopez-Chacarra entered play Saturday in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Richard Bland of England and Branden Grace of South Africa after all three opened with 7-under-par 65s at Stonehill Golf Course on Friday.
But Bland fired a 68 to fall into a four-way tie for second place, and Grace withdrew after three holes due to a rib issue. He sought medical treatment after the second hole but ultimately couldn’t continue.
“He hit a great tee shot at the first and everything looked fine,” said Bland, Grace’s playing partner on Saturday, per Sports Illustrated. “But when he hit the shot at the second, he was struggling. And from that point, it was clear he could not pull the trigger. It’s a shame because he was really playing well.”
The 22-year-old Lopez-Chacarra posted a bogey-free round, with seven birdies and an eagle.
Joining Bland in the tie for second place at 11-under are Sihwan Kim (66), Harold Varner III (66) and Patrick Reed (65). Another shot back and tied for sixth place are James Piot (65) and Brooks Koepka, who fired his second straight 67.
–Field Level Media