Staff WriterTalor Gooch turned LIV Golf Korea into precisely the sort of examination he likes: awkward enough to expose the careless, clever enough to reward the artist, and just irritating enough to make the rest of the field wonder why they had packed anything other than patience.
The OKGC captain shot a superb 7-under 63 in Friday’s second round at Asiad Country Club to move to 8 under and take the 36-hole lead. Bryson DeChambeau, the Crushers GC captain and first-round co-leader, sits one shot back after a 2-under 68 that was rather less explosive and rather more survival exercise.
Five players are tied for third at 5 under: Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Scott Vincent, Thomas Pieters and Charles Howell III. In other words, Gooch has a lead, not a cushion. More a thin hotel pillow than a feather mattress.
Gooch Finds The Right Course At The Right Time
Gooch had already described Asiad Country Club as a shot-maker’s course, which is often golfer-speak for “please do not arrive here waving the driver about like a man chasing a wasp”.
On Friday, he proved the point. Eight birdies, including a chip-in at the par-4 ninth, helped him build the round of the day. The real damage came late, with Gooch birdieing six of his final eight holes to climb past DeChambeau and into the lead.
For a player who won the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Championship and already has four individual LIV titles, the timing is useful. Two of those previous wins came at Valderrama, another course that tends to reward nerve, shape and imagination over brute force and chest measurements.
Next week, LIV Golf heads to Andalucia. Gooch appears to have found the scent.
“I wish I could say it’s as easy as picking a time to play great because if I could do that, I would just do it all the time,” he said.
That is probably the most honest thing any golfer has ever said, aside from “I meant to lay up”.
Form Returns After A Wobble
Gooch began the season with four top-20 finishes, but his last two starts brought finishes of T43 and T39. Not disastrous, but hardly the stuff of embroidered towels and slow-motion highlight reels.
He arrived in Korea ranked 29th in points and is projected to move to fifth with a win. That is the sort of leap that makes a leaderboard look less like a spreadsheet and more like a trampoline.
“The game still doesn’t feel great, but we’re working hard, and we’re working in the right direction,” said Gooch, who entered the week ranked 29th in points but is projected to move to fifth with a win. “… Hopefully we can just kind of keep it going and get this train rolling.”
The numbers suggest the train is at least out of the depot. Gooch leads the cumulative fairways hit category alongside Charles Howell III and Ben Campbell at 82.14%, having found 23 of 28 fairways. On a course demanding precision, that is less a statistic and more a survival strategy.
Bryson DeChambeau Stays Close Despite A Scruffy Day
DeChambeau began the day sharing the lead, but his second round lacked Thursday’s control. He hit 8 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens in regulation, then spent much of the back end of his round doing what good players do when the long game starts behaving like a shopping trolley with one bad wheel: he putted the lights out.
“My putting saved me today,” he said. “I felt like I was hitting it really well yesterday, driving it well, and today just kind of went sideways.”
He made 11 pars in his final 12 holes, which reads dull until you remember that dull is often the only thing standing between a golfer and a long, silent dinner.
At 7 under, DeChambeau remains one behind Gooch and firmly in the argument. Crushers GC are also one behind OKGC in the team standings, sitting at 13 under.
OKGC Lead The Team Race After Rebrand
OKGC, playing only their second tournament since a name change and rebrand, lead the team competition at 14 under. Gooch’s 63 did the heavy lifting, but Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell have helped keep the side at the front.
Crushers GC are second at 13 under, with Ripper GC third at 11 under. In LIV’s team format, that matters. Individual glory may get the loudest headlines, but the team leaderboard keeps pulling the tournament in different directions, like a family trying to choose a restaurant.
Gooch clearly enjoys that dynamic.
“The excitement that the fans have to root for their team. It’s awesome. It’s what makes sports great. Team sports are the best in the world, and so for us to be able to highlight what team golf is is awesome.” — Talor Gooch, OKGC
Doyeob Mun Gives Korean Golf Club A Home Spark
The local interest is not decorative, either. Korean Golf Club sit solo seventh, led by newcomer Doyeob Mun, who shot a second consecutive 68 to move into a tie for eighth alongside Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia.
Mun, the current KPGA Tour points leader, is four shots off the lead and plainly familiar with Asiad Country Club from the KPGA Tour. That familiarity matters on a layout where the wrong side of a fairway can feel like being asked to solve a crossword in a sauna.
He is also making the most of a chance that arrived after a team roster shakeup.
“I’ve actually never imagined that I would win, but if I do, this week would definitely be magical,” said Mun, the current KPGA Tour points leader. “So being able to actually play LIV Golf and getting a seat, that was super lucky, but also playing with all these giants, neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder, it will have been a memorable week. Let’s see how I play tomorrow.”
He also summed up the week’s significance with a little disbelief still attached.
“I’ve actually never imagined that I would win, but if I do, this week would definitely have been magical. So being able to actually play LIV Golf and getting a seat, that was super lucky, but also playing with all these giants, neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder, it will have been a memorable week.” — Doyeob Mun, Korean Golf Club
Scott Vincent Enjoys The Team Fit
Scott Vincent is part of the group tied for third at 5 under after rounds of 65 and 70 for HyFlyers GC. He is not alone in seeing the team element as more than a logo on a shirt.
“I think just playing on LIV is incredible as it is, wild card, on a team. All of it is just incredible. But even more so playing on a team where the players want you to be there. They’re excited for you to be there. You just kind of fit in with them. That just makes it even better.” — Scott Vincent, HyFlyers GC
For a format still trying to persuade some traditionalists that team golf can exist outside the Ryder Cup without upsetting the furniture, that sort of sentiment is useful.
LIV Golf Korea Leaderboard Snapshot
Individual Top Five
- Talor Gooch, OKGC: -8, 69-63
- Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers GC: -7, 65-68
- Cameron Smith, Ripper GC: -5, 67-68
- Joaquin Niemann, Torque GC: -5, 66-69
- Thomas Pieters, 4Aces GC: -5, 66-69
- Scott Vincent, HyFlyers GC: -5, 65-70
- Charles Howell III, Crushers GC: -5, 65-70
Yes, that is more than five names. Golf ties do not care for tidy formatting.
Team Top Five
- OKGC: -14
Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell - Crushers GC: -13
Bryson DeChambeau, Travis Smyth, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri - Ripper GC: -11
Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Elvis Smylie - HyFlyers GC: -5
Brendan Steele, Scott Vincent, Cameron Tringale, Michael LaSasso - Fireballs GC: -4
Sergio Garcia, Josele Ballester, Luis Masaveu, David Puig
Stats That Tell The Story
Gooch’s control off the tee was the foundation of his 63, but the round was also a reminder that Asiad Country Club is not simply asking players to hit it far and collect applause.
- Fairways Hit: 82.14% — Talor Gooch, Charles Howell III, Ben Campbell
- Greens In Regulation: 80.56% — Joaquin Niemann
- Average Driving Distance: 313.8 yards — Matthew Wolff
- Longest Drive: 363.7 yards — Doyeob Mun
Mun owning the longest drive while also becoming one of the week’s most engaging stories feels entirely appropriate. Home hope with a heavy right foot. Golf does enjoy a plot twist.
Saturday Sets Up A Proper Scrap
The next round is scheduled for Saturday 30 May at 1:05pm (GMT+9).
Gooch leads, DeChambeau lurks, Smith and Niemann are close enough to make everyone uncomfortable, and Mun has given the Korean crowd a reason to lean forward rather than politely clap from a safe emotional distance.
LIV Golf Korea now has exactly what every tournament wants after 36 holes: a leader with pedigree, a pack with teeth, and just enough uncertainty to make Saturday feel like it might arrive wearing steel-capped shoes.
