Adrian Meronk of Cleeks GC reads a putt on the opening day of LIV Golf Riyadh. Image courtesy LIV Golf/Mateo Villalba.
From a Correspondent
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk looked quite comfortable playing under lights on day one of LIV Golf Riyadh presented by Ma’aden on Thursday.
So did Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.
Meronk shot a bogey-free 10-under 62 to grab the lead in LIV Golf’s first nighttime round at Riyadh Golf Club. He led Sebastian Munoz of Torque GC by two shots.
India star Anirban Lahiri returned a 3 under 69 to shared 24th place alongside Crushers GC teammates Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey after all three had sent last week tuning up at the inaugural International Series India presented by DLF in Gurgaon.
In the team event, Legion XIII, fuelled by newest member Tom McKibbin, set a first-round scoring record by shooting 24 under par, with all four scores counting in the first round thanks to a format change starting this season.
It was just a year ago that Meronk made his LIV Golf debut. The adjustment period resulted in a slow start, but he finished the year in the top 24 Lock Zone. Now he’s looking to make a bigger splash.
“Last year was a very stressful beginning of the year for me, definitely, and this year I know what to expect,” Meronk said. “I feel like home, and I love it. I love being on LIV.”
Of playing under lights, he added, “Definitely different, but I kind of prepared well last week… I think I did a good job to get used to the lights, the shadows, and reading greens. I really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun.”
Coach switch
Meronk made a coaching change in the offseason, which also resulted in a couple of swing changes.
Those kicked in nicely on Thursday, as he hit all 18 greens in regulation, including a 5-iron second shot from 250 yards at the par-5 sixth that settled 20 feet away for a two-putt birdie. He said his round felt “quite flawless.”
“I’m excited for the future because I really like how my golf game is shaping up,” Meronk said. “It feels much more comfortable, and I can control the ball much easier.”
Legion XIII also made their debut a year ago as LIV Golf’s first expansion team. Unlike Meronk, there was no adjustment period needed.
With Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton as a lethal 1-2 punch, Legion XIII won their first event in Mayakoba, and added three more regular-season wins.
Inconsistency on the back end of the roster was the team’s only weakness – and that seems to have been answered with the addition of McKibbin and the continued development of LIV Golf’s youngest player, 20-year-old Caleb Surratt.
On Thursday, McKibbin and Surratt (66) each shot bogey-free rounds, as did Hatton (66). Rahm suffered the team’s only bogey in shooting 67. A year ago, his score wouldn’t have counted.
“I did not expect 5 under to be the worst score of the team,” Rahm said. “But here we are. The young guys have started the year strong.
Fireworks go off at the shotgun start of the first round of LIV Golf Riyadh on Thursday. Image courtesy LIV Golf/Charles Laberge.
Strong signing
“We got very lucky we were able to sign such a fantastic player (McKibbin) at such a young age,” Rahm said. “We were the only team really going after him.”
Like Meronk a year ago, McKibbin must adjust to life on LIV Golf. But he’s embracing all that his new environment has to offer.
He even stopped to watch a mid-round light show – and then proceeded to make an eagle and three birdies in his final nine holes.
“A pretty awesome first day,” he said.
In all six players including McKibbin made their LIV debuts at Riyadh on Thursday. The others were Ben Campbell (RangeGoats GC), Chieh-Po Lee (wild card), Yubin Jang (Iron Heads GC), Luis Masaveu (Fireballs GC) and Frederik Kjettrup of Cleeks GC.
Reserve player and International Series opening winner Ollie Schniederjans, shot a 1-under 71 as the fill-in for injured HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson. (courtesy LIV Golf)
Day 1 scores
1. Legion XIII -24 (McKibbin 65, Hatton 66, Surratt 66, Rahm 67)
2. Majesticks GC -17 (Westwood 65, Horsfield 68, Stenson 68, Poulter 70)
T3. Crushers GC -15 (Howell III 66, Casey 69, DeChambeau 69, Lahiri 69)
T3. Torque GC -15 (Muñoz 64, Niemann 67, Pereira 70, Ortiz 72)
5. RangeGoats GC -14 (Campbell 68, Wolff 68, Uihlein 69, Watson 69)
T6. 4Aces GC -13 (Johnson 67, Pieters 69, Reed 69, Varner III 70)
T6. Cleeks GC -13 (Meronk 62, Bland 70, Kaymer 70, Kjettrup 73)
T8. Ripper GC -12 (Leishman 67, Smith 67, Herbert 68, Jones 74)
T8. Fireballs GC -12 (Puig 67, Garcia 68, Ancer 69, Masaveu 72)
10. Iron Heads GC -11 (Lee 68, Ormsby 68, Na 70, Jang 71)
11. Stinger GC -5 (Burmester 66, Oosthuizen 71, Grace 73, Schwartzel 73)
12. HyFlyers GC -3 (Steele 68, Schniederjans 71, Tringale 71, Ogletree 75)
13. Smash GC Even par (McDowell 70, Gooch 72, Kokrak 72, Koepka 74)
Wild Cards: Lee 70, Kim 71
Round 1 stats
Driving accuracy: Henrik Stenson, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: David Puig, 346.0 yards avg.
Longest drive: David Puig, 350.1 yards, 10th hole
Greens in regulation: Adrian Meronk, Yubin Jang, 100% (18 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: 16 players with 100%, led by Cameron Smith, 5 of 5
Putting: Sebastián Muñoz, 1.33 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Meronk (62), Lee Westwood, (65), McKibbin (65), Tyrrell Hatton (66), Caleb Surratt (66), Puig (67), Lucas Herbert (68), Wade Ormsby (68), Campbell (68), Jang (71).
Also read: I would love for LIV Golf to come to India, says Greg Norman
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