Marc Leishman leads after first day of LIV Golf Tuscon hits cards on opening round 65, with Matthew Wolff, Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen hitting back for second place once
Last Updated: 3/18/23 8:09 am
Marc Leishman speaks after taking the lead in the first round at Liv Golf Tuscon
Australia’s Marc Leishman made seven birdies and just one bogey to take the lead after the first round of LIV Golf Tucson on Friday.
Leishman hit 65 below par at The Gallery South Course in Arizona, giving him a one-stroke lead over Matthew Wolff, Abraham Ancer of Mexico and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.
Peter Uihlein, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Spain’s David Puig tied for fifth with under four. Six players, including Kevin Na and Sergio Garcia of Spain, share eighth place with three points below.
Leishman, who started at number 5, scored two of his first three holes before scoring his only bogey on the 11th par-four.
He responded immediately with a birdie on the 12th par-4, then scored four more birdies the rest of the way.
“I’m enjoying my golf game at the moment,” Leishman said. “Playing without consequences in the off-season has given me some confidence with some of the shots I’ve taken and their results.
“I really made a nice shot on the 16th hole against Birdie Shack. It was great to take a birdie before that and get a standing ovation.”
Ancer and Wolff each completed bogey-free rounds including three consecutive birdies.
Oosthuizen started slowly, scoring 11 pars and a bogey to open his round. However, he closed in by making six birdies in a row, starting at the 15th hole par-4 and finishing at par-4 seconds.
In the team competition, Torque GC, captained by Niemann and featuring Puig, came in first place with 10 points below.
Three teams tied for second with nine under: Smash GC, captained by Brooks Koepka and including Wolff; Iron Heads GC, led by Na; and Fireballs GC, led by Garcia and including Ancer.
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