BOLTON, Mass. — Matthew Wolff grew to become a footnote in LIV Golf historical past with the primary hole-in-one, an ace that carried him to a 7-under 63 within the LIV Golf Invitational-Boston on Friday.
Wolff is tied for the lead with Talor Gooch.
British Open champion Cameron Smith, amongst six gamers who lately joined the Saudi-funded league, broke a wedge with a shot from behind a tree that allowed him to save lots of par, and he completed with a 45-foot eagle putt for a 64.
Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who additionally signed with Greg Norman‘s league after he completed his PGA Tour season on the Tour Championship, additionally shot a 64.
“I am having a blast on the market — my first day on the workplace,” Niemann mentioned.
Smith and Niemann highlighted the batch of newcomers that included Anirban Lahiri (66), Harold Varner III (67), Marc Leishman (70) and Cameron Tringale (71).
“This can be a new form of chapter in my life. I feel that is the way forward for golf,” Smith mentioned earlier within the week. “I really like how it’s out right here. It is just a little bit extra laid again on the vary, the music taking part in. I really like that stuff.”
He additionally cited a smaller schedule that may enable him to get house to Australia extra typically in leaving the PGA Tour after a three-win 12 months that elevated him to No. 2 on this planet.
Smith was strong in the beginning and end with a number of errant drives within the center. One was on the sixteenth gap when he pulled his driver into the timber. The ball was subsequent to the trunk, and Smith was allowed aid as a result of his ft from taking part in it left-handed — his solely smart play — had been on the cart path.
After the drop, he tried to hood a spot wedge (right-handed) and the membership smacked towards the tree close to the underside of the shaft. The ball rolled simply by the inexperienced and he saved par.
” you are doing to lose a membership but it surely’s in all probability value one or two pictures,” he mentioned.
The one shock was his group. Smith began on No. 1 with Dustin Johnson and Shergo Al Kurdi, the English-born Jordanian who earlier this 12 months signed with Golf Saudi.
Al Kurdi was a late substitute for Henrik Stenson, who gained in his LIV debut final month in New Jersey however needed to withdraw due to vertigo. Al Kurdi opened with a 71.
Wolff made his ace on the 178-yard second gap, his fifth of the spherical. The ball took one-hop and disappeared into the cup for the primary ace within the fourth LIV Golf Invitational sequence. The previous Oklahoma State star had one other eagle on the par-5 twelfth gap to go together with six birdies. These offset three bogeys and was sufficient for him to take the lead.
Lahiri and Louis Oosthuizen had been within the group at 66, whereas Johnson was at 67. Johnson has completed within the high 10 within the earlier LIV occasions, although he has but to win.
Solely 12 gamers from the 48-man discipline did not put up par or higher at The Worldwide, situated about 45 minutes west of Boston. That included Phil Mickelson, who had a 74.
Former U.S. Novice champion James Piot had a 77, however the tough day belonged to Sihwan Kim. Together with 4 double bogeys, Kim took a ten on the sixteenth gap and shot 87.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
