– Festival of birdies to whet the appetite at the LIV Golf in South Africa, the fifth tournament of the year on the Saudi circuit held at the The Club at Steyn City. Impeccable playing conditions, no wind and a very receptive course. The rain did the spectacle no favours. Every shot was practically a dart. Of the 57 LIV players, only eight played over par and no fewer than 45 beat the course
– There was much anticipation about LIV’s arrival in a golf-loving country like South Africa and it really did not disappoint. There will be time to do the sums, but certainly the atmosphere seen was the closest thing to what is experienced every year in Australia. Huge crowds throughout the course, following the matches, in the stands, a great atmosphere. The presence of an exclusively South African team, with Oosthuizen, Schwartzel, Grace and Burmester has had enormous pull. The same as happens in Australia
– Charles Howell III (-8) and Bryson DeChambeau (-8) are the early leaders of the tournament. That’s Howell III. He can be missing all season, but he always finds a way to do his homework in two or three weeks. We’ll see if this is one of those. The truth is that once he’s up there it’s hard for him to fall. DeChambeau, meanwhile, is doing his thing, showing that the Masters being just around the corner has him razor-sharp. He found something in Singapore and, for now, he’s keeping it. He made nine birdies. That’s this player for you, capable of being up there in demanding conditions like the Serapong course and also on days of wine and roses like today
– Sergio García (-7), Jon Rahm (-6) and David Puig (-5) have also got off to a very good start in the tournament. Between them they have only made one bogey, by Puig. Clean cards for Sergio and Jon. For now, they have accepted South Africa’s clean-birdie challenge. The field, in any case, is very evenly matched, with around 20 players separated by only three shots
– Josele Ballester (-2) and Luis Masaveu (-1) also beat the course, although on a day like this Thursday their results fall a little short. You need to go lower to give yourself a chance of winning or even of making the top 10
– The party was complete on this first day with the South African team leading at -18. Branden Grace (-6) is the best placed. They have a one-shot lead over Talor Gooch’s team and two over DeChambeau’s
