Carlos Ortiz leads Dustin Johnson by one shot after first round at LIV Portland
Follow all the action as Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz take a share of the lead into the final round of the second LIV Golf event.
Johnson carded eight birds in a round of 68 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Oregon yesterday as the former world No 1 looks to snatch the eye-watering £3.25m top prize. Ortiz, one of the Saudi-backed breakaway’s newest recruits, shot a 69 to ensure he joined Johnson at the top of the leaderboard on eight-under-par. Their closest challenger comes in the form of Branden Grace, who is two shots back. Fellow South African Justin Harding starts one shot further adrift at five-under-par, while Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are still in with an outside chance as they start four shots off the lead.
One man certainly not poised to make a charge is Phil Mickelson, who has endured another torrid week after his calamitous performance at the US Open. The 52-year-old is six-over-par but will be back in action since LIV Golf events do not feature a cut. In the team event, 4 Aces GC, who are captained by Johnson, lead on -15. The all-South African Stingers GC team, who won at Centurion Club last month, start in second. Follow all the action below:
LIV Golf Portland
LIV Golf have just announced Paul Casey as their latest big-name signing. The Englishman, who once said he’d refuse to play in Saudi Arabia due to being a Unicef ambassador, has been absent from the PGA Tour due to a back injury since March.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 23:02
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:48
LIV Golf Portland
Few saw Matthew Wolff’s slump coming after such an exciting start to his PGA Tour career, with top-five finishes at the US Open and PGA Championship in 2020. He has fallen almost 50 places in the world rankings but a fantastic approach at the 9th serves as a reminder of his talent. That’s a tap-in to make it back-to-back birdies for the 23-year-old. He’s now at -3.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:43
LIV Golf Portland
Ortiz birds the fourth too! The Mexican is three-under through four holes and, after seeing that putt fall, Johnson misses a short one of his own for par. Ortiz now has a four-shot lead over Harding. Johnson slips back to -6 where he is joined by Reed and Grace.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:34
LIV Golf Portland
Patrick Reed has surged into contention with back-to-back birdies at 5 and 6. He’s now at -6, four shots off Ortiz’s lead.
Ortiz only had one victory on the PGA Tour before defecting to LIV. By a quirk of fate, on that occasion at the Houston Open in 2020, Dustin Johnson was the runner-up.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:29
LIV Golf Portland
It’s been a heck of a start from Carlos Ortiz. He hits a fantastic approach into the 211-yard par 3 that leaves an uphill birdie putt. He rolls it in confidently to move to -10. Johnson can only make par while Grace, after opting to chip off the fringe and catching the downslope, sees his momentum halted by a bogey.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:19
LIV Golf Portland
Johnson can’t get up and down at the 2nd after that errant approach and he slips back to -7. There are no such problems for Branden Grace, though, who drains a birdie putt to join Johnson at that mark. Ortiz has a nervy putt to save par but he holes it to ensure his lead is now two shots.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:10
LIV Golf Portland
Koepka makes a fantastic par at the 3rd. His tee shot stopped just on the lip of the bunker, leaving an awkward chip shot straight down the hill. He opened the face, took a confident swing at it and the ball bounced no more than a couple of feet in front of him, rolling down and very nearly catching the lip. He holes the return putt up the slope to remain at -5.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 22:02
LIV Golf Portland
Johnson and Ortiz are both wayward off the tee at the 2nd, dragging their drives left and leaving themselves blind approaches.
Ortiz has 172 yards in and finds the middle of the green but it’ll be a long two-putt from there.
Johnson is on an upslope out of the rough and flies it long of the green. That’ll be a tricky up and down.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 21:55
LIV Golf Portland
Ortiz rolls in that short birdie putt at the 1st. He played the hole to perfection and now has the outright lead, with Johnson having to settle for par.
Justin Harding has made a terrific start to his round with back-to-back birdies and he’s at -7, two shots back.
Tom Kershaw2 July 2022 21:46