Australia’s Marc Leishman made seven birdies and just one bogey to emerge with the lead after the first round of LIV Golf Tucson on Friday in Marana, Ariz.
Leishman carded a 6-under-par 65 at The Gallery South Course, putting him one stroke ahead of Matthew Wolff, Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen.
Peter Uihlein, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Spain’s David Puig are tied for fifth at 4 under. Six players, including Kevin Na and Spain’s Sergio Garcia, share eighth place at 3 under.
Leishman, who started play at No. 5, birdied two of his first three holes before registering his lone bogey at the par-4 11th hole. He responded immediately with a birdie at the par-4 12th, then added four more birdies the rest of the way.
“I’m enjoying my golf at the moment,” Leishman said. “Playing with no consequences over the offseason kind of gave me a little bit of confidence with some of the shots I hit and how they turned out.
“I actually holed a nice putt in 16 in front of the Birdie Shack. It was nice to make a birdie in front of there and get a nice cheer.”
Ancer and Wolff each completed bogey-free rounds that included runs of three consecutive birdies.
Oosthuizen started slowly, recording 11 pars and a bogey to open his round. However, he closed by making six consecutive birdies, beginning at the par-4 15th hole and ending at the par-4 second hole.
In the team competition, Torque GC, captained by Niemann and featuring Puig, are in first place at 10 under. Three teams are tied for second at 9 under: Smash GC, captained by Brooks Koepka and including Wolff; Iron Heads GC, captained by Na; and Fireballs GC, captained by Garcia and including Ancer.
–Field Level Media