LIV Golf Miami Round 1: Patrick Reed Survives the Blue Monster for a Two-Shot Lead

The Blue Monster spent Friday chewing up most of LIV Golf, and Patrick Reed came closest to taming it.

The 4Aces GC star shot a 5-under 67 at Trump National Doral to take a two-shot lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Miami, and he did it on a day when the field averaged nearly 2.5 strokes over par. Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson share second at 3 under after matching 69s. In the team race, DeChambeau's Crushers GC finished the day as the only side under par, at 2 under, two clear of Johnson and Reed's 4Aces.

Seventeen Perfect Holes, One Ugly One

For 17 holes Reed was untouchable. He started on the 10th, made seven birdies, stayed clean on his card and at one point late in the afternoon led by five. Then came his final hole, the 207-yard par-3 ninth, which did not give up a single birdie all day. His tee shot drifted left, and a double bogey trimmed his cushion to two.

His summary was short and honest. "I mean, the first 17 were great," Reed said, per Field Level Media and Reuters.

Context matters here. According to LIV Golf, this is the first time Reed has held the solo lead after any round in 37 career regular-season LIV starts. He won a World Golf Championships event at Doral in 2014, and he compared the speed of the greens and the big wind-driven breaks to what everyone will see at Augusta National next week.

Three Major Champions in the Mirror

The names stacked behind Reed give the leaderboard a heavyweight feel. All four of the top players are past major champions, a detail Reuters pointed out with the Masters looming.

Johnson got to 3 under with three straight birdies from the 14th through the 16th and sounded like someone who knows how much golf is left on a course this hard. DeChambeau made four birdies against one bogey and called Doral one of the most challenging courses in professional golf, the kind of test where the best players tend to separate themselves. Mickelson matched them both with a 69 and went out of his way to praise Reed's round.

Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Sebastián Muñoz are tied for fifth at 2 under after 70s, with Ripper GC's Marc Leishman next at 1 under. Only nine players broke par, per LIV Golf.

Doral Bites Back

The Blue Monster had teeth all day. LIV Golf counted 49 doubles or worse and 19 rounds of 76 or higher, with 12 of the 13 teams posting at least one of them. The par-4 18th was the meanest hole on the property, playing to a 4.648 stroke average with eight double bogeys and four triples or worse. The par-4 11th joined the ninth as a hole nobody birdied.

Some big names got caught in the spin cycle. Joaquin Niemann, who arrived as the individual points leader after the first four events of the season, shot 78. Jon Rahm opened with a 73, which ended his run of 21 consecutive under-par rounds on LIV. Tyrrell Hatton signed for 78.

Crushers Keep It Clean

The 2025 format counts all four scores every round, which makes a day like Friday a test of depth as much as talent. The Crushers passed it. DeChambeau's 69 led the way, Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri each shot 72, and Charles Howell III added a 73 for a team total of 2 under. The 4Aces are the only team within four shots of them.

The 4Aces are at even par, and their card shows the cost of one bad number. Reed's 67 and Johnson's 69 were the two best rounds on any team, Harold Varner III shot 72, and Thomas Pieters' 80 dragged the total back to level. Both teams have history in this building: the 4Aces won the 2022 Team Championship at Doral, and the Crushers won it here in 2023.

Garcia's Fireballs GC sit third at 5 over, which keeps the league leaders in range as they chase a fourth straight team title. Ripper GC is fourth at 7 over behind Leishman's 71, and Legion XIII is fifth at 8 over after Caleb Surratt's 72 and 73s from Tom McKibbin and Rahm. Stinger GC is sixth at 10 over thanks to Schwartzel's 70, while HyFlyers GC and Iron Heads GC share seventh at 11 over. Mickelson's 69 could not fully cover an 82 from Andy Ogletree. Cleeks GC is last at 22 over.

Numbers Worth Knowing

DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff led the field in driving distance at 337.6 yards, while Dean Burmester posted the longest single drive at 384.5 yards on the first. Muñoz hit 15 of 18 greens, the best mark of the day, and Schwartzel was the top putter at 1.33 putts per hole. There was not a single bogey-free round in the field.

Thirty-Six to Go

Reed has the lead, but the round that built it also showed how quickly it can shrink. He called the remaining 36 holes at Doral an eternity. The Crushers have the only red number in the team standings, and the 4Aces have the two best individual rounds of the day. Saturday's question is simple: who can keep the card clean on a course that hands out doubles like flyers.

The full scores are on the official LIV Golf Miami leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and LIV Golf's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) has the full team breakdown.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap and leaderboard), Field Level Media, Reuters via Arab News, Business Today, Australian Golf Digest. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.