SouthernWorldwide.com – Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau and teammate Charles Howell III are once again at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of LIV Golf Korea, sharing the lead with Scott Vincent of HyFlyers GC. Each golfer shot a 5-under 65 on Thursday at the Asiad Country Club.
This mirrors their performance from last year’s LIV Golf event in Korea, where DeChambeau and Howell III battled for the individual title, with DeChambeau ultimately securing the win. However, this year’s tournament is being held at a different course and location.
Three players are closely trailing, one shot behind the leaders. They include Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, Majesticks GC Co-Captain Ian Poulter, who is playing despite a torn meniscus, and Thomas Pieters of 4Aces GC. All three shot a 4-under 66.
A group of four players are tied for seventh place at 3-under. This includes Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith, Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel of Southern Guards GC, and Laurie Canter from the Majesticks.
The home favorites, Korean Golf Club, delivered a strong performance, arguably their best of the season. Younghan Song and new addition Doyeob Mun both shot 68, placing them in a large tie for 11th. The team itself is tied for fifth place at 3-under.
DeChambeau expressed his satisfaction with rekindling his successful partnership with Howell III, particularly given their shared leading position going into the final holes last year. He humorously remarked, “I guess Charles and I love Korea.”
Howell III also shared his happiness, though he acknowledged the challenge of competing against DeChambeau, who has already won twice this season and is second in the season-long points race behind Jon Rahm. “Team-wise, it’s wonderful. Individual-wise, it’s terrible,” Howell III stated. “Team-wise, I love him up there at the top. Individually, I wish he was at the bottom. Obviously Bryson, more weeks than not, he plays extremely well, and if my name is near his, I’m usually doing something pretty good.”
DeChambeau held the solo lead for much of the round, having birdied six of his first ten holes. However, bogeys on the 13th hole, due to a three-putt after his approach went long, and on the par-5 15th, where he found the water, caused him to fall back. “Being 6-under through 10, I felt like something special was happening,” DeChambeau commented. “I simmered off but still played some great golf. Surprised that I didn’t go deeper.”
Howell III’s round was significantly boosted by an eagle 2 on the par-4 second hole, achieved from 108 yards. “When the ball disappeared, I thought I had one-hopped it over the green, but obviously the cheering said otherwise,” he recalled. “I’ll take those. They don’t happen often.”
Scott Vincent posted the only bogey-free round of the day. This performance continues his recent upward trend since joining the HyFlyers lineup as a replacement for captain Phil Mickelson. He achieved a solo 4th place in Mexico City and a T8 finish in Virginia, marking the team’s best individual results this season.
This marks Vincent’s first time sharing the lead after any round in his LIV Golf career. “I don’t know what it is, but the second I joined them, my game just went up,” Vincent said. “It’s been amazing.” He earned his spot this season after winning the 2025 International Series season-long title.
The Crushers GC, who won the team title in Korea last year, are currently leading the team leaderboard with a cumulative score of 10-under. The team is competing without one of its regular members, Paul Casey, who is sidelined due to injury and has been replaced by reserve Travis Smyth. Smyth shot a 2-over 72, while Anirban Lahiri carded a 68.
The recently rebranded OKGC holds sole possession of second place at 7-under, with the HyFlyers and Fireballs tied for third at 5-under.
Individual Top 10
T1 (-5) – Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (65); Charles Howell III, Crushers (65); Scott Vincent, HyFlyers (65)
T4 (-4) – Ian Poulter, Majesticks (66); Joaquin Niemann, Torque (66); Thomas Pieters, 4Aces (66)
T7 (-3) – Cameron Smith, Ripper (67); Sergio Garcia, Fireballs (67); Charl Schwartzel, Southern Guards (67); Laurie Canter, Majesticks (67)
Team Top 3
1 (-10) – Crushers GC (DeChambeau 65, Howell III 65, Lahiri 68, Smyth 72)
2 (-7) – OKGC (Kokrak 68, McDowell 68, Varner III 68, Gooch 69)
T3 (-5) – HyFlyers GC (Vincent 65, La Sasso 68, Steele 70, Tringale 72)
T3 (-5) – Fireballs GC (Garcia 67, Masaveu 68, Puig 70, Ballester 70)
KOREAN GC FUELED BY FANS: Following a period of less than ideal results, Korean GC aimed to turn their fortunes around with a lineup adjustment and the strong support of their home crowd. Their efforts have shown early promise.
Doyeob Mun, a newcomer who is currently leading the KPGA Tour in points this season, shot a 2-under 68 in his LIV Golf debut, securing a tie for 11th. His teammate Younghan Song also shot a 68 to join him, while captain Byeong Hun An posted an even-par 70 and Minkyu Kim a 71. The team’s tie for fifth place marks their best standing after any first round this season.
“The fact that I played my first tournament of LIV Golf here in my home ground was really, truly an honor,” Mun expressed. “Looking at the fans, I really felt less nervous, more comfortable. I really want to thank them for coming out today.
“During the next three days I’m really going to bring my ‘A’ game and also have a lot of fun.”
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Considering Korean GC’s struggles in first rounds this season, this was an excellent start to a crucial week for the club. The team aspires to replicate the success of Ripper GC, an all-Australian team that secured a victory in front of a massive crowd of 115,000 fans in Adelaide earlier this year.
“I remember how huge the oceans of galleries were during the Adelaide tournament,” Song recalled. “Considering we’re in Busan where the people are known for being very passionate, not only am I interested in playing a good game with my team members at KGC, I’m looking forward to seeing all those passionate Busan people come out to cheer us on.”
POULTER’S TORN MENISCUS: Majesticks GC Co-Captain Ian Poulter achieved a score of 4-under 66 despite playing with a torn meniscus in his left leg. He sustained the injury at the previous LIV Golf tournament in Virginia.
Poulter recounted that shortly after a gym session before the first round, he attempted to ascend a flight of six stairs by taking two at a time. During the hop, he felt a distinct pop. “As soon as it happened, I didn’t think I was going to play an hour before tee-off,” Poulter stated. “So it was that crazy.”
Remarkably, he finished T18 in Virginia, his best performance of the season, before undergoing an MRI upon returning home. The scan revealed the tear, and he was advised to have surgery after the season concluded. He took a week off to prepare for the Korea event.
Despite the injury, Poulter asserted that it does not affect his golf swing. “Bizarrely, I have no sensation throughout the golf swing that there’s anything wrong with it,” said Poulter, who has also started using a new set of well-performing McLaren irons. “I sense it when I’m walking downhill, steep downhills. I’m just edging it a little bit. But look, I’m going to have to strengthen that leg. It’s not affecting my golf in any way, shape or form.
“I just have to remind myself that I can’t go and play paddle tennis or do anything stupid or hop up steps like I did a couple of weeks ago. Walking in straight lines and being super-sensible is not something I’m used to doing.
“Look, I feel good. I feel great. The body feels good. We’ll deal with that at some stage.”
DIFFERENT TYPE OF COURSES: While Crushers teammates Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell III find themselves in a familiar position atop the LIV Golf Korea leaderboard, they both agreed that this year’s course at Asiad Country Club bears little resemblance to last year’s Jack Nicklaus Golf Course Korea in Incheon.
“This course is a bit shorter, a bit more position golf,” Howell III observed. “Last year was a bit more open off the tee. You could hit a lot of drivers. This place, quite a bit more thinking. If you drive the ball in the rough here, it’s really difficult to get it close to the flags. The green complexes are big, but with all the massive slopes in them, if you miss the fairway, it’s either a tough two-putt from 60 feet or some type of fiddly chip.”
DeChambeau added: “It’s actually completely different. It’s funny, we’re just coincidentally playing great golf here. Yeah, the Jack Nicklaus golf course was a different test, and this one is quite different than that golf course last year.
“It’s just a ball striker’s golf course, and that’s what Charles thrives on and that’s what I’ve been working towards to get better at, and it paid off today.”
RAHM KEEPS STREAK GOING: Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, the reigning two-time LIV Golf Individual Champion and current points leader, began Thursday with a streak of 38 consecutive rounds of par or better in LIV Golf.
That streak was under significant threat for most of the day, as he was 3-over through 13 holes without a single birdie. However, he finished strongly, making three birdies in his final five holes, including a 14-foot putt on his last hole, to finish with an even-par 70.
Rahm, who has consistently finished no lower than 11th in any completed LIV Golf tournament, is currently part of an 11-way tie for 27th place.
Round 1 Statistics
Driving Distance: Josele Ballester, 317.3-yard average.
Longest Drive: Doyeob Mun, 363.7 yards (11th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 11 and 12.
Driving Accuracy: Charles Howell III, Tom McKibbin, 86.71% (12 of 14)
Greens in Regulation: Harold Varner III, 88.89% (16 of 18)
Scrambling: Scott Vincent (7 of 7), Josele Ballester (5 of 5), 100%
Fewest Putts: Scott Vincent, Thomas Pieters, 24
Bogey-free rounds: Scott Vincent (65)
