LIV Golf Korea Round 1: Crushers Teammates DeChambeau and Howell Share the Lead With Scott Vincent

Busan got a familiar sight on Thursday: Crushers GC at the top of a LIV Golf Korea leaderboard. A year after sweeping the individual and team titles in Incheon, the Crushers opened the 2026 edition with two of their four players sharing the lead.

Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell III each signed for 5-under 65 at Asiad Country Club, and they have company in Scott Vincent, who matched them with the only bogey-free card of the day. Joaquin Niemann, Ian Poulter and Thomas Pieters sit one back at 4 under, and the Crushers lead the team race at 10 under, three clear of OKGC.

Fast Start, Bumpy Finish

For much of the day this looked like DeChambeau's round alone. The defending champion birdied six of his first 10 holes to reach 6 under and was threatening to run away with the day before the back nine got sticky. At the par-3 13th, the tee shot flew the green and the result was a three-putt bogey. Two holes later, at the 601-yard par-5 15th, a second shot found the water and cost another stroke.

A birdie at the 16th steadied things, and a 65 on a course nobody is calling easy is a fine opening number. "I guess Charles and I love Korea," DeChambeau said, a nod to the pair's form in this event a year ago. DeChambeau also described Asiad as a ball-striker's course, which tracks with a layout that rewards position over pure distance.

Howell's Eagle

Howell's 65 came with the shot of the day attached. From 108 yards at the par-4 second, the veteran holed out for an eagle 2, the kind of bonus that rarely shows up on a short, tight course. Howell closed with birdies on the final two holes to grab a share of the lead and hit 12 of 14 fairways, tied with Tom McKibbin for the best accuracy in the field.

Howell also offered the most useful scouting report of the day, saying Asiad is shorter than last year's host course and asks for more positional play. Miss the fairway here and the reward is an awkward chip or a long two-putt across greens with serious slope.

Vincent Keeps the Card Clean

The surprise name in the three-way tie belongs to Vincent, a 2026 wild card who is filling in for HyFlyers GC while Phil Mickelson stays away from the league for a family health matter. Vincent made five birdies, no bogeys, got up and down on all seven of his scrambling chances and needed just 24 putts, tied with Pieters for the fewest in the field. It is the first time the Zimbabwean has held a share of a LIV Golf lead.

"I don't know what it is, but the second I joined them, my game just went up," Vincent said of the HyFlyers.

The chasing pack is loaded. Niemann, the Torque GC captain, opened with a 66 alongside Poulter and Pieters. Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Laurie Canter are two back at 3 under. Jon Rahm needed a late rally just to break even: the Legion XIII captain was 3 over through 13 holes without a birdie, then made three in his last five holes to post a level-par 70 and sit in an 11-way tie for 27th.

A Home Crowd for Korean Golf Club

This is the first home event for Korean Golf Club, the rebranded former Iron Heads GC, and the hosts gave the Busan galleries something to cheer. Younghan Song and debutant Doyeob Mun each shot 68 to sit in a tie for 11th. Mun, the KPGA Tour points leader, took the roster spot of Danny Lee, now a wild card, and also produced the longest measured drive of the day at 363.7 yards on the 11th. Captain Byeong Hun An shot 70 and Minkyu Kim added a 71.

That added up to 3 under as a team and a share of fifth with Legion XIII and Majesticks GC, not bad for a side still finding its feet under a new name.

Crushers Out Front Again

The 2026 team format counts all four scores every round, which makes depth the whole game. The Crushers had enough of it on Thursday despite playing without Paul Casey, who withdrew with a wrist injury. Anirban Lahiri added a 68 to the two 65s, which more than covered reserve Travis Smyth's 2-over 72.

OKGC sits second at 7 under on the strength of pure consistency: Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell and Harold Varner III all shot 68, and captain Talor Gooch added a 69. HyFlyers and Fireballs GC share third at 5 under, with Garcia's 67 leading the Fireballs. Legion XIII, without Tyrrell Hatton this week and with Max Rottluff in the lineup, is part of the group at 3 under. At the other end, RangeGoats GC is 7 over after a 74 from Bubba Watson and a 75 from Matthew Wolff.

Long Way to Go

A three-shot team lead and a shared individual lead after 18 holes of a 72-hole event settle very little. What Thursday did establish is the shape of the week. Asiad rewards precision and punishes the sloppy miss, the leaders are bunched, and 22 players finished the day within three shots of the top. With a $20 million individual purse and a $4 million winner's check on the line, Friday is about who can keep the ball on the right side of these slopes.

The full scoring is on the official LIV Golf Korea leaderboard (opens in a new tab). For the backstory, DeChambeau's 2025 LIV Golf Korea win came with a Crushers team title as well.

Sources: LIV Golf (leaderboard), FOX Sports, Arab News, Field Level Media, Golf Monthly, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Charles Laberge/LIV Golf.