LIV Golf Hong Kong: strong winds may be Fanling’s only defence as Burmester, Ancer lead assault on course record
- Joint leaders come closest to matching Englishman Aaron Rai’s record of nine-under-par 61, carding bogey-free 63s in the opening round
- Chasing pack has six players on six under and only three shots separate the top 17, while Stinger GC are the top team on a combined 16 under
Hong Kong Golf Club rolled over and let LIV’s galaxy of stars tickle its belly on Friday, and if it doesn’t bare its teeth this weekend Aaron Rai’s 2018 course record is certainly for grabs.
Dean Burmester and Abraham Ancer came closest to matching the Englishman’s nine-under-par 61, carding bogey-free 63s in an opening round that at one stage had 12 players tied for the lead.
The pair are one clear of a chasing pack that has six players on six under, and a top 17 separated by just three shots.
Burmester, captain Louis Oosthuizen (-6) and Branden Grace (-3) combined to put Stinger GC at the top of the team leaderboard on a combined 16 under, although Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, who won in Jeddah last week, are again breathing down their necks a shot back.
While Cleeks GC pair Kalle Samooja and Martin Kaymer were making the early running, Burmester, who started on 18, finished his first nine at two under, showing little evidence of the fireworks to follow.
But a run of four birdies, either side of an eagle at the par-5 13th, propelled him to the top of an increasingly congested leaderboard.
“I had a slow start, and then went through a stretch there on the back nine where I think I went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, and that eagle putt just caught the right edge perfectly and beautifully,” the South African said.
“When it’s into the wind like that, it’s a good eagle. I’m really happy with the way my day went, obviously, and happy with the way the boys played, too.”
At 6,700 yards, the Fanling course is one of the shortest that tour players are faced with, and Ancer agreed with his co-leader’s assessment that it was a layout that even “long hitters can enjoy”.
The Mexican rattled off five birdies from the par-4 ninth, and added two more on his way home, and said he had been surprised by the number of players who found themselves within sight of the lead.
“I guess it’s just playing perfect,” he said. “The greens are really good, there’s just a lot of guys that are playing really good at this time, I feel like.”
Fanling is not without its challenges, and several players had days they would like to forget, including Phil Mickelson. The 53-year-old followed his best finish of the year in Saudi Arabia with an opening 10-over 80, and is four shots adrift at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Samooja, too, did not end the day well. From five under and among the leaders, four bogeys in five holes from the par-3 5th saw him finish at one under.
Jon Rahm was in the running for a while, but like many before him came unstuck on the par-4 18th. The Spaniard sent his tee shot way left and ended up next to a fence. His chip then hit the cart path and bounced back behind him.
When he finally reached the green he missed a putt for a double-bogey, and the triple was the only blemish on a round of 67.
Ancer said wind at the weekend would be needed to thin out the field, because that made the course “actually very tricky”. He may get his wish; the forecast for Saturday is for rain and the potential of strong winds.
If that does not materialise, Ancer said, a 58 or 59 was not beyond the realms of possibility, given the fact Joaquin Niemann and DeChambeau have both managed that during their time with LIV.
“Absolutely no wind and the conditions stay the same, yeah, definitely somebody out there can shoot a 58, 59,” Ancer said. “There’s golf courses where you don’t see it – like Mayakoba. I didn’t see a 59 there ever, and Joaco [Niemann] shot a 59, which was extremely impressive.
“I feel like any golf course now that we play, anybody can shoot that, which is pretty crazy.”
