LIV Golf Hong Kong Round 1: Paul Casey Chips In From the Water and Leads With a 63

Paul Casey has a score to settle with the 18th hole at Fanling, and on Friday the hole nearly got the last word again. Instead, a chip-in from the drop zone kept the card clean and handed Casey the opening lead at LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Casey shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 at Hong Kong Golf Club to sit two clear of a six-player logjam at 5 under. Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Peter Uihlein, Luis Masaveu, Sebastián Muñoz and Wild Card Chieh-Po Lee all signed for 65. Six more, Bryson DeChambeau and Yubin Jang among them, are tied for eighth at 4 under. In the team race, Casey's Crushers GC and Torque GC share the lead at 12 under, one ahead of Fireballs GC.

Unfinished Business at 18

Context makes this one sting a little sweeter. A year ago at this same course, a bogey on the final hole cost Casey a spot in the three-man playoff that Abraham Ancer went on to win. So when the 47-year-old's approach into 18 found the water on Friday, the ghosts were right there.

Casey took the drop, then holed the chip for par. "So to find the water, take a drop and chip in for par was huge," Casey said, per LIV Golf. The respect for the closing hole is real, too: "It's got our full respect every time we play it."

The rest of the round was a clinic in control. Casey made three birdies over the last seven holes and never dropped a shot on a 6,691-yard layout that rewards precision far more than power. It is also a place Casey has never won, which matters to a player who likes collecting passport stamps. "I've always been a global traveler and enjoyed the challenge of trying to tick another country off on the win list," Casey said.

The Crowd at 5 Under

The six-man pack two back is a fun mix of veterans and kids. Kaymer's bogey-free 65 was a statement after a rough start to the season, and it carried Cleeks GC on a day the rest of the team struggled. Garcia and Masaveu, both at 5 under, gave Fireballs GC two names near the top after the team won in Adelaide last time out. Masaveu, just 22, is one of two players that age in the top 10, along with Jang.

Muñoz had the most entertaining route there. Starting on the 15th in LIV's shotgun format, the Colombian three-putted for bogey on the very first hole, then reeled off five straight birdies beginning at the par-4 17th. Muñoz also found 13 of 14 fairways. "Even though I started with a bogey, with a three-putt, I didn't let it bother me," Muñoz said.

Uihlein kept RangeGoats GC in the conversation with a 65, and Chieh-Po Lee, playing as a Wild Card, crashed the party from outside the team ranks.

Bryson's Iron Paradise

DeChambeau's 66 was solid without being spectacular, and the reigning U.S. Open champion was the first to say so. Driver is not the weapon here, and DeChambeau called Hong Kong Golf Club "an iron player's paradise." The one complaint was the scoring clubs. "My wedges are not great right now," DeChambeau said.

That is a dangerous thing to hear if you are chasing. A 66 with wedges that were not cooperating leaves plenty of room for Saturday.

Phil Mickelson had a quietly encouraging day for HyFlyers GC, shooting 67 on just 28 putts after a putter switch. Jon Rahm opened with 69 for Legion XIII, and Dustin Johnson and Caleb Surratt both struggled to 75.

Crushers and Torque Set the Pace

This is the first LIV season where all four scores count every round, and that format rewards depth over one hot hand. Crushers GC got exactly that kind of balance at the top: Casey's 63, DeChambeau's 66 and Charles Howell III's 67 offset a 72 from Anirban Lahiri to reach 12 under.

Torque GC matched them with no weak link at all. Muñoz's 65, Joaquin Niemann's 67 and a pair of 68s from Carlos Ortiz and Mito Pereira added up to the same 12 under. Fireballs GC sits one back at 11 under, with Garcia and Masaveu's matching 65s and David Puig's 68 carrying a 71 from defending champion Ancer.

HyFlyers GC and Iron Heads GC are tied for fourth at 9 under. Jang and Danny Lee each shot 66 for Iron Heads, with Kevin Na and Ollie Schniederjans at 70. Majesticks GC (8 under) and RangeGoats GC (7 under) round out the top seven, while Smash GC is last at 3 over after Brooks Koepka shot 72 and Jason Kokrak 73.

By the Numbers

Seven players went bogey-free: Casey (63), Kaymer (65), Danny Lee (66), Henrik Stenson (66), Thomas Pieters (67), Tyrrell Hatton (67) and Cameron Tringale (69). Puig led the field in driving distance at 345.4 yards per drive, with the longest of the day at 357.2 yards on the 13th. Masaveu, Sam Horsfield and Harold Varner III hit 88.89 percent of their greens, and Andy Ogletree needed just 1.22 putts per hole.

Two Rounds to Go

In a 54-hole event, Friday is already a third of the tournament, and a two-shot cushion is meaningful without being safe. Casey has the lead and a clean card. Behind Casey are six players at 5 under and a defending team champion in Crushers GC sharing the top of the team board. With greens this tricky and Fanling's finishing hole waiting at the end of every round, Saturday will tell us whether Casey's chip-in was a turning point or just a reprieve.

Full details are in LIV Golf's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab), including scores for all 13 teams.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap and team scores), FOX Sports, Reuters. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.