LIV Golf Invitational Series: Brooks Koepka two shots clear of Charl Schwartzel after day one in Jeddah | Golf News

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka cards eight birdies in blemish-free round to take early lead in latest LIV Golf event; Charl Schwartzel two strokes back as he targets a second title of the season, having won the inaugural tournament at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire in June

Brooks Koepka’s blemish-free opening round left him eight under at LIV Golf International Jeddah, two shots clear of Charl Schwartzel

Brooks Koepka holds a two-shot lead after round one of the LIV Golf International Jeddah, with Charl Schwartzel the nearest challenger as he targets a second title of the inaugural season.

Four-time major champion Koepka carded eight birdies in a flawless 62 on the opening day in Saudi Arabia, with Schwartzel at six under after blending eight birdies with two bogeys.

Schwartzel won the maiden LIV event in at The Centurion Club in Hertfordshire in June.

Schwartzel won the maiden LIV event in Hertfordshire in June

Patrick Reed, Hideto Tanihara and Peter Uihlein are a shot further back on five under, with Dustin Jonson six shots behind fellow American Koepka on two under after an opening 68.

Johnson – recently crowned the inaugural LIV Golf Individual Champion, scooping an $18m (£16.25m) first prize – notched five birdies but also a double-bogey on the par-three eighth hole and a bogey on the 13th.

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Dustin Johnson mocked the LIV Golf outrage by jokingly claiming he regrets joining – before saying he was confident OWGR points will be awarded for future events

Johnson said earlier this week that it “was a matter of when” LIV golfers would be allowed to earn world rankings points, despite a further snub from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

LIV has formed a “strategic alliance with the MENA Tour, a circuit which has been officially recognised by the OWGR since 2016, and hoped that would lead to its players being awarded points.

However, OWGR responded by saying points would not be dished out in 2022 due to “insufficient notice” and that a decision would only be made beyond that after a review.

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