Just a few hours after being suspended by the PGA Tour, Charl Schwartzel shot a 5-under 65 and holds the overnight lead in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament.
Centurion Golf Club near London is hosting the first-ever LIV event. The course is playing as a par 70 for the three-day, 54-hole, no-cut tournament. Schwartzel started his day on the third hole as the LIV circuit uses a shotgun start for its tournaments.
The 2011 Masters champion was among 17 golfers suspended by the PGA Tour on Thursday morning, not long after the first tee shots were struck. Of those 17, 10, including Schwartzel, had already resigned their PGA Tour membership.
In solo second is another South African, Hennie Du Plessis, who is at 4 under. He has five top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this season but has yet to win there.
Scott Vincent and Phachara Khongwatmai are tied for third at 3 under. Branden Grace and Justin Harding are tied for fifth at 2 under. Two of the LIV Golf circuit’s headliners, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, are among four golfers tied for seventh at 1 under, along with Sam Horsfeld and Laurie Canter.
The winner this week in London will receive $4 million. Everyone in the 48-man field will earn a payday by the end of the final round Saturday.
The league is spearheaded by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds.
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