Gooch Shoots record 62, Cleeks take team lead in Adelaide

GRANGE, Australia – Although Talor Gooch is American, his caddie Malcolm Baker is Australian. Ever since LIV Golf announced its intentions to play in Adelaide, they’ve been discussing the event and the huge crowds expected at The Grange Golf Club.

“We were curious because of all the buildup, all the hype,” Gooch said. “The expectations were high, right? And it lived up to it every bit. So it was a blast out there.”

Of course, it helps when your scorecard includes a bogey-free round with 10 birdies. Gooch’s 10-under 62 on Friday’s opening round at LIV Golf Adelaide not only gives him a four-shot lead, it also sets a LIV Golf record for lowest round in relation to par. And the 62 ties the record-low score by any LIV golfer.

“It’s the days that you work hard for,” said Gooch, who missed just one fairway and one green.

The all-European Cleeks GC also had a day worth celebrating, as they grabbed the lead at 16 under thanks to Richard Bland’s 66 and the 65s from Graeme McDowell and Bernd Wiesberger. Those three played in the same group, as all non-captains were grouped with their teammates for the first time.

“Obviously fun to kind of all play together for the first time in the first round,” McDowell said. “I feel like we kind of pushed each other along and had a good time.”

As for the all-Australian Rippers GC? It was certainly a day to remember in terms of atmosphere, but the results left them with plenty of work to do. They are tied for 11th at 4 under, with Captain Cameron Smith producing the best score, a 3-under 69.

“It was a pretty epic day,” Smith said. “… It was incredible every hole, the support going on to the tee, off the green. To be honest, it was pretty tiring. But no, it was a really good day. I’m looking forward to doing it again over the weekend.”

He’ll need some low scores to catch Gooch. The RangeGoats GC member was 4 under when he reached the par-4 fourth, then reeled off five consecutive birdies. With two par 5s in his remaining three holes, Gooch couldn’t help but think of shooting 59. “I for sure wanted to be the first 59 on LIV,” he said. “That would’ve been a cool history book to have.”

He made par on the first par-5, the ninth, then birdied the par-5 10th to get to 10 under. He’ll gladly take that and the four-shot lead.

“If anyone says they’re not surprised at 10 under, they’re lying to themselves,” Gooch said. “10 under is never an expectation of what you think is going to happen.”

Bland and Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester are his closest pursuers after shooting 66. Five players are another shot back, including LIV Golf Tucson winner Danny Lee of Iron Heads GC.

AUSSIES FANS TAKE LIV GOLF TO A NEW LEVEL IN ADELAIDE

GRANGE, Australia – It was his worst shot of the day. But maybe his most memorable moment.

As Cameron Smith, Australia’s best golfer, walked toward his tee ball that fell short and right of the 12th green at The Grange, he was met by another Australian star from a different industry. Grammy Award-nominated FISHER, who performed at the post-round concert Friday night, ran out to meet Smith and offer him a shoey.

Smith, of course, had to beg off, so FISHER did the honors himself. In other words, he was drinking from a shoe. Hey, it’s primarily an Australian thing.

A broad smile crossed Smith’s face. For that moment, the errant shot didn’t matter. For that moment, it was simply about Aussies having fun at the Watering Hole, the party par-3 surrounded by packed crowds in stands and hospitality structures that epitomizes the vibe here at LIV Golf Adelaide.

“Everyone,” said Smith, “was going nuts.” (Smith, by the way, eventually did do a shoey on stage during FISHER’s post-round concert.)

That’s pretty much how it felt all day during Friday’s first round. Aussies bought the tickets, lined the fairways, and then delivered on the hype. LIV Golf Adelaide had become not just a tournament, but a scene.

It’s exactly what Smith and his all-Australian Ripper GC teammates had hoped for when the tournament was first announced in mid-November. In bringing the team format and a bevy of golf’s biggest names to a country starved for a world-class golf event, the Aussies wanted to take LIV Golf to another level.

The evidence came early. Fans poured in as soon as the gates opened. The line for the merchandise tent was lengthy two hours before tee time. The Fan Village – with Australian-focused activities such as a Cricket Fastest Bowl and an Australian Football League kicking challenge – was humming.

“Probably as energetic a crowd as I’ve ever played in front of,” said Ripper veteran Marc Leishman. “That rivals being in contention at a major for sure. Obviously we’re the home team, but all the yelling out at us and the support and the Leishman Lagers in the hand all around the course, yeah, it was ridiculous actually.

“It was really cool. Cool to be a part of.”

Smith, the reigning Open champion, was treated as a rock star at every step. When he reached the first tee to start his round just before noon, he stared down the fairway and saw a full length of fans. Both sides, 10 deep. Very narrow.

He took a deep breath.

“It seemed like everyone was on the edge of the fairway,” he said, before adding, “Yeah, it was a pretty epic day.”

Alas, he seemed to have a case of the lefts, particularly early in his round. After his tee shot at the second hole went left into some trees, one fan – sensing that Smith was pressing early – yelled out, “Let’s just have some fun today.”

At the third hole, Smith was standing on the green, surveying his birdie attempt, when a tee ball from the ninth hole whizzed uncomfortably by him. Scott Vincent was very apologetic when he reached his shot and saw that it was on the third green.

Finally, nearly 90 minutes into his round, Smith produced his first birdie at the par-3 sixth hole, a 4-footer after a brilliant tee shot. “C’mon, Queenslander!” yelled a fan.

But the tee shots kept going left. His one at the par-5 seventh could’ve been disastrous, but he was fortunate to have an opening toward the green. Several bunkers prevented him from going at the pin, so he played a clever hook shot off pine straw to a portion of the open fairway. Even so, he could only manage par. His tee shot at the par-5 10th was also left; again he had to settle for par.

Eventually, he settled down on the back nine and gave himself some chances. A couple of lip-outs did him no favors. The fans were overly friendly; The Grange, not as much. His 3-under 69 leaves him seven shots behind first-round leader Talor Gooch, who carded LIV Golf’s best round ever, a 10-under 62.

“It could have easily been another two or three shots,” Smith said. “I still feel like I’m really in the tournament.”

Smith acknowledged that all the attention can be draining, especially when you want to deliver in front of adoring fans. As he walked to and from each holes, every hand from beyond the ropes seemed to reach out to him. Everybody wanted a piece of Cam. It was good-natured but also left him tired.

“It’s nice to have a lot of people that are kind of riding you, but it’s also pretty stressful,” he said. “You want to hit a good shot all the time. I guess it’s not kind of as free-flowing as what it typically is.”

It’s likely all the Rippers felt that way to some degree. Their counting score of 4 under left them tied at the bottom of the standings after the first day.

“I don’t think we felt any pressure. We just didn’t play as good as we had liked,” said Matt Jones after his even-par 72. “The captain played pretty well. The rest of us just need to fire up a little the next couple of days.”

But after signing their scorecards, Smith and his teammates knew this was a day of significance. A day perhaps more than about the score. A day that sends a message – about Aussie sports fans, their love of golf, their love of Aussie golfers, and their thirst for supporting a new kind of competition.

“For Aussies, I think this is the benchmark for not only, I guess, Australian LIV Golf, but kind of world LIV Golf,” said Smith, who ended his day with a birdie and a tip of his cap to the fans at 18. “This is probably the best atmosphere, infrastructure, crowds that we’ve had. It’s pretty cool to call that our own basically.”

And the best part? There are still two rounds to go in Adelaide. The party continues.

_{Round 1 Highlights | LIV Golf Adelaide}

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Adelaide. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.

1. CLEEKS GC (-16): Richard Bland 66, Graeme McDowell 67, Bernd Wiesberger 67

2. STINGER GC (-14): Dean Burmester 66, Louis Oosthuizen 68, Charl Schwartzel 68

T3. IRON HEADS GC (-13): Danny Lee 67, Kevin Na 68, Scott Vincent 68

T3. RANGEGOATS GC (-13): Talor Gooch 62, Bubba Watson 70, Harold Varner III 71

5. HYFLYERS GC (-11): Brendan Steele 67, Cameron Tringale 69, James Piot 69

6. 4ACES GC (-10): Pat Perez 67, Peter Uihlein 68, Patrick Reed 71

7. SMASH GC (-9): Jason Kokrak 68, Brooks Koepka 69, Chase Koepka 70

8. CRUSHERS GC (-7): Charles Howell III 69, Anirban Lahiri 69, Paul Casey 71

9. FIREBALLS GC (-6): Sergio Garcia 68, Abraham Ancer 69, Carlos Ortiz 73

10. MAJESTICKS GC (-5): Henrik Stenson 68, Lee Westwood 71, Ian Poulter 72

T11. TORQUE GC (-4): Joaquin Niemann 70, David Puig 70, Mito Pereira 72

T11. RIPPER GC (-4): Cameron Smith 69, Marc Leishman 71, Matt Jones 72

NOTES

RIPPERS ENJOY ‘SICK’ SUPPORT: Although it wasn’t the best day for Ripper GC on the leaderboard, the four members of the all-Australian team were thrilled to have the backing of the sold-out gallery at The Grange.

“That was sick. No other words for it,” said Jediah Morgan. “The support was unreal.”

“Unbelievable,” added Marc Leishman. “Probably as energetic a crowd as I’ve ever played in front of. That rivals being in contention at a major for sure.”

Even the non-Australian players enjoyed the galleries that were packed 10 deep at times.

“Unbelievable,” said South African Dean Burmester of Stinger GC. “The energy is next level. It’s a small golf course, so 25,000 people feels like 50,000 people. It’s really fun. I had a lot of people shouting for the Stingers and the South Africans, so it was good to have a bit of support for us. I’m sure the Rippers had a hell of a day today. It was awesome.”

BLAND’S TWO STRETCHES: Richard Bland fashioned his 6-under 66 with two streaks of three consecutive birdies. Although he’s not among LIV’s longest hitters, his best finishes have come on long courses. At 6,946 yards, The Grange would seem to play into his favor. “When you come to Oz, it’s much more old-school kind of golf,” he said.

BURMESTER’S FAST START: The first three holes for Dean Burmester? Birdie, eagle (at the par-4 eighth), birdie. “Crazy hot start,” Burmester said. “You don’t do that every day, do you?” Burmester’s eagle came on the par-4 8th when he drove the green on the 355-yard hole. “I didn’t expect to hit it on the green,” he said. “I felt like it was somewhere nearby, and I walked up and it was like 12 feet.”

WATERING HOLE REACTION: The 165-yard par-3 12th is encircled by stands and nicknamed the Watering Hole. The party atmosphere lived up to its hype. “There was no one that wasn’t happy out there today,” Marc Leishman said. “That was really cool to see.”

As Cameron Smith walked toward the green, Australian music star Fisher walked up and did a “shoey,” drinking from his shoe. “Everyone was going nuts, so that was pretty funny,” Smith said, who ended up bogeying the hole. “I probably hit the worst shot of the day there, but everyone still clapped.”