South Africa’s Ian Snyman, another player who shot 65, already has a taste of LIV Golf. He played for Cleeks GC in the first two tournaments held during the inaugural 2022 season. He’s remained in touch with members of the all-South African Stinger GC team.
“I’ve been talking to Charl [Schwartzel] and Gracey [Branden Grace] and asking how things have changed over the last two years,” Snyman said. “It’s exciting. It’s something we all want to be part of. I like the team aspect.
“That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re giving it a shot, and we’ll see what happens.”
Mexico’s 22-year-old Jose Islas, who turned pro earlier this year and recently won two events on his home country’s tour, is among the group shooting 66. Islas’s round, which included five consecutive birdies, was manufactured from borrowed clubs from his caddie’s friend after his own equipment failed to arrive in Riyadh.
Although the clubs are the same manufacture (Titleist), they’re a completely different model than his usual blade irons. Even so, he holed an eagle shot from 165 yards during a practice round and will continue to rely on them if his own clubs don’t show up. He planned to go to the airport after his round to check on their status.
“I think it’s not about the clubs, it’s more about how I thought the shots that I was going to hit, so I was with no expectations at all,” Islas said. “I think that’s why it really worked.”
Brazil’s Fred Biondi, the 2023 NCAA Individual Champion from Florida’s winning team, posted a bogey-free 66, as did Spain’s 21-year-old Luis Masaveu, a former U.S. Amateur semifinalist.
The hottest group on Thursday was the threesome of Ireland’s Mark Power (66), Spain’s Borja Virto (66) and England’s David Horsey (67), with all three players advancing.
“The round has a nice feeling,” Virto said. “Sometimes if one of the guys is struggling a lot, it can maybe not bother you, but it doesn’t feel as nice as all three of us playing well together and making it through to the next round.”
“A positive round,” said Power, a member of the 2023 Walker Cup team. “Everyone is in good spirits.”
Veteran American players Bo Hoag and Ollie Schniederjans also advanced, with Hoag shooting a bogey-free 65 and Schniederjans making it on the number with a 67.
“I’ve actually never played overseas, so it was something new for me,” said the 36-year-old Hoag. “Long flight over here.”
If Hoag finishes first this week, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to travel in 2025 during LIV Golf’s global schedule. “I think it would be fun,” he said.
PLAYERS ADVANCING FROM ROUND 1
64 (-7) – Jeunghun Wang (Korea)
65 (-6) – Max Rottluff (Germany), Taichi Kho (Hong Kong), Kazuki Higa (Japan), Ian Snyman (South Africa), Bo Hoag (USA)
66 (-5) – Jose Islas (Mexico), Brett Rankin (Australia), Mark Power (Ireland), Borja Virto (Spain), Luis Masaveu (Spain), Stefano Mazzoli (Italy), Junghwan Lee (Korea), Gunn Charoenkul (Thailand), Fred Biondi (Brazil)
67 (-4) – Ross McGowan (England), David Horsey (England), Gaganjeet Bhullar (India), Chase Hanna (USA), Luis Carrera (Mexico), Ollie Schniederjans (USA)
