Charl Schwartzel kept in touch with the first-round leader with a six-under-par 64 on Friday in the first round of the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia.
Schwartzel made eight birdies and two bogeys to be two shots off the pace which was set by Brooks Koepka with his eight-under-par 62. Schwartzel was a shot clear of Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and Americans Peter Uihlein and Patrick Reed.
Louis Oosthuizen opened with a two-under-par 68 to be in a share of 16th in the 48-man field, while Shaun Norris was one shot further back in a share of 28th. Branden Grace, who withdrew injured from last week’s event in Bangkok, soldiered his way to a one-over 71 and a share of 41st.
The all-South African team, Stinger GC, consisting of Oosthuizen, Schwartzel, Grace and Norris were in fourth after the first round on nine-under. Smash GC, with Koepka, his brother Chase, Uihlein and Jason Kokrak led at 15-under.
