Staff WriterUnder the floodlights in Riyadh, with music thumping and fairways glowing like runway strips, Thomas Detry and Elvis Smylie strolled into LIV Golf’s new 72-hole era looking like they’d been doing this night-golf lark their whole lives.
Detry, the newest full-time man on 4Aces GC, opened his LIV account with a bogey-free 7-under 65 at Riyadh Golf Club to share the ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh lead with old hand Peter Uihlein of RangeGoats GC. Smylie, the 23-year-old left-handed firework just plugged into the all-Aussie Ripper GC, signed for 66 and solo third – not bad for a lad who admitted to a few butterflies.
They were just two of 10 players – eight full-timers and two reserves – making their first swings as LIV Golfers. Byeong Hun An, taking over as captain of Korean Golf Club, joined the party with a 67 to sit in a logjam for fourth, while HyFlyers GC’s Michael La Sasso, the league’s youngest player at 21, posted a tidy 69 in his professional debut.
On the team board, Torque GC roared out front at 15-under, two clear of the all-South African Southern Guards GC. Defending Riyadh champions and reigning LIV Golf Team Champions Legion XIII lurk in solo third at 11-under – not exactly easing into their title defence.
Detry’s Dream Start Under The Lights
For a man who admitted he was a touch on edge, Detry looked about as twitchy as a park bench.
“First day on the job, so a little bit of a change for me, so a bit nervous,” said the Belgian, whose most recent win was in February last year on the PGA Tour. “I drove it so well out there, it made my job pretty easy.”
Ten fairways hit – tied for best in the field – and 17 of 18 greens in regulation will do that for you. Detry had prepared for night golf like a man cramming for finals, hitting balls under floodlights with his coach in Abu Dhabi before coming to Riyadh. The homework paid off; he looked like he’d been raised on stadium golf.
Smylie’s First-Night Jitters — And Fireworks
Smylie’s card wasn’t quite as spotless – he bogeyed his second hole – but once he found the rhythm, he looked every inch the Ripper GC project player of Australia’s dreams. Five of his seven birdies came on par 4s, tying new Smash GC captain Talor Gooch for most par-4 birdies on the day.
“I think there were a little bit of nerves and excitement, but I think I showed what I’m capable of today – or tonight, I should say,” Smylie said.
He’s already leaning into the LIV circus, and Riyadh seems to suit him just fine.
“I think even with the concerts and the entertainment outside of the golf, that’s something that I’m really enjoying,” Smylie said. “I feel like I’m really thriving in an environment like that, and it’s great to start my LIV career here in Riyadh.”
For a 23-year-old, that’s not just composure – that’s a man who’s read the room and decided he rather likes the lights, the noise, and the chaos.
Uihlein Loves The Long Haul
While Detry and Smylie were taking their first sips of the LIV cocktail, Peter Uihlein was on his 51st glass.
While Detry and Smylie were making LIV Golf starts No. 1, Uihlein was making start No. 51 as one of eight original players who have started every tournament since LIV Golf debuted in London in 2022.
He’s still hunting that elusive first individual LIV win, but turned up in Riyadh as a man well-rehearsed in the format… or at least the old one. The American banked two International Series wins on the Asian Tour in 2024, both over 72 holes. Now LIV has gone from 54 to 72, he fancies the odds might finally be stacked in his favour.
“I’m not scared of a blowup every now and then on a hole in particular, so now I have more holes to make it up,” Uihlein said. “I think it’s going to benefit me long-term, which is nice.”
If Detry is the new hire and Smylie the intern with a rocket strapped to his back, Uihlein is the grizzled shop foreman who just got told the factory’s staying open an extra shift – and he couldn’t be happier.
Gooch On The New Grind: “It’s Not A Sprint Anymore”
Gooch, now steering Smash GC, is among a dangerous cluster at 5-under. He already owns four individual titles and the 2023 season-long Individual Championship – all earned in the 54-hole era. Now he and the other veterans have to recalibrate.
“Definitely has a totally different vibe,” Gooch said. “Only 18 more holes, it’s not that vastly different. But even on the range when we were about to go, I was giving everybody a little fist bump and said, ‘Let’s go get it,’ and Harold (Varner III, his new Smash teammate) said, ‘Hey, don’t come out the gate sprinting. It’s not a sprint anymore.”
So there you go: same shotgun starts, same booming music, same carnival in Riyadh – but the race itself just got longer.
OWGR Finally Arrives – Sort Of
If the 72-hole tweak is LIV Golf’s structural facelift, the other big storyline in Riyadh is numerical: Official World Golf Ranking points are finally on the line.
This week’s ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh is the first LIV Golf tournament to award Official World Golf Ranking points after Tuesday’s announcement by the OWGR that points will be allocated to the top-10 individual finishers and ties for the 13 regular-season tournaments.
Cue a chorus of cautious applause and a fair bit of grumbling from the players.
Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm didn’t mince his words.
“It’s fantastic that we’re being recognized in a way. With that said, I don’t like how we’re not being treated the same as every other tour. It seems like the rules that have been in place don’t really apply to us, with only 10 of us getting points. It doesn’t seem fair. The small fields out there through the course of the year, their players get full points. There’s work to be done.
While it’s good for some people, it could cause some players to actually lose world ranking points instead of gaining them because finishing 11th is basically a missed cut, and we’re already adding to the divisor. But I’m thankful that I would say LIV Golf got their foot in the door, and there’s a possibility for us to walk in the room and be recognized as a tour, as we should be.” – Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm
Smash GC’s Talor Gooch echoed the sense that this is progress, but not perfection.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. But I think anybody who says that the right thing was done and the fair thing was done, I don’t think they’re in tune with the reality of things. Hopefully there’s some improvement there. Time will tell.” – Smash GC Captain Talor Gooch
From Crushers GC, Charles Howell III struck a diplomatic note.
“I think it’s a great step. I don’t necessarily agree with how it was done and the amount of points and only top 10 but listen – any points are better than no points.” – Crusher GC’s Charles Howell III
Ian Poulter, co-captain of Majesticks GC, was typically straight down the fairway.
“Mixed view. First and foremost, it’s good to have LIV recognized finally, that after all these years we should be getting points. So that’s a massive plus. On the flip side, I’m not sure what algorithm they used to work out the points.” – Majesticks GC Co-Captain Ian Poulter
Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester chose to zoom out.
“I think it’s recognition of the league, recognition of the quality of the players that are here and what we’re trying to achieve. To be welcomed into that kind of ecosystem is important.” – Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester
Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer, who’s made a career out of grinding out top-15s, knows exactly where the sting lies.
“Finishing 11th to 15th in some events is a great, great effort and achievement, but that gives you zero points. That’s the downside of it. But I think we should focus on the positive. It’s a step in the right direction and let’s see where it can go from here.” – Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer
And Uihlein, having already done his talking with that 65, was surprisingly upbeat about the maths.
“Obviously there are things that probably need to get worked out with the top 10 or whatever, but the reality is we have more points today than we did yesterday. I’m all for it.” – RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein
In short: LIV Golf is finally inside the OWGR tent – but they’ve been told to sit near the flap for now.
La Sasso Steps Into The Big Time
For HyFlyers GC’s new captain Michael La Sasso, Riyadh will always be the place where the pro career started. At 21, the youngest player in the league birdied three of his first five holes, launched the longest drive of the day, and signed for a 3-under 69 to share 18th.
“I definitely think there’s a lot of positives to be taken away from today, especially when you’re kind of making your debut, things can be a little bit stressful,” said La Sasso, who won the 2025 NCAA Division I Individual title while at Ole Miss. “I thought the way I handled myself was pretty good. Definitely a couple of things to sharpen up, get ready for the week, but I thought I played pretty good today being my first round professionally.”
Six birdies, three bogeys and a 341.2-yard missile down the 10th will have done his confidence no harm at all.
Bryson Shakes Off The Rust
Bryson DeChambeau’s card looked like a rollercoaster in places, but the Crushers GC captain left Riyadh’s opening round more encouraged than exasperated.
Bryson DeChambeau, playing his first competitive stroke-play round since last year’s LIV Golf Indianapolis in August, failed to take advantage of the par-4 1st after his tee shot left him 20 yards from the green. He then followed with a double bogey at the 2nd. After that? The Crushers GC captain found his form, bouncing back with consecutive birdies and showing an improved wedge game en route to a 4-under 68.
“I played good coming in, despite the double and a couple missed opportunities on the par 5s and one on 18, or it could have been an 8-, 9-under round,” said DeChambeau, whose last competitive round of any kind was the 2025 Ryder Cup. “Pretty pleased with how everything went … As you saw out there, it was a little bit better wedging. I don’t have to tell myself I’m terrible at wedging all the time hopefully.”
If this is Bryson with “a little bit better wedging”, the rest of the field might want to start practising from the trees.
Wild Cards And New Names Crash The Party
It wasn’t just the franchise heads and debutants making noise. Three of the expanded five independent Wild Card players muscled their way into the top 10 of the leaderboard.
International Series qualifiers Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji, and LIV Golf Promotions qualifier Anthony Kim each shot 4-under 68s to join a group of eight players tied for 10th. Promotions winner Richard T. Lee, the league’s first Canadian player, shot a 69 and is tied for 18th. Bjorn Hellgren, the other Promotions qualifier, shot even-par 72.
Add that to the rebranded Korean Golf Club (formerly Iron Heads GC) and Southern Guards GC (formerly Stinger GC), the expanded 57-man field – the largest in league history – and the first-ever 72-hole round, and you had a night in Riyadh crammed with firsts.
A NIGHT OF FIRSTS indeed: new captains in Talor Gooch (Smash) and Byeong Hun An (Korean), 10 players making their first LIV Golf appearances, and a leaderboard that looks like someone spilled a world map across it.
By The Numbers – Round 1 At LIV Golf Riyadh
For the stat-heads, here’s how the opening round at Riyadh Golf Club stacked up:
- Driving Distance (avg): Ben Schmidt, 326.1 yards
- Longest Drive: Michael La Sasso, 341.2 yards (10th hole)
- Driving Accuracy: Thomas Detry, Elvis Smylie, Tyrrell Hatton, Michael La Sasso, Brendan Steele, Tom McKibbin – 71.43% (10 of 14)
- Greens In Regulation: Thomas Detry, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer – 94.44% (17 of 18)
- Scrambling: 14 players at 100%, led by Tyrrell Hatton (6 of 6)
- Fewest Putts: Minkyu Kim, 25
- Bogey-Free Rounds:
- Thomas Detry (65)
- Peter Uihlein (65)
- Louis Oosthuizen (67)
- Byeong Hun An (67)
- Tyrrell Hatton (67)
- Sebastián Muñoz (67)
- Jon Rahm (67)
- Scott Vincent (68)
- Sergio Garcia (68)
- David Puig (69)
- Richard T. Lee (69)
Not a bad way to start a new chapter for LIV Golf: a bigger field, a longer tournament, LIV Golf Riyadh under the lights, and a leaderboard that already looks as crowded as the concert stage beside the 18th green.
