Carlos Ortiz of Mexico played his final seven holes at 8-under par to finish with a round of 60 and the lead following the first round at LIV Golf Hong Kong on Thursday.
Starting play at the 18th hole at the Old Royal Course at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling, Ortiz mixed three birdies and a bogey on the first 10 holes.
But beginning on No. 10, he put together three consecutive birdies, followed by an eagle on the par-5 No. 13 and then another birdie. After a par on No. 15, Ortiz finished with two birdies on the par 70 course.
“It was a great round,” he said. “We started a little bit slower than, I guess, I finished. But I would say, highlights, I made a great par on 9. I think that was huge. Then I chipped in on 11, and I think that got the momentum going because I had just birdied 10. That was just nothing big, but that chip on 11 got the momentum. Obviously, I played great coming in.”
Ortiz takes a two-stroke lead into the second round, with Dean Burmester firing a 62 to stand alone in second place. The South African carded seven birdies, a bogey and, like Ortiz, an eagle at No. 13.
“I played great, from the first tee shot all the way through to the last,” Burmester said. “I hardly missed a golf shot. I left a couple putts out there, but that’s golf, and I’m very proud of the way I kind of just hung together and kept pushing in birdies. I saw a lot of guys making birdies, and I managed to do the same. Normally when that happens you feel like you’ve got to chase, and I never felt like I was doing that. I just felt like I was within myself, so it’s one of those good in-the-zone days for sure.”
There isn’t much breathing room at the top of the leaderboard for Ortiz and Burmester, with four players tied for third after rounds of 63. That group includes Talor Gooch as well as defending champion Sergio Garcia of Spain, who found the course to his liking.
“We had some rain Tuesday throughout the day and then, obviously, we had quite a bit of rain yesterday,” he said. “The course was playing pretty much as easy as you’re going to get it here. Greens were soft. They weren’t super fast. The fairways were soft, lift, clean and place. But you still have to hit the shots and you still have to make the putts. It was nice to be able to do that.”
Ortiz’s low round helped Torque GC take the first-round lead in the team competition at 21-under, followed by captain Gooch’s Smash GC at 19-under. Dustin Johnson’s Aces are in third at 13-under.
–Field Level Media
