Rd. 1 News and Notes: UK fans show home crowd support

ROCESTER, England – Jon Rahm holds a two-shot lead getting into the weekend at LIV Golf UK by JCB whereas Legion XIII tops the workforce leaderboard. Listed here are some information and notes from Spherical 1 at JCB Golf & Nation Membership.

RELATED: Rahm and his Legion XIII pink scorching at LIV Golf UK by JCB

HOME CROWD SUPPORT: Of the six English-born gamers on this week’s area, 4 are inside the highest 20 of the leaderboard after Friday’s opening spherical.

Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton (66) is tied for fourth, Majesticks GC’s Sam Horsfield (67) and Crushers GC’s Paul Casey (67) are tied for sixth, and Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland (69) is tied for nineteenth.

The English gamers definitely obtained the most important cheers from the sellout crowd at JCB Golf and Nation Membership, which is internet hosting the primary LIV Golf occasion performed within the Midlands.

“Enjoying in entrance of English followers, they have been fairly vocal on the market in the present day, which was good,” Hatton mentioned. “It actually felt such as you’re taking part in a giant match, which is nice. I feel all of the gamers would have loved that in the present day.”

Horsfield, who practices at JCB and lives simply 5 minutes away, performed his first spherical with Majesticks Co-Captains Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in an all-English threesome on Friday.

“The English crowds actually introduced the vitality in the present day,” Horsfield mentioned. “There have been so many individuals watching us all day. Even after we have been up there on 6 and seven, type of the again finish of the course there, there was a bunch of individuals on the market supporting us.”

RAHM AND THE PAR-5 HOLES: Jon Rahm shot an 8-under 63 regardless of failing to make a birdie on any of the three par 5s. It continues a current development through which he tied for seventh ultimately week’s Open Championship regardless of being unable to birdie any of the par 5s at Royal Troon.

“It is humorous,” Rahm mentioned. “I do not imply to be laughing. Not too long ago, I really feel like I am not doing something incorrect. I am not making unhealthy swings. I do not really feel like I am making horrible selections, but it surely’s simply I’ve acquired a little bit streak of unhealthy luck on the par 5s. Did not birdie any of them at The Open. Did not birdie any of them in the present day. I do not really feel like I did something terribly incorrect.”

OGLETREE’S SWING ADJUSTMENT: HyFlyers GC’s Andy Ogletree has battled bone spurs and tendinitis in his wrist and can probably want offseason surgical procedure. Compelled to regulate his swing, he mentioned solely not too long ago has he began to see some optimistic outcomes.

“With the brand new swing, it is taken a little bit time,” mentioned Ogletree, whose opening 6-under 65 has him tied for second. “Studying totally different shot shapes, studying totally different tendencies, studying tendencies beneath stress, studying totally different lies and the way far the ball goes to fly and all these various things with the totally different transfer I am making an attempt to placed on it to alleviate some ache. 

“So, it is taken a short while, however I really feel like I have been trending in the best path for just a few weeks now.”

Ogletree, who earned his LIV Golf spot this 12 months after ending atop the 2023 Worldwide Sequence standings, entered this week ranked thirty eighth within the season-long factors standings. The highest 24 on the finish of the common season are assured spots subsequent 12 months.

ROUND 1 STATS LEADERS

Driving accuracy: Graeme McDowell, Kevin Na, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Matthew Wolff, 320.2 yards avg.
Longest drive: Matthew Wolff, 327.7 yards, tenth gap
Greens in regulation: Richard Bland, 88.89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Kevin Na (8 of 8), Jon Rahm (3 of three), 100%
Placing: Abraham Ancer, 1.28 putts per gap
Bogey-free rounds: Jon Rahm (63), Kevin Na (70)