LIV Golf: Paul Casey and Jason Kokrak tied for lead after opening round in Mexico as tournament's second season gets under way

LIV Golf's second season kicked off at El Camaleon, a course designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman; it's LIV's first foray into Mexico and their first time staging a tournament on a course that has hosted PGA Tour events

Saturday 25 February 2023 08:30, UK

Jason Kokrak and Englishman Paul Casey are tied for the first-round lead at LIV Golf Mayakoba after shooting rounds of six-under-par 65 on Friday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

The tournament kicked off LIV Golf's second season, and at El Camaleon, a course designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman. It is LIV's first foray into Mexico and its first time staging a tournament on a course that has hosted PGA Tour events.

Kokrak and Casey hold a two-shot lead over Peter Uihlein, Talor Gooch and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz, who all shot four-under 67s.

Kokrak and Casey shot their 65s in very different ways. Kokrak had six birdies, including a chip-in, and stayed bogey-free.

"With my type of game, I don't always get the chance to have a bogey-free round," Kokrak said. Gooch was the only other player to go bogey-free on Friday.

Casey, meanwhile, started his round with a birdie at the par-four sixth and was five under before taking a double bogey at the par-four second hole. He bounced back by finishing his round with three consecutive birdies at holes three to five.

Dustin Johnson, last season's individual champion and the captain of the defending team champions, 4Aces, is tied for sixth at three under, along with Charles Howell III, England's Ian Poulter, Australia's Marc Leishman and South Africa's Branden Grace after all shot opening 68s.

LIV's highest-ranked player, world No 5 Cameron Smith of Australia, is alone in 11th at two under after a first-round 69.

Casey and Howell helped Crushers take the team lead at 10 under through one round. India's Anirban Lahiri contributed a one-under 70.

The top three scores for each four-man team count towards each team's score for each round. Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau was the odd man out for his team after opening with a one-over 72 that included a double bogey-bogey-bogey stretch.

Crushers currently have a three-shot lead over Johnson's 4Aces and Brooks Koepka's Smash, each placed at seven under.

4Aces got contributions from Johnson, Uihlein and Pat Perez (even-par 71), and Smash featured Kokrak, Koepka (even) and Matthew Wolff (one-under).