Thomas Detry of 4Aces GC in action during the first round of LIV Golf Riyadh at Riyadh Golf Club on Wednesday. Image courtesy LIV Golf.
From a Correspondent
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Thomas Detry admitted feeling a bit nervous entering his LIV Golf debut on Wednesday. So did Elvis Smylie, another of the league’s newcomers.
Their opening-round performances under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club, however, showed they’re both ready to make some serious noise this season.
Detry, the newest full-time member of 4Aces GC, shot a bogey-free 7 under par 65 to grab a share of the Roshn Group LIV Golf Riyadh lead with Peter Uihlein of RangeGoats GC.
Smylie, the 23-year-old rising star who joined the all-Australian Ripper GC, carded a 66 that left him in solo third.
The two were among 10 players – eight full-timers and two reserves – playing their first-ever LIV Golf rounds.
Byeong Hun An, the new captain of Korean Golf Club, also sparkled on debut with a 67 to join a group of six players tied for fourth.
Impressive debut
HyFlyers GC’s Michael La Sasso shot 69 on his pro debut as the league’s youngest player at age 21.
Torque GC held the team lead at 15 under, with the renamed all-South African Southern Guards GC two shots behind.
Defending Riyadh champions and reigning team champions Legion XIII were in solo third on 11 under.
Detry and Smylie each hit 10 fairways, tying for best in the field, while Detry also was tied for the lead in greens in regulation, hitting 17 of 18.
He prepared for playing at night by practicing under the lights with his coach in Abu Dhabi.
“First day on the job, so a little bit of a change for me, so a bit nervous,” said the Belgian, whose most recent win was in February last year on the PGA Tour.
“I drove it so well out there, it made my job pretty easy.”
Nervy start
Smylie had a bogey on his second hole before finding his rhythm. Five of his seven birdies came on par 4s, tying new Smash GC captain Talor Gooch for the most by any other player on the day.
“I think there were a little bit of nerves and excitement, but I think I showed what I’m capable of today – or tonight, I should say,” Smylie said.
While Detry and Smylie were making LIV Golf starts no. 1, Uihlein was making start no. 51 as one of eight original players at every tournament since LIV Golf debuted in London in 2022.
He remains in search of his first LIV win, although he won two International Series events on the Asian Tour in 2024. Those were each 72-hole tournaments, and Uihlein hopes the switch from 54 holes to 72 starting this season will prove beneficial to him.
“I’m not scared of a blowup every now and then on a hole in particular, so now I have more holes to make it up,” Uihlein said.
“I think it’s going to benefit me long-term, which is nice.”
Fresh mindset
Gooch was among the group lurking at 5 under. He’s won four individual titles and the 2023 individual championship, all in the previous 54-hole format.
He and the other veteran LIV Golf players have had to adjust their mindset.
“Definitely has a totally different vibe,” Gooch said. “Only 18 more holes, it’s not that vastly different.
“But even on the range when we were about to go, I was giving everybody a little fist bump and said, ‘Let’s go get it,’ and Harold (Varner III, his new Smash teammate) said, ‘Hey, don’t come out the gate sprinting. It’s not a sprint anymore.”
It remains serious business, though, especially with a bevy of newcomers in the expanded 57-player field determined to make a quick impression even while getting used to LIV Golf’s energetic tournament days.
“I think even with the concerts and the entertainment outside of the golf, that’s something that I’m really enjoying,” Smylie said.
“I feel like I’m really thriving in an environment like that, and it’s great to start my LIV career here in Riyadh.” (courtesy LIV Golf)
Leaderboards
Individual (top 10)
T1 (-7) – Thomas Detry, 4Aces (65); Peter Uihlein, RangeGoats (65)
3 (-6) – Elvis Smylie, Ripper (66)
T4 (-5) – Louis Oosthuizen, Southern Guards (67); Byeong Hun An, Korean (67); Talor Gooch, Smash (67); Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII (67); Sebastián Muñoz, Torque (67); Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (67)
T10 (-4) – Harold Varner III, Smash (68); Yosuke Asaji, wild card (68); Scott Vincent, wild card (68); Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (68); Abraham Ancer, Torque (68); Sergio Garcia, Fireballs (68); Anthony Kim, wild card (68); Joaquin Niemann, Torque (68)
Team Top 3
1 (-15) – Torque GC (Muñoz 67, Ancer 68, Niemann 68, Ortiz 70)
2 (-13) – Southern Guards (Oosthuizen 67, Burmester 69, Grace 69, Schwartzel 70)
3 (-11) – Legion XIII (Hatton 67, Rahm 67, Surratt 71, McKibbin 72)
Also read: Golfshire to host edition two of International Series India in Oct.
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.