2022 LIV Golf in Jeddah leaderboard: Brooks Koepka’s 62 good enough for two-stroke lead in Saudi Arabia

A nook was turned at LIV Golf Bangkok for Brooks Koepka final week as he captured his first top-10 end since changing into a member of the brand new golf circuit. Carrying that momentum, the 32-year-old was at it once more at 2022 LIV Golf Jeddah on Friday and opened with a flawless spherical of 8-under 62 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

Beginning his day on the again 9, Koepka rapidly ascended to the highest of the leaderboard with birdies on Nos. 16-17. Unable to benefit from the gettable par-5 18th, the four-time main champion then caught fireplace on the entrance 9 of Royal Greens making 5 birdies towards zero bogeys. 

Koepka added one other on the tenth and murmurs of 59 started to flow into across the broadcast as Koepka noticed not solely his title, however that of his brother atop the leaderboard. Letting a couple of scoring alternatives fall by the wayside coming residence, Koepka finally signed for his 62. 

Good for a two-stroke lead over LIV London winner Charl Schwartzel, Koepka is now in place to lift his first trophy for the reason that 2021 WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour. His Smash GC group can also be primed for its greatest effort of the season as Koepka’s group owns the highest spot on the leaderboard at 15 beneath.

The chief

1. Brooks Koepka (-8)

Koepka has at all times been a golfer to play his greatest golf in the second or third week of a aggressive stretch. He talked about this repeatedly when requested about his preparations for main championship and with the swap to LIV Golf, continuity has been onerous to return by. With the match schedule unfold out, Koepka has visibly struggled up till final week at LIV Golf Bangkok and the primary spherical in LIV Golf Jeddah.

“I think last week was kind of a turning point for me,” Koepka stated. “I’ve worked pretty hard with Claude [Harmon], with Pete [Cowen] and Jeff [Pierce] over these last few months, getting back together with Claude and getting to see Pete a bit more. So this is the first time I’ve played back-to-back weeks since February. So tough to build a rhythm. I could see it coming. I’m very pleased with it, pleased with last week, and you know, hopefully just put together two more good rounds.”

Other contenders

2. Charl Schwartzel (-6)

T3. Hideto Tanihara, Peter Uihlein, Patrick Reed (-5)

T6. Turk Petit, James Piot, Carlos Ortiz (-4)

T9. Marc Leishman, Jediah Morgan, Anirban Lahiri, Abraham Ancer, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson (-3)

A attainable engagement bump is brewing for Turk Petit who popped the query to his now fiancée Thursday on the Red Sea. The former NCAA particular person champion carded 5 birdies towards simply on bogey and is tied together with his fellow Niblicks teammate James Piot. They are two of the youthful rivals on LIV Golf and have struggled all through their tenure, however maybe that is the week the place the previous collegiate studs will lastly discover their footing very similar to Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra did at LIV Bangkok.

Team leaderboard