ROUND 1 NOTES
MICKELSON’S SHORT GAME: HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson credited the return of his vaunted short game as one key reason why he’s having his best season on LIV Golf. On Friday, Mickelson was four of six scrambling on the day and made some difficult up-and-downs to save par to shoot a 4-under 67, his best opening round on LIV Golf in more than a year.
The 54-year-old has struggled around the green since the beginning of the 2024 season. In 2024, he ranked 39th in scrambling, averaging –0.13 strokes to the field per round. This year, he’s been better, gaining an average of +0.16 strokes per round, but the results still aren’t up to his lofty standards.
“It’s always been the best part of my game. It’s always been the easiest part of my game. Last few years I’ve really struggled with it. Because I’ve never had to think about it or analyze it, I’ve been able to force myself to look at what it is I’m really doing, what am I missing?” Mickelson explained.
“I figured it out, and it feels great. … Very first hole, I hit a poor drive. I was able to get the ball in front of the green. I’m 43 yards away, and I’m able to get it down there three, four feet away, and I make par. Last hole I hit a bad drive. I was able to get it up by the green in the rough and hit a great shot to tap in. Saving those shots are critical. I’ve been costing me strokes, I’ve been losing strokes lately around the green. Now I’m gaining strokes, and it feels great”
OLLIE TO THE RESCUE: Reserve player Ollie Schniederjans stepped up when RangeGoats GC needed it most, taking the baton from an injured Matthew Wolff to give the team a 4-under 67. Schniederjans was summoned after Wolff completed his eighth hole at even par and played the remaining 10 holes in 4 under as the RangeGoats grabbed a two-shot lead over Crushers GC and 4Aces GC.
Schniederjans’ score will only count towards the team leaderboard and not the individual leaderboard for the remainder of the tournament. He will continue playing for the RangeGoats unless Wolff is able to return prior to either of the next two rounds.
NIEMANN’S BOUNCE-BACK: Points leader Joaquin Niemann got off to a rough start with a double-bogey on his first hole of the day and followed it with a bogey on the 2nd, leaving him 3-over early in his round. Despite the rough start, Niemann, who’s won three LIV Golf events this season, battled back. He made birdies on holes 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15 and 16 to get into the clubhouse at 4 under.
107 MINUTE DELAY: Weather issues forced a suspension in play at 3:58 p.m. ET with the field still having 4 to 5 holes left in the first round. Play resumed 107 minutes later. Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t the only player to take advantage of the softer course conditions. Co-leader Martin Kaymer also produced three straight birdies late in his round. “It’s never easy coming back from a break,” Kaymer said. “You don’t know what to expect. On 16, I hit a really poor tee shot and got extremely lucky and hit it to 6, 7 feet.”
BALLESTER’S PRO DEBUT: Fireballs GC’s newest acquisition, young Spanish star Josele Ballester, made his pro debut Friday, shooting a 3-over 74. He posted his first pro birdie at the par-4 18th.