Matthew Wolff goes low to grab LIV Golf Greenbrier lead

Three bogies all but cancelled out the four birdies Anirban Lahiri picked up on the opening day of LIV Golf Greenbrier to share 33rd place alongside Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia and three others even as Matthew Wolff produced a 9 under 61 on Friday to tie the series low number.

The India star’s score also did not count for the Crushers with captain Bryson DeChambeau (68), Charles Howell III (65), and Paul Casey (68) bring the counting totals for the day with their team down in ninth place with a 9 under total.

At the top of the leaderboard, Wolff who went through a rough patch mid-season, held a two-shot lead after the first round on The Old White course in Greenbrier, and said later the score was not a statement, nor a reflection of any change in his approach.

“I just go out here and I give it my best every single day. It's golf. It's a rollercoaster, and I'm learning to accept the good and the bad as they come and roll with it. I haven't changed anything.”

In his last three LIV Golf starts, Wolff could not even break 70s and averaged 74.6 per round with a best finish of 44th in Andalucía. On Friday, though, it was a very different story.

Starting on hole eight, the 24-year-old opened with a birdie, added two pars, then produced a four-hole stretch that included three birdies and an eagle. He then ended his round with three birdies in his last four holes.

The 61 was the fourth in the LIV Golf series alongside Branden Grace, Cameron Smith and most recently Harold Varner III in Tulsa. For his part, Varner went 7-under 63 on Friday to join David Puig in shared second place. Dean Burmester and Cameron Tringale were another stroke back after carding 64s.

Wolff looked more like the player who started the season with three consecutive top-12 finishes than the one who hasn’t scored points in the last six events and dropped to 27th in the season-long points standings.

“Everyone goes through slumps, everyone goes through bad times, and I'm lucky mine only lasted a few tournaments,” Wolff said. “I started off the year really good, and I'm looking to end it really good.”

Wolff also helped Smash GC hold the team lead on 19 under, with captain Brooks Koepka and Jason Kokrak contributing 5-under 65s. Koepka was making his first start since the birth of his son last week.

Smash, currently seventh in the season-long team points, are seeking their first win of the season. Koepka’s team lead Torque GC, Stinger GC and RangeGoats GC by four shots.

Only the top 24 at the end of the regular season, as well as team captains, are guaranteed starting places at next year’s LIV Golf League.

A member of the RangeGoats, Varner, who won LIV Golf Washington, was as focused on his team’s success as much as his own. “We need to win,” Varner said after his bogey-free round. “An integral part of winning is playing well, so I’m just trying to play well and help the team as much as possible – and 7-unders will do that.

“I’ve played well here (Greenbrier). It’s the first 54-hole lead I had when I was on tour,” Varner added. “I like it here, it’s close to home. My boys are here. I think they’re having more fun than I am.”

For Wolff, the 9-under was just the kind of round that could prove to be a turning point for a season that has gone sour. But he said there were no guarantees.

“It's golf,” Wolff said. “I mean, you play bad and then you play good. I'm accepting the fact that just because I played well today, it might not go the same tomorrow or might go just as well. At the end of the day, I'm doing what I can and trying to shoot the lowest score I can every day. I promise, I'm trying.”

Also going well on Friday was HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson who is playing with new irons this week (Callaway Apex). The six-time major winner shot his best LIV round in his last five starts with a 4-under 66 that left him tied for 15th. The round included a stretch of four consecutive birdies from holes 9 to 12.

Round one scores

1. Smash GC (-19): Matthew Wolff 61, Brooks Koepka 65, Jason Kokrak 65

T2. Torque GC (-15): David Puig 63, Joaquin Niemann 65, Sebastian Munoz 67

T2. Stinger GC (-15): Dean Burmester 64, Louis Oosthuizen 65, Branden Grace 66

T2. RangeGoats GC (-15): Harold Varner III 63, Talor Gooch 65, Bubba Watson 67

5. HyFlyers GC (-13): Cameron Tringale 64, Phil Mickelson 66, Brendan Steele 67

6. 4Aces GC (-12): Dustin Johnson 65, Peter Uihlein 65, Pat Perez 68

7. Majesticks GC (-11): Laurie Canter 65, Lee Westwood 66, Ian Poulter 68

8. Cleeks GC (-10): Richard Bland 66, Bernd Wiesberger 66, Graeme McDowell 68

9. Crushers GC (-9): Charles Howell III 65, Bryson DeChambeau 68, Paul Casey 68

10. Fireballs GC (-6): Carlos Ortiz 66, Sergio Garcia 69, Eugenio Chacarra 69

11. Ripper GC (-5): Matt Jones 66, Cameron Smith 69, Marc Leishman 70

12. Irom Heads GC (+2): Scott Vincent 69, Danny Lee 71, Sihwan Kim 72