ROSTER: John Laem has become accustomed to being in contention after playing most of the LIV golf this season, but for the first time since joining the league he is now in sole possession of the lead.
Rahm finished his first round at LIV Golf UK by JCB with a bogey-free, eight-under 63 to move two shots ahead of Abraham Ancer and Andy Ogletree, while his Legion XIII topped the team leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Smash GC, HyFlyers GC and Fireballs GC.
Friday's round was Rahm's 29th completed at LIV Golf. He has been in the top five after 13 rounds and is tied for the lead after Round 1 in Jeddah.
Rahm has six top-10 finishes. He has finished in the top 10 in each of the nine tournaments he has played (he had to withdraw in Houston with a foot infection) and currently sits second in the season points standings behind Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann.
Laem will be hoping to continue his impressive consistency this week by claiming his first individual LIV Golf title at JCB Golf & Country Club.
“There's not a lot to talk about, but there's been some good things,” said Rahm, who entered the week ranked seventh at The Open Championship, his best major finish of the year. “I played really good golf all day. On days like this, it almost feels like it's effortless.”
Laem was paired with teammate and former Ryder Cup partner Tyrell Hatton and another Legion XIII player, Caleb Surratt, with the LIV Golf captains paired with their top two teammates from the first round.
Not only did Rahm shoot a low score (eight-under equals his lowest score in a LIV golf round relative to par), but Hatton recovered from an opening double-bogey to shoot a 66. The duo led Legion XIII with a 12-under total, including Kieran Vincent’s 72. Legion XIII won three team titles during their first season and finished second in the points standings behind Crushers GC.
“It was my first time playing with my teammates at LIV Golf,” said Rahm, who broke away from the pack with six birdies on his final nine holes. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a little curious.”
“We've shared some pretty great stages over the last few years and generally play well together, so it was nice for us both to have a good round of golf and get some momentum going into the weekend,” Hatton said.
Ancer, who won the playoff in Hong Kong earlier this year, finished in style. The Fireballs star birdied four of his last five holes in a superb putting round, and he led the field.
Ogletree's best finish during his first LIV golf season was a T-3 in Adelaide. He battled a wrist injury that could require surgery in the off-season and had to adjust his swing to alleviate the pain.
“I played 13 and 14 really well, but then I had a lot of bad days where I held myself back,” the HyFlyers member said. “Today I was in it all day and played some great golf.”
Hatton and Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith tied for fourth, while a field of seven players, including Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka and Majestics GC local Sam Horsfield, tied for sixth, four shots behind the leader.
On a course that was unfamiliar to most players and expected to reluctantly accept low scores, 35 of the 54 players achieved par, with the average score being more than one stroke below par.
It wasn't a surprise to Rahm. “I can't say I was surprised when the best players in the world showed up on the course,” he said.
Friday's Opening Round Standings and Scoring:
The top three scores for each team are counted in the first two rounds, and all four scores are counted in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
1. LEGION XIII -12 (Raem 63, Hatton 66, Vincent 72)
T2. FIREBALLS GC -11 (Anser 65, Garcia 68, Puig 69)
T2. SMASH GC -11 (Koeppka 67, McDowell 67, Gooch 68)
T2. High Flyer GC -11 (Ogletree 65, Tringale 67, Mickelson 70)
T5. Ripper GC-9 (Smith 66, Herbert 69, Jones 69)
T5. RANGEGOATS GC -9 (Wolf 67, Willin 68, Watson 69)
7. Stinger GC -8 (Oostwiese 67, Burmester 68, Schwartzel 70)
8. Torque GC -6 (Munoz 68, Niemann 69, Pereira 70)
T9. Crushers GC -5 (Casey 67, Lahiri 69, Katlyn 72)
T9. CLEEKS GC -5 (Meronk 68, Bland 69, Samusa 71)
11. MAJESTICKS GC -4 (Horsfield 67, Stenson 70, Westwood 72)
12. 4ACES GC -1 (Barner 69, Johnson 71, Reed 72)
13. IRON HEADS GC EVEN (Na 70, Vincent 70, Kozuma 73)
