Brooks Koepka delivered a masterclass of golf on Friday, firing a flawless 8-under-par 62 to seize a commanding four-stroke lead after the first round of LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Illinois. Starting his round on the third hole, Koepka saved his best for last, birdieing five of his final six holes – Nos. 15, 16, 18, 1, and 2. A mid-length birdie at the 16th hole gave him the outright lead at 5-under par before he built his cushion with a late hot streak.
Paul Casey of England sits alone in second place at 4-under 66, while Casey’s Crushers GC teammate, Anirban Lahiri of India, is in third at 3-under 67. Despite finishing the day with eight birdies and no bogeys, Koepka admitted that he didn’t feel he struck the ball particularly well for the first seven holes.
“I don’t know how many fairways (I made) – the stats probably weren’t good, but (the misses) were on the correct side of the hole, which helped,” Koepka said. “Putted really good. Felt like I was finally making some putts with the correct speed, and it was the best putting day I’ve had in a long time.”
Koepka’s victory at LIV Golf Greenbrier last month marked his fifth overall win and second of the year, making him a dominant force in the fledgling LIV Golf circuit. LIV Golf Chicago is the final event before the team championship next week outside Dallas.
“Just playing good, I guess. You go on runs, and unfortunately mine has come at the end when we’re not playing much golf,” Koepka said.
While Koepka might further bolster his win total over the weekend, the spotlight will also be on the intense showdown between Spaniard Jon Rahm and Chilean Joaquin Niemann, vying for the 2024 LIV title. Rahm, in his first year with LIV, entered Chicago with a narrow 2.97-point edge on Niemann in the season standings.
The first round belonged to Niemann, however, as he opened with a 2-under 68 (despite a double bogey at the par-4 15th), while Rahm shot 1-under 69.
“It’s always nice to play with Jon,” said Niemann, who spent Friday’s round with Rahm but won’t be paired with him Saturday. “I’m going to miss him. But no, we had a few rounds together. I enjoyed playing with him. It’s one of those, maybe on Sunday we might get together.”
The Crushers GC team, led by Casey, Lahiri, and captain Bryson DeChambeau (2-under 68), combined for a 9-under par score on Friday, giving them a four-shot lead in the team competition. 4Aces GC and Smash GC are tied for second at 5 under. The Crushers also hold the lead in the season standings by a half-point over Rahm’s Legion XIII entering the week.
