Paul Casey recorded six birdies and an eagle to shoot a 7-under-par 63 and assume the opening-round lead at LIV Golf Hong Kong on Friday.
The Englishman is looking to overcome the disappointment of 2024, when a bogey on No. 18 at Hong Kong Golf Club knocked him out of a three-person playoff eventually won by Mexico’s Abraham Ancer.
Chasing Casey is a pack of six players, all two shots back after rounds of 65. In that group are Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Luis Masaveu, Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, Martin Kaymer of Germany, Peter Uihlein and wild-card player Chieh-Po Lee, the LIV Golf Promotions winner from Taiwan.
A group of six more players stands another shot back at 4-under. That list that includes Bryson DeChambeau, who never has won a pro tournament on a course measuring fewer than 6,900 yards. The Hong Kong course played at 6,691 yards on Friday.
That was a comfortable length for Casey, who has never won in Hong Kong.
“I’ve always been a global traveler and enjoyed the challenge of trying to tick another country off on the win list,” the 47-year-old Englishman said. “It’s something that always kind of excited me, to win around golf courses with history that are iconic. So, you can be assured that I’m trying very hard this week because I’d love to add this one to the list.”
Driven by Casey and DeChambeau, defending champion Crushers GC took the team co-lead at 12 under with Torque GC. DeChambeau said he was happy for Casey.
“I know he wants to win out here. He’s got an incredible game, and he hasn’t won in a while, and he wants to prove that,” DeChambeau said. “So he’s got a little bit of fire in his belly right now. It’s good. He loves this golf course. It’s a great golf course.
“A lot of great players out here, though. You can go deep. If you get on a hot streak and your wedges are working well and you’re rolling the putter, you can go 5-, 6-, 7-under pretty easy like Paul did.”
DeChambeau, known for his booming drives, called the course an “iron player’s paradise.” He didn’t count himself out of contending for the win, provided his wedge game sharpens.
“My wedges are not great right now,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve got to figure that out. I think this golf course is really unique and cool. There’s a lot of holes you can get after it, but you’ve got to have your iron play just on point. If it’s not, you’re going to get penalized.
“It wasn’t terrible, obviously, but I just have higher expectations for myself. I just continue to work. I’ve got to keep working. It’s obviously not fully there yet.”
Munoz is a member of Torque GC, and he ran off a span of five consecutive birdies en route to his 65. His round started at the par-4 No. 15 with a bogey.
“Even though I started with a bogey, with a three-putt, I didn’t let it bother me,” Munoz said. “I just gave myself chances and made the first one on 17, and then just kind of went on a roll for a little bit there.”
Defending champion Ancer shot a 71.
–Field Level Media
