Torque GC leads team competition by 2 shots
BY LIV GOLF STAFF
HONG KONG – Peter Uihlein grabbed a share of the lead Saturday at LIV Golf Hong Kong thanks to a rollercoaster 6-under 64. Ultimately, that up-and-down round was a good thing for the rest of the field.
The RangeGoats GC star produced one eagle and eight birdies but suffered four bogeys to finish at 11 under and keep the competition tight. He’ll enter Sunday’s final round at Hong Kong Golf Club tied with Crushers GC’s Paul Casey and Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia for the lead, three shots ahead of their nearest chasers.
“I just watched the Peter Uihlein show today,” said Casey, who shot a 66 on Saturday and has yet to make a bogey this week. “It was impressive stuff. I'm very happy that I'm sitting here tied for the lead. … If Pete had not made a bogey today, he’d be about five shots ahead because of his firepower.”
“I kind of just view it as entertainment,” said Uihlein. “Obviously I don't like making bogeys, but I guess the adversity that kind of comes with it, I enjoy that. I enjoy the moment.”
Torque GC’s Mito Pereira also enjoyed a moment Saturday, recording the 10th hole-in-one in LIV Golf history, at the 149-yard second hole. Pereira shot a 64 to lead his team to the top of the leaderboard at 25 under, two strokes ahead of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII and Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC.
Torque and Legion XIII have won multiple LIV Golf tournaments, but the HyFlyers have yet to break through as a team. Mickelson also has a chance at an individual title; he’s tied for fourth with two Torque players, Pereira and Sebastián Muñoz.
The last time Mickelson won a tournament, he made history, winning the 2021 PGA Championship at age 51 to become the oldest golfer to win a men’s major. While he would love to win the LIV Golf individual title, he says a team victory Sunday would be even more special.
“The experience of sharing it with teammates … I think that would probably mean a little more, which is very unusual to say in a game that's such an individual sport,” Mickelson said.
Like Mickelson, Uihlein and Casey are each seeking their first LIV Golf individual title. Unlike Mickelson, both have celebrated multiple LIV Golf wins from a team standpoint. But Uihlein is tired of knocking on the individual door.
“I've had four runners-up, so getting that first win would be awesome,” said Uihlein, a two-time winner on The International Series. “I think that's kind of the goal at the start of every year is to get a win. To get a team win would be nice as well, but an individual win would be fantastic.”
Casey, who has won 21 titles in 13 different countries in his career and came close last year at LIV Golf Hong Kong when he reached a three-man playoff, was asked what a win on Sunday might mean.
“Every win is special, from the most recent to the very first that I ever had,” he said. “Hopefully, I can answer that again tomorrow.”
Garcia’s Fireballs won the most recent LIV Golf tournament in Adelaide. Last year at LIV Golf Andalucía, Garcia won the individual title and was part of the team win on his favorite course, Valderrama. He matched Uihlein’s 64 on Saturday but did it with less stress, going bogey-free.
“It's an ideal kind of golf course,” Garcia said of Hong Kong Golf Club. “It's an old-style, traditional kind of style, which I love. It's a similar course to what you might see in like Valderrama or something like that that I've always enjoyed. Very happy to be here and playing and doing well. We'll give it another shot tomorrow.”
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