LIV Golf Riyadh Round 3: Elvis Smylie and Peter Uihlein Share the Lead Into LIV's First Fourth Round

In any previous LIV Golf season, Friday night in Riyadh would have ended with a playoff. This year it ended with a tie, a deep breath and something the league has never had before: a fourth round.

Elvis Smylie shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 and Peter Uihlein added a 66 to share the lead at 16 under after three rounds of LIV Golf Riyadh. Talor Gooch is alone in third, one back, after his third straight 67. Jon Rahm, Abraham Ancer, Jason Kokrak and Thomas Detry are tied for fourth at 14 under. In the team race, Torque GC moved back to the top at 46 under, two clear of Smash GC and three ahead of a surging Ripper GC.

The Rookie Takes Control

Smylie's debut week keeps getting better. After rounds of 66 and 69, the 23-year-old Australian went around Riyadh Golf Club without a bogey. "I felt like I was in total control of my game there today," Smylie said.

This is Smylie's first LIV start since joining Cameron Smith's all-Australian Ripper GC last month, and there was no attempt to downplay what it means. "Without a doubt I want to prove my worth in this league," Smylie said. Three rounds in, the case is being made loudly.

Uihlein's Fast Start

Uihlein did the damage early. The RangeGoats GC veteran opened with four consecutive birdies, an immediate answer to anyone wondering whether a 69 on Thursday had cooled things off. The only blemish was a bogey at the par-5 sixth, and seven birdies in all added up to a 66 and a share of the top spot.

Uihlein has now played every one of LIV's 51 tournaments and still has no individual title. The new format has been a talking point all week, and Uihlein made it clear which side of the debate he is on. "I feel like 72 holes fits me a little better," Uihlein said, adding that the field went low even though the course did not feel easier than the night before. The forecast for Saturday was simple: "I'm expecting it to be a shootout."

Gooch Keeps Hitting the Number

Gooch's rule of 67 has produced exactly 67, 67 and 67. That consistency leaves the Smash GC captain one shot back and chasing a fifth individual LIV title. It also keeps alive a storyline that has followed both Gooch and Rahm into this season: the two have won 13 LIV trophies apiece, tied for the most in league history, and between them they own the last three season-long Individual Championships.

Rahm is right there, too. A second 67 of the week left the Legion XIII captain two back, with nothing about Rahm's game suggesting a fade.

Ancer's Eagle and the Torque Surge

The shot of the night came from Ancer, who rolled in an eagle putt from more than 50 feet on the way to a 65 that lifted Ancer into the tie for fourth. Ancer won his first individual LIV title two years ago, playing for Fireballs GC, and is not sold on the move to 72 holes. "I feel like 54 holes was good enough to figure out who's playing the best golf," Ancer said.

Teammate Carlos Ortiz matched that 65, and the twin rounds were the engine of a 19-under night for Torque. With Sebastián Muñoz at 69 and captain Joaquin Niemann at 70, Torque reached 46 under and took back the team lead it held after Wednesday.

Detry, who led or shared the lead after each of the first two rounds, slowed with a 68 but remains two back. Kokrak, the round-two hero, also shot 68 and sits in the same tie.

Ripper Comes Charging

The best team round of the night belonged to Ripper. Smylie's 65 was matched by a 65 from Lucas Herbert, whose week started with a 75 and has turned sharply since, and Smith and Marc Leishman each added 68. That 22-under round moved the Australians to 43 under, one shot behind Smash and three behind Torque.

Smash slipped back to second at 44 under, with Gooch's 67 and 68s from Kokrak and Graeme McDowell outweighing a 71 from Harold Varner III. Legion XIII is fourth at 40 under after an 18-under round led by Tom McKibbin's 65, and 4Aces GC is fifth at 36 under.

The scoring tells the story of the night. Despite stronger winds and rain, the field averaged nearly 3.5 under par, the lowest round of the week, and 17 players are within six shots of the lead.

A Night LIV Has Never Played

Saturday's round will be the first fourth round in LIV Golf history, and the setup could hardly be tighter. Two co-leaders, a captain one back, a two-time individual champion two back, and a team race where three sides are separated by three shots.

The extra 18 holes were added for exactly this kind of finish. Now the league gets to find out what one looks like.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2, and read the full LIV Golf Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 3 recap), Arab News, FOX Sports, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.