Jason Kokrak and Paul Casey share a lead in the first round of the season-opening LIV Golf Tournament

Jason Kokrak and Paul Casey tie for a first round lead in LIV Golf’s second season opening tournament, three shots ahead of Dustin Johnson in Mexico

By Reuters

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Jason Kokrak and Paul Casey tie for a first round lead in LIV Golf’s second season opening tournament, three shots ahead of Dustin Johnson in Mexico Share or comment on this article:

published: 00:02 EST, February 25, 2023 | Updated: 00:02 EST, February 25, 2023

Jason Kokrak and Englishman Paul Casey share a first-round lead over LIV Golf Mayakoba after shooting rounds of 6-under-par 65 in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen on Friday.

The tournament kicked off the second season of LIV Golf at El Camaleon, a course designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman. It is LIV’s first foray into Mexico and the first time to host a tournament at a course that has hosted PGA Tour events.

Kokrak and Casey have a two-shot lead over Peter Uihlein, Talor Gooch and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who shot 4-under 67.

Englishman Paul Casey made a good start to the first LIV Golf event of the year in Mexico on Friday

Casey and Jason Kokrak tied for the lead with rounds six under par of 65 in the first round

Kokrak and Casey shot their 65s in very different ways. Kokrak scored six birdies, including a chip-in, and remained bogey free.

“With my type of game, I don’t always get a chance to play a bogey-free round,” Kokrak said.

Casey, meanwhile, started his round with a birdie on the par-4 sixth and was 5 under before taking a double bogey on the par-4 second hole. He recovered by finishing his round with three straight birdies at number 3-5.

Gooch was the only other player to go bogey-free on Friday.

Dustin Johnson, last season’s individual champion and captain of the defending team champions 4Aces, is tied for sixth at 3-under 68 with Charles Howell III, England’s Ian Poulter, Australia’s Marc Leishman and South Africa’s Branden Grace.

LIV’s highest-ranked player, World No. 5 Cameron Smith of Australia, ranks only 11th at 2-under 69.

Casey and Howell helped Crushers take the team lead at 10 under by one lap. India’s Anirban Lahiri contributed a 1-under 70.

The top three scores for each four-man team count towards each round of team scoring. Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau was the odd one out for his team after opening with an 1-over 72 that included a double bogey-bogey-bogey stretch.

Crushers have a three shot lead over Johnson’s 4Aces and Brooks Koepka’s Smash, each at 7 under. 4Aces had contributions from Johnson, Uihlein and Pat Perez (even-par 71), and Smash consisted of Kokrak, Koepka (even) and Matthew Wolff (1 down).