More Doral delight for Reed as past Master takes first day lead

Crushers GC hang on to lead after tough opening day in Miami

Patrick Reed of 4Aces GC leads LIV Golf Miami by two shots following round one. (Photo by Mike Stobe/LIV Golf)

MIAMI – For 17 holes in Friday’s first round at LIV Golf Miami, Patrick Reed played perfect golf under difficult scoring conditions. While his final hole didn’t end the way he wanted, the 4Aces GC star remained upbeat after a brilliant performance on the Blue Monster.

Reed shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-shot lead at Trump National Doral. It’s the first time he’s held the solo lead after any round of his 37 career regular-season starts on LIV Golf.

His closest challengers own a combined 10 majors, as HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson, Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau and Reed’s 4Aces Captain Dustin Johnson each shot 69.

Reed owned a five-shot lead late in the day before a double bogey on his final hole, the par-3 ninth, when his 4-iron sailed left and into the rough, leaving him with a tough lie.

But there were too many positive moments for Reed to be disappointed. Bogey-free through 17 holes, he was one of just nine players who managed to shoot under par during a day of firm greens and windy conditions. The field’s scoring average was nearly 2.5 strokes over par.

“I know how hard this place can get,” said Reed, who won a World Golf Championships event at Doral in 2014. “When the wind blows here, it’s nerve-wracking. … There’s a reason why it’s called the Blue Monster. It’s a beast.”

4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson is two shots back following round one of LIV Golf Miami. (Photo by LIV Golf)

Mickelson, the six-time major winner who has more experience playing at Doral than anybody else in the field, said the conditions were as difficult as he’s ever seen them.

“I look at what Patrick Reed did and just amazed because although we’ve seen low scores here on this course in the past, we haven’t really seen them under these conditions,” Mickelson said. “That was an exceptional round that he played.”

There were 19 rounds of 76 or higher, with 12 of the 13 LIV Golf teams suffering at least one of those high scores. Individual points leader Joaquin Niemann, the Torque GC captain who has won two of the season’s first four events, shot a 78. The only team escaping unharmed was DeChambeau’s Crushers, who shot a collective 2 under that included even-par 72s from Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey and a 73 from Charles Howell III.

“Love those boys. There’s a reason we won here in 2023,” said DeChambeau, referencing the Crushers’ Team Championship victory. “They like this golf course. They like a tough, challenging golf course where you can strategically play and let everybody else kind of mess up on their own.”

HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson is tied-second following round one of LIV Golf Miami. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf)

The 4Aces, who won the Team Championship in 2022 at Doral, are in solo second at even par while Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC are in solo third at 5 over. The league-leading Fireballs are seeking a fourth consecutive tournament title.

A winner of seven LIV Golf team trophies, Reed will enter the weekend seeking his individual title. It would be a great momentum boost heading into next week’s Masters, in which he’s a past champion. But he expects the Blue Monster to continue wreaking havoc this weekend.

“We’ve got a lot of golf left,” Reed said. “36 holes around this place is nothing. It’s a freaking eternity.”