Newcomer Detry, LIV Golf veteran Uihlein share first-round lead in Riyadh

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Thomas Detry admitted feeling a bit nervous entering his LIV Golf debut Wednesday. So did Elvis Smylie, another of the league’s newcomers. But their opening-round performances under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club showed they’re both ready to make some serious noise this season.

Detry, the newest full-time member of 4Aces GC, shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 to grab a share of the ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh lead with LIV Golf veteran Peter Uihlein of RangeGoats GC. Smylie, the 23-year-old rising star who joined the all-Australian Ripper GC, carded a 66 that left him in solo third. 

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The two were among 10 players – eight full-timers and two reserves – playing their first-ever LIV Golf rounds. Byeong Hun An, the new captain of Korean Golf Club, also sparkled in his debut, shooting 67 to join a group of six players tied for fourth. HyFlyers GC’s Michael La Sasso shot 69 in his pro debut as the league’s youngest player at age 21.

Torque GC grabbed the team lead at 15 under, with the all-South African Southern Guards GC two shots behind. Defending Riyadh champions and reigning LIV Golf Team Champions Legion XIII are in solo third at 11 under.

Detry and Smylie each hit 10 fairways, tying for best in the field, while Detry also was tied for the lead in greens in regulation, hitting 17 of 18. He prepared for playing at night by practicing under the lights with his coach in Abu Dhabi. 

“First day on the job, so a little bit of a change for me, so a bit nervous,” said the Belgian, whose most recent win was in February last year on the PGA Tour. “I drove it so well out there, it made my job pretty easy.”

Smylie suffered a bogey on his second hole before finding his rhythm. Five of his seven birdies came on par 4s, tying new Smash GC Captain Talor Gooch for most by any other player Wednesday.

“I think there were a little bit of nerves and excitement, but I think I showed what I’m capable of today – or tonight, I should say,” Smylie said. 

While Detry and Smylie were making LIV Golf starts No. 1, Uihlein was making start No. 51 as one of eight original players who have started every tournament since LIV Golf debuted in London in 2022.

He remains in search of his first LIV Golf win, although he won two International Series events on the Asian Tour in 2024. Those were each 72-hole tournaments, and Uihlein hopes LIV Golf’s format switch from 54 holes to 72 starting this season will prove beneficial to him.

“I’m not scared of a blowup every now and then on a hole in particular, so now I have more holes to make it up,” Uihlein said. “I think it’s going to benefit me long-term, which is nice.”

Gooch is among the group lurking at 5 under. He’s won four individual titles and the 2023 season-long Individual Championship, all in the previous 54-hole format. He and the other veteran LIV Golf players have had to adjust their mindset.

“Definitely has a totally different vibe,” Gooch said. “Only 18 more holes, it’s not that vastly different. But even on the range when we were about to go, I was giving everybody a little fist bump and said, ‘Let’s go get it,’ and Harold (Varner III, his new Smash teammate) said, ‘Hey, don’t come out the gate sprinting. It’s not a sprint anymore.”

It remains serious business, though, especially with a bevy of newcomers in the expanded 57-player field determined to make a quick impression even while getting used to LIV Golf’s energetic tournament days.

“I think even with the concerts and the entertainment outside of the golf, that’s something that I’m really enjoying,” Smylie said. “I feel like I’m really thriving in an environment like that, and it’s great to start my LIV career here in Riyadh.”

TOP OF THE LEADERBOARDS

Individual Top 10

T1 (-7) – Thomas Detry, 4Aces (65); Peter Uihlein, RangeGoats (65)

3 (-6) – Elvis Smylie, Ripper (66)

T4 (-5) – Louis Oosthuizen, Southern Guards (67); Byeong Hun An, Korean (67); Talor Gooch, Smash (67); Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII (67); Sebastián Muñoz, Torque (67); Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (67)

T10 (-4) – Harold Varner III, Smash (68); Yosuke Asaji, wild card (68); Scott Vincent, wild card (68); Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (68); Abraham Ancer, Torque (68); Sergio Garcia, Fireballs (68); Anthony Kim, wild card (68); Joaquin Niemann, Torque (68)

Team Top 3

1 (-15) – Torque GC (Muñoz 67, Ancer 68, Niemann 68, Ortiz 70)

2 (-13) – Southern Guards (Oosthuizen 67, Burmester 69, Grace 69, Schwartzel 70)

3 (-11) – Legion XIII (Hatton 67, Rahm 67, Surratt 71, McKibbin 72) 

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OWGR PLAYER REACTION

This week’s ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh is the first LIV Golf tournament to award Official World Golf Ranking points after Tuesday’s announcement by the OWGR that points will be allocated to the top-10 individual finishers and ties for the 13 regular-season tournaments. Here is player reaction on the decision:

“It’s fantastic that we’re being recognized in a way. With that said, I don’t like how we’re not being treated the same as every other tour. It seems like the rules that have been in place don’t really apply to us, with only 10 of us getting points. It doesn’t seem fair. The small fields out there through the course of the year, their players get full points. There’s work to be done. While it’s good for some people, it could cause some players to actually lose world ranking points instead of gaining them because finishing 11th is basically a missed cut, and we’re already adding to the divisor. But I’m thankful that I would say LIV Golf got their foot in the door, and there’s a possibility for us to walk in the room and be recognized as a tour, as we should be.” – Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm

“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. But I think anybody who says that the right thing was done and the fair thing was done, I don’t think they’re in tune with the reality of things. Hopefully there’s some improvement there. Time will tell.” – Smash GC Captain Talor Gooch

“I think it’s a great step. I don’t necessarily agree with how it was done and the amount of points and only top 10 but listen – any points are better than no points.” – Crusher GC’s Charles Howell III

“Mixed view. First and foremost, it’s good to have LIV recognized finally, that after all these years we should be getting points. So that’s a massive plus. On the flip side, I’m not sure what algorithm they used to work out the points.” – Majesticks Golf Club Co-Captain Ian Poulter

“I think it’s recognition of the league, recognition of the quality of the players that are here and what we’re trying to achieve. To be welcomed into that kind of ecosystem is important.” – Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester

“Finishing 11th to 15th in some events is a great, great effort and achievement, but that gives you zero points. That’s the downside of it. But I think we should focus on the positive. It’s a step in the right direction and let’s see where it can go from here.” – Cleeks Golf Club Captain Martin Kaymer

“Obviously there are things that probably need to get worked out with the top 10 or whatever, but the reality is we have more points today than we did yesterday. I’m all for it.” – RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein

ROUND 1 NOTES 

LA SASSO’S PRO DEBUT: New HyFlyers GC captain Michael La Sasso, the league’s youngest player at age 21, birdied three of his first five holes and recorded the longest drive of the day while shooting a 3-under 69 in his professional debut, leaving him tied for 18th.

“I definitely think there’s a lot of positives to be taken away from today, especially when you’re kind of making your debut, things can be a little bit stressful,” said La Sasso, who won the 2025 NCAA Division I Individual title while at Ole Miss. “I thought the way I handled myself was pretty good. Definitely a couple of things to sharpen up, get ready for the week, but I thought I played pretty good today being my first round professionally.”

La Sasso had six birdies and three bogeys while also blasting a field-best 341.2-yard drive on the 10th hole.

A NIGHT OF FIRSTS: Besides La Sasso’s first round, other milestones on Wednesday included: LIV Golf’s first 72-hole round; the first round with an expanded 57-man field, largest in league history; first tournaments as captains for Talor Gooch (Smash) and Byeong Hun An (Korean); first LIV Golf appearances for 10 players, including eight full-timers; and the debuts of rebranded teams Korean Golf Club (formerly Iron Heads GC) and Southern Guards GC (formerly Stinger GC).

BRYSON RALLIES FROM TOUGH START: Bryson DeChambeau, playing his first competitive stroke-play round since last year’s LIV Golf Indianapolis in August, failed to take advantage of the par-4 1st after his tee shot left him 20 yards from the green. He then followed with a double bogey at the 2nd. After that? The Crushers GC captain found his form, bouncing back with consecutive birdies and showing an improved wedge game en route to a 4-under 68.

“I played good coming in, despite the double and a couple missed opportunities on the par 5s and one on 18, or it could have been an 8-, 9-under round,” said DeChambeau, whose last competitive round of any kind was the 2025 Ryder Cup. “Pretty pleased with how everything went … As you saw out there, it was a little bit better wedging. I don’t have to tell myself I’m terrible at wedging all the time hopefully.”

WILD CARDS ON FIRE: Three of the expanded five independent Wild Card players are in the top 10 of the leaderboard. International Series qualifiers Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji, and LIV Golf Promotions qualifier Anthony Kim each shot 4-under 68s to join a group of eight players tied for 10th. Promotions winner Richard Lee, the league’s first Canadian player, shot a 69 and is tied for 18th. Björn Hellgren, the other Promotions qualifier, shot even-par 72. 

STATS LEADERS 

Round 1

Driving Distance: Ben Schmidt, 326.1-yard avg.

Longest Drive: Michael La Sasso, 341.2 yards (10th hole)

Driving Accuracy: Thomas Detry, Elvis Smylie, Tyrrell Hatton, Michael La Sasso, Brendan Steele, Tom McKibbin, 71.43% (10 of 14)

Greens in Regulation: Thomas Detry, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, 94.44% (17 of 18)

Scrambling: 14 players at 100%, led by Tyrrell Hatton (6 of 6)

Fewest Putts: Minkyu Kim, 25

Bogey-free rounds: Thomas Detry (65), Peter Uihlein (65), Louis Oosthuizen (67), Byeong Hun An (67), Tyrrell Hatton (67), Sebastián Muñoz (67), Jon Rahm (67), Scott Vincent (68), Sergio Garcia (68), David Puig (69), Richard T. Lee (69)