Bryson DeChambeau (-6) and Marc Leishman (-6) are the leaders of the LIV Golf Adelaide after the first round played last night at the The Grange Golf Club. The American and Australian have a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson (-5) and their last-minute signing Anthony Kim (-5).
Jon Rahm (-4) has positioned himself at the top early on in a truly strange round of golf. It can’t be said to have been fair or unfair, it was just odd. It could have gone very well. It could have gone very badly. And in the end, it turned out quite a bit better than worse. A good start also for Josele Ballester (-3), just inside the top 10.
We say Rahm’s round was strange because practically all his birdies came on holes where he had some trouble. They weren’t clean birdies or played by the book. The first of the day came on the 2nd hole (par 3) after a shot to the green that wasn’t the best of the day and a spectacular putt of nearly 12 metres. Shortly after, on the 4th, a short par 4 that always gives a lot of birdies, he missed the tee shot to the left, but the ball ended up well and his short game did the rest of the work.
The birdie on the 7th, par 5, was also hard-earned. Jon actually thought his ball had gone further left than it ended up. It was well placed, but he still had to chip and putt from off the green to secure the third birdie of the day. On the 9th, another par 5, he missed the tee shot again, this time to the right, and had no choice but to play it back to the fairway. Here he saved a great par. Right after came the only blemish-free birdie of the day. He played the 10th, par 5, textbook style. He reached the green in two and two-putted from a distance. First and only birdie of the day without any trouble.
Jon finished off his round with another birdie on the 17th, par 4, this time missing the fairway badly to the left. In fact, his ball ended up on the 18th hole. From there, he hit an extraordinary shot to the green and made another long putt of about seven metres. That’s how Rahm’s five birdies were, with hard work except for the 10th hole.
Does this mean the Spanish golfer struck gold today in his round in Adelaide? Well, no. That’s why we say it was strange. The holes he played best, of which there were several, he wasn’t able to make birdie. For example, on the 5th, where he missed a very good opportunity. On the 8th, more of the same. Or on the 18th, after a stellar tee shot and a great approach, he’s still wondering why that ball rolled so much on the green when he hit it exactly as he wanted.
For all these reasons, Jon’s round was strange. It was quite inconsistent. He didn’t show the solidity and consistency of last week in Arabia. The Australian course is more challenging and, moreover, today there was some wind, not much, but enough to prevent playing freely. Without wind, they tear this course apart, as there are four par 5s, two short par 4s, lots of wedges, and even accessible par 3s like the 6th. If Jon had taken advantage of his good holes, he could have posted a very low score, and at the same time, if he had been penalised where he failed, he could almost have bid farewell to victory. His only bogey of the day even came with a stroke of luck. His second shot on the 13th, par 5, was going out of bounds, but it bounced back and stayed playable in an awkward sandy area in a waste area. His third shot flew over the green, and his approach back wasn’t good this time. Hence the final conclusion that Jon has started this 2026 making few in any way. No matter how you look at it.
It happened to Rahm, although it’s really a widespread feeling. There are so many birdie opportunities on this course that if you keep saving and find a moment of inspiration, you can reduce many strokes in a short time. It happened to DeChambeau, who started off slow and finished with six birdies in the last ten holes. Or to Leishman, with four birdies in the last ten. Even Anthony Kim, with five birdies in his last eight. On the opposite side, we have to mention Graeme McDowell (-4). He managed to lead solo at six under par and finished with two bogeys. Really, it’s a course where anything can happen as long as there are holes left. The same Joaquín Niemann (-4) finished with three birdies in the last four holes.
Rahm, once again, is in the fight for everything from the start. A good start also for Josele Ballester (-3), somewhat inconsistent from tee to green, although taking advantage when needed of his power. He made five birdies and two bogeys, one especially painful on the 4th hole, short par 4. Meanwhile, the other three Spaniards from Fireballs will have to work hard in the coming days to fight for the top spots: Sergio García (-1) managed to salvage a bad day at the end, David Puig (+3) suffered a horrible stretch of five over par between holes 12 and 17, and Luis Masaveu (+2) paid dearly for a bad start to the round. From 3 to 8, he signed a +4 stretch. It’s worth highlighting his subsequent reaction with three consecutive birdies from 9 to 11.
