LIV Golf made its return to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster after three years Thursday afternoon. With hot and humid conditions and the grounds wet from earlier storms, Mother Nature made the first round a challenge. Torque GC’s Joaquin Niemann finished as the leader, with an impressive score of 64 (-7). Here is a recap of the top five golfers on the leaderboard after day one:
1st- Joaquin Niemann (-7)
Niemann was by far the best golfer on the course. With zero bogeys throughout and seven birdies, including five in the front nine, he jumped to a big lead, practically giving himself a head start for the second round. While everything seemed to be going his way, I asked if there was anything he thought he needed to work on:
“I mean I there’s some stuff that I’m working on my swing right now so I feel like all day it was nice to see the ball going where it was going today and I know I’m far away where I want it to be, so yeah, I mean, just got to work towards that and the result is just a number that comes along the way.”
T-2 – Ian Poulter (-5)
The 50-year-old captain of Majesticks GC, Poulter put together one of his best rounds of golf of the entire season. Coming into today, he had had a score of -5 or better in only two rounds. After a fairly quiet start, he made a charge on the back nine, sinking four of five birdies. It was not easy with the weather being a huge factor and taking a toll on his body, but being able to put on a performance like today with his family in attendance, he is in good spirits headed into Friday:
“I stuck to my game plan, got off to a quick start, made a couple of quick birds, which is lovely and, you know, really got into a nice rhythm of hitting some good second shots and giving myself plenty of looks, and, you know, I rolled the ball lovely today. The greens are perfect, and I run in super quick. I think more than anything else, I think the heat was a challenge and the humidity. I’ve got an absolute pounding headache, and I’m going to go and cool down in a minute. “
T-2 – Lucas Herbert (-5)
Lucas Herbet accompanied his groupmate Niemmann on the leaderboard and finished the day in the top three. He played just as well, shooting five under and never going under par once. While he stayed close to even throughout the round, his three birdies in the final five holes gave him a late round boost and put him near the top of the leaderboard. He did exceptionally well on the par fives, landing a birdie on all three.
T-4 – Brendan Steele (-3)
It was certainly an up-and-down day for Steele, who managed to survive and tie for fourth. After shooting three birdies on the front nine, he got his first bogey on the ninth hole. He would add two more and only one more birdie the rest of the way to settle for a -3 score. Between the recent news of LIV Golf’s future and the barely bearable heat from the sun, I asked if either had affected his performance:
“Obviously, the heat is a tough element, but I prefer heat over cold. My body doesn’t move as good in the cold; the ball doesn’t go as far. That’s always a little tougher for me. So I’ll battle through the heat. That’s not a problem. And then, you know, off the course, like, there’s been a lot going on, but it’s very positive, and I’m excited about it. And my job is really just to play as good as I can, and I can’t really control the rest of it.”
T-4 – Thomas Pieters (-3)
Pieters didn’t have the start he wanted as two bogeys in the first three holes put him towards the bottom of the leaderboard early. However, four straight birdies between holes seven to ten put him right back into the mix. Consistency was key the rest of the way, and two birdies canceled out one more bogey, and he finished the day with a score of 68.
TEAM LEADER: TORQUE GC
Torque GC finished the day four under par and with a comfortable three-stroke lead over Ripper GC and HyFlyers GC. They currently have two members in the top 10 individually, including the leader, Joaquin Niemann. They’ll look to add to their lead tomorrow.
Points Leaders Struggle
There has been a battle for the individual points lead all season between two of the world’s top golfers. Jon Rahm is the frontrunner with 938.44 points, while Bryson DeChambeau trails with 719.40. Today told a different story, however, as the first- and second-place holders struggled throughout the first round, unable to get under par.
Right off the bat, DeChambeau was in for a long day. He lost his ball in the woods on his first hole and was penalized. Shooting a double and one bogey in the first two holes sent him to the bottom at the start. Shooting three more and only one birdie did no justice. He finished the day +5, tied 49th, and had a massive hill to climb if he wants to make the cut.
It seemed like Rahm was going to end up towards the bottom of the leaderboard with DeChambeau. Two bogeys in the front nine put him two over par and in a tough position. He was able to eventually get two birdies, but one more bogey left him at +1. He’d finish the day tied for 24th.
It was quite the rollercoaster of a day at Trump National Bedminster. The madness will continue Friday at 10:00 a.m. as weather conditions are expected to be hotter than today.
