Charl Schwartzel produced a vintage putting performance on Friday in the first round of LIV Golf Jeddah to card a seven-under-par 63 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.
It was bogey-free from the 2011 Masters champion, and it put him one shot off the lead which was shared by Spain’s Jon Rahm and the newly-recruited Adrian Meronk of Poland. They each carded 62s, with Meronk dropping one shot during his round, and Rahm being bogey-free.
Schwartzel started his round on the eighth hole in the shotgun start, and immediately made two birdies in a row. He made three more on 11, 12 and 16, and he completed his scoring with two more on one and two.
His Stinger GC teammate and captain, Louis Oosthuizen continued his good form with a bogey-free 64 for sixth place in the 54-man field behind Schwartzel, Bryson DeChambeau of the United Stated and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.
Dean Burmester was in a share of 17th on three-under 67 after an eagle, two birdies and a bogey, and Branden Grace was with him on 67 after he went bogey-free in the first round of the 54-hole event.
Stinger GC was second after the first round on 16-under, one behind Rahm’s team, Legion XIII
