Staff WriterThe 2026 season was supposed to be a fresh start for Smash GC. Two rounds into LIV Golf Riyadh, it’s starting to look more like a bonfire.
Talor Gooch, in his first tournament as Smash captain, has stepped into the role the way some people step into a hot bath: completely unbothered. Back-to-back 5-under 67s have him tied for the individual lead at 10 under, while his team has powered into a three-shot advantage thanks to Jason Kokrak producing the low round of the week so far — a bogey-free 8-under 64 under the Riyadh Golf Club lights.
“We wanted to get off to a hot start this year, so we’ve done good through two rounds,” said Gooch, an original LIV Golf member who played the previous two seasons under previous captain Brooks Koepka, “but we’re only halfway there, so a lot of golf left.”
That “halfway there” line is important, because this is where early leads either become trophies or trivia. But Smash’s second-round surge wasn’t luck or a couple of long putts falling in by accident — it was a full-team stomp.
Smash’s chemistry looks… annoyingly good
Gooch, Kokrak and Graeme McDowell have been together the past two seasons. In the offseason, Smash added Gooch’s good friend Harold Varner III — and within two rounds, it already feels like a group that actually enjoys each other’s company (which, in elite golf, is rarer than a quiet group chat).
Varner opened with a 68 on Wednesday for the team’s second-best score that day, while McDowell’s 66 on Thursday again ranked second-best behind Kokrak’s 64. The four combined for 20 under on Thursday alone, stretching their lead to three shots over Torque GC.
Asked about the team’s vibe, Kokrak replied: “I think it’s great. I think all four of us get along. Talor has been a great captain so far. Leads by example. Obviously with HV3 on the team, it’s a whole vibe in itself, but wonderful guy. G-Mac is one of my closest friends. I think the four of us are going to have a lot of fun this year.”
If you’re hearing “fun” and “three-shot lead” in the same paragraph, that’s usually a sign the rest of the field is in for a long week.
Individual race: three-way tie at the top, big names stacked behind
Gooch isn’t alone at 10 under. He’s joined by 4Aces GC’s Thomas Detry and RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein, both of whom followed their first-round share of the lead with 3-under 69s.
Detry’s storyline is fascinating: it’s his first LIV start, and he’s already learning what it’s like to keep one eye on your own score and the other on the team ticker. The 4Aces — winless since 2023 — are also using reserve Miguel Tabuena this week, but Detry is clearly not here to tiptoe.
“I like to make statements, especially for the first week for me out here,” Detry said. “There’s loads of different things … I’ve played the last 10 years as a pro sort of playing individually, so you never really think about a team.
“I was sort of taking care of my business, and suddenly I saw the leaderboard with the 4Aces popping up, and that sort of reminded me that I was also playing for the team, which is great.”
Uihlein, meanwhile, is doing what he’s done for years: putting himself in the picture. He’s one of eight players to start all 51 LIV events, finished third in the inaugural 2022 season-long race, and has flirted with wins without sealing the deal. This week, he sounds like a man with a very specific target.
“Winning individual – that’s what the goal is to win, and now that we get world ranking points, you can jump up in the OWGR and try and get in the majors,” Uihlein said. “That’s definitely a goal. It would be awesome, right? There’s some unbelievable players out here, and to say you’ve won and beat them definitely would be pretty special.”
(He may be chasing solo glory, too — RangeGoats sit 11th on the team board, 22 shots back. That’s less “team push” and more “you’re on your own, mate.”)
Gooch’s ‘Rule of 67’ is back — and he’s flirting with an ace
Gooch has a personal doctrine — the Rule of 67 — and he’s already checked the box twice. That said, he’s not pretending he knows where the winning line will land, with LIV now playing 72 holes here.
“I don’t know what the winning score is going to be,” Gooch said. “This is the first time we’ve played 72 (holes), so who knows what it’s going to look like.”
He nearly added a highlight for the ages at the par-3 17th, when his tee shot looked destined for the cup before lipping out.
“From the tee, it’s kind of hard to see,” Gooch said. “I knew it was good, and then it looked like it ricochetted off the pin. But then I saw the replay and I was like, ‘Give me a break, go in, ball. Come on.’
“It was a great shot. I had a hole-in-one about two weeks ago. It was my first hole-in-one since 2015. So, I don’t know if that means I’m done for another 10 years or if the floodgates have opened.”
And in the best piece of on-site comedy you’ll get at a golf presser, the ace-count discussion took a sharp turn when Kokrak entered the chat.
“I only have three,” Gooch replied.
“11,” Kokrak replied.
Joked Gooch: “That why I said, ‘only.’ I knew he was going to have a lot.”
Team Top 3 (after Round 2)
- Smash GC (-30) – (Kokrak 64, McDowell 66, Gooch 67, Varner III 71; Rd. 2 score: -20)
- Torque GC (-27) – (Muñoz 68, Ancer 69, Niemann 69, Ortiz 70; Rd. 2 score: -12)
- 4Aces GC (-23) – (Johnson 67, Pieters 68, Detry 69, Tabuena 71; Rd. 2 score: -13)
The numbers that mattered on Thursday
Kokrak’s 64 wasn’t just clean — it was statistically sharp: fewest putts (23), bogey-free, and the kind of round that turns a team leaderboard into a billboard.
Round 2 also reinforced a theme in Riyadh: nights can be a different sport. Sebastián Muñoz, a two-time daytime struggler at this venue during the PIF Saudi International, continues to look far more comfortable under the lights.
“Funny thing,” said Muñoz… “I feel like at night, it challenges you in a different way, probably in a new way for everyone, from your visuals.
“I feel like just focusing on what I can control has helped me a lot in these five rounds at night, and hopefully I can make it seven.”
The takeaway
Two rounds in, LIV Golf Riyadh already has a central storyline: Smash GC have momentum, a new captain playing like he’s been doing the job for years, and a teammate (Kokrak) who just posted the round that can change a week.
The only question now is whether this is the start of a new chapter — or the moment the rest of the league decides it’s time to slam the book shut.
