LIV Golf Adelaide Round 1: Sam Horsfield Leads as Patrick Reed Sets Off the Watering Hole

The loudest moment of Friday at The Grange came less than 20 minutes after the shotgun. The cleanest card came from a player nobody had circled.

Sam Horsfield shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Adelaide, the only player in the 54-man field to get around without dropping a shot. Torque GC teammates Joaquin Niemann and Carlos Ortiz sit one back at 5 under after matching 67s. Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Abraham Ancer are tied for fourth at 4 under after 68s, and a group at 3 under includes Brooks Koepka, Richard Bland, Charl Schwartzel and Henrik Stenson.

In the team competition, where every score counts every round this season, Torque GC leads at 8 under. Fireballs GC, Legion XIII and 4Aces GC are tied two back.

Reed Lights the Fuse

Before anyone had a chance to settle in, Patrick Reed had already won the day's highlight reel. Starting on the 11th under the shotgun format, Reed reached the 151-yard par-3 12th, the Watering Hole, as the second hole of the day and holed an 8-iron.

The Watering Hole is built for chaos, and it got it. The grandstands around the green erupted, and it was only the ninth ace in LIV Golf history. Reed now has five competitive holes-in-one, per LIV Golf, and the moment echoed Chase Koepka's ace at the same hole two years ago.

"It's awesome to give the fans what they want," Reed said.

The rest of Reed's day was less memorable. Reed finished at 1-over 73. But the hole itself proved the ace was no gimme: the 12th played to a 3.130 stroke average, the third-hardest hole on the course, and the field made only four birdies there all day.

Horsfield Keeps the Card Clean

Horsfield's 66 was the opposite of a highlight reel. It was a round built on refusing to give anything back on a day when The Grange took shots from almost everyone. Horsfield went 4-for-4 scrambling, and LIV Golf noted the Majesticks GC player has made only one bogey across Horsfield's last 60 holes, a run that stretches back to LIV Golf Riyadh.

"I feel like I'm playing really, really good," Horsfield said.

For Majesticks GC, the individual lead came with a mixed team card. Stenson backed Horsfield with a 69, but Ian Poulter (74) and Lee Westwood (77) pulled the team back to 2 under, seventh on the team board.

Torque's One-Two Punch

Niemann and Ortiz both had a look at the outright lead and both let it slip late. Ortiz held the top spot alone at one stage before bogeys on two of the final three holes of the round. Niemann also gave one back late, settling for a share of second.

Still, the pair did the heavy lifting for the team. Their matching 67s carried Torque GC to 8 under even with Mito Pereira (72) and Sebastian Munoz (74) contributing little. It is exactly the kind of start a team needs under the every-score-counts format: two players in the top three, and a two-shot cushion on the rest of the league.

Ortiz was effusive about the setting, calling Adelaide perhaps the favorite tournament of Ortiz's career. Niemann credited the energy of the Australian crowd.

Stars in the Mix

DeChambeau's 68 came with a wobble. The Crushers GC captain got rolling early before a double bogey at the par-5 ninth, then steadied to post 4 under. Johnson matched that 68 to lead a 4Aces GC side that also got a 70 from Harold Varner III and a 71 from Thomas Pieters, enough to offset Reed's 73 and sit tied for second on the team board.

Ancer's 68 led Fireballs GC, with David Puig adding a 70 and Sergio Garcia a 71. Puig also put on a driving show, averaging 327.6 yards on the measured holes and hitting the longest drive of the day at 345.2 yards on the 17th. Legion XIII got its 6 under the steady way: Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin all shot 70, and Caleb Surratt added a 72.

Koepka's 69 was powered by the putter. The Smash GC captain needed just 1.22 putts per hole, the best in the field. Phil Mickelson, making a first LIV start of 2025 after missing the season opener, shot 72.

The Defenders Start Slow

Ripper GC came into the week as the defending team champion in Adelaide, and the home crowd turned out in force for Cameron Smith and company. The scoring did not match the noise. Lucas Herbert led the Australians with a 71, Smith shot 72, Marc Leishman 73 and Matt Jones 75, leaving Ripper at 3 over, 11 shots behind Torque GC.

The defending individual champion struggled too. Brendan Steele opened with a 3-over 75, tied for 48th.

What Comes Next

Thirty-six holes remain, and the leaderboard is tight enough that the Watering Hole could swing things again on Saturday. Horsfield has the cleanest game in the field right now. Torque GC has two players right behind and the team lead. Ripper GC has a big crowd and a big gap to close.

After one day, the story is simple: Horsfield is the man to catch, and Torque GC is the team to catch.

Full round details are in LIV Golf's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab), which also carries the full team scoring.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap and team scoring), Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf.