LIV Golf Riyadh: Meronk leads after Rd. 1; Legion XIII hot

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Playing under the lights is unique for most golfers, but Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk looked quite comfortable Thursday night at LIV Golf Riyadh presented by Ma'aden. So did Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.

Meronk shot a bogey-free 10-under 62 to grab the first-round lead in LIV Golf’s first nighttime round at Riyadh Golf Club. Meanwhile Legion XIII, fueled by newest member Tom McKibbin, set a first-round scoring record by shooting 24-under as a team, with all four scores counting in the first round thanks to a format change starting this season.

RELATED: Leaderboard | Where to Watch

It was just a year ago that Meronk made his LIV Golf debut after signing just before the season opener. The adjustment period resulted in a slow start, but he finished the year in the top 24 Lock Zone. Now he’s looking to make a bigger splash.

“Last year was a very stressful beginning of the year for me, definitely, and this year I know what to expect,” Meronk said. “I feel like home, and I love it. I love being on LIV.”

Meronk made a coaching change in the offseason, which also resulted in a couple of swing changes. Those obviously kicked in nicely on Thursday, as he hit all 18 greens in regulation, including a 5-iron second shot from 250 yards at the par-5 sixth that settled 20 feet away for a two-putt birdie. He said his round felt “quite flawless.”

“I'm excited for the future because I really like how my golf game is shaping up,” Meronk said. “It feels much more comfortable, and I can control the ball much easier.”

Legion XIII also made its debut a year ago as LIV Golf’s first expansion team. Unlike Meronk, there was no adjustment period needed.

With Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton as a lethal 1-2 punch, Legion XIII won its first event in Mayakoba, and added three more regular-season wins. Inconsistency on the back end of the roster was the team’s only weakness – and that seems to have been answered with the addition of McKibbin and the continued development of LIV Golf’s youngest player, 20-year-old Caleb Surratt.

On Thursday, McKibbin and Surratt (66) each shot bogey-free rounds, as did Hatton (66). Rahm suffered the team’s only bogey in shooting 67. A year ago, his score wouldn’t have counted.

“I did not expect 5 under to be the worst score of the team,” Rahm said. “But here we are. The young guys have started the year strong.”

Like Meronk a year ago, McKibbin must adjust to life on LIV Golf. But he’s embracing all that his new environment has to offer. He even stopped to watch a mid-round light show – and then proceeded to make an eagle and three birdies in his final nine holes.

“A pretty awesome first day,” he said.

TEAM SCORES

LIV Golf’s new scoring format made its debut Thursday, with all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. (Click here for more on the new format). Here are the results and scores for each team after Thursday’s Rd. 1 at Riyadh Golf Club.

1. LEGION XIII -24 (McKibbin 65, Hatton 66, Surratt 66, Rahm 67)

2. MAJESTICKS GC -17 (Westwood 65, Horsfield 68, Stenson 68, Poulter 70)

T3. CRUSHERS GC -15 (Howell III 66, Casey 69, DeChambeau 69, Lahiri 69)

T3. TORQUE GC -15 (Muñoz 64, Niemann 67, Pereira 70, Ortiz 72)

5. RANGEGOATS -14 (Campbell 68, Wolff 68, Uihlein 69, Watson 69)

T6. 4ACES GC -13 (Johnson 67, Pieters 69, Reed 69, Varner III 70)

T6. CLEEKS GC -13 (Meronk 62, Bland 70, Kaymer 70, Kjettrup 73)

T8. RIPPER GC -12 (Leishman 67, Smith 67, Herbert 68, Jones 74)

T8. FIREBALLS GC -12 (Puig 67, Garcia 68, Ancer 69, Masaveu 72)

10. IRON HEADS GC -11 (Lee 68, Ormsby 68, Na 70, Jang 71)

11. STINGER GC -5 (Burmester 66, Oosthuizen 71, Grace 73, Schwartzel 73)

12. HYFLYERS GC -3 (Steele 68, Schniederjans 71, Tringale 71, Ogletree 75)

13. SMASH GC Even (McDowell 70, Gooch 72, Kokrak 72, Koepka 74)

Wild Cards: Lee 70, Kim 71

ROUND 1 NOTES

MCKIBBIN SHINES IN DEBUT: Tom McKibbin’s bogey-free 7-under 65 was no surprise to his Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, who spent the previous two days getting acquainted with the new teammate during practice rounds. “It was very clear early on his level of golf and his talent,” Rahm said.

The only thing that did surprise Rahm was other LIV Golf teams not pursuing the 22-year-old rising star from Northern Ireland during the offseason. McKibbin already has a DP World Tour win on his resume.

“We got very lucky we were able to sign such a fantastic player at such a young age,” Rahm said. “We were the only team really going after him.”

WESTWOOD’S EYES: Majesticks GC Co-Captain Lee Westwood hovered around the top of the leaderboard most of the night, eventually shooting a bogey-free 7-under 65 that left him tied for third. It’s Westwood’s lowest round in LIV Golf since the 2023 season.

Westwood’s iron play fueled his round, as he hit 16 of 18 greens. Although he needed just 27 putts, Westwood said his score could’ve been lower. “I missed five putts from inside six, seven feet, and it was mainly under-reading them,” Westwood said. “Just 52-year-old eyes. I've got my reading glasses and am actually putting them on when I read the putts.”

Westwood wasn’t the only Majestick who played well. The team collectively was 17 under, leaving them in second place, seven shots behind Legion XIII. Westwood called the format switch to all scores count in every round a “big advantage” to his veteran lineup. “We're pretty consistent,” he said. “Hopefully we'll keep this fun going.”

FUN NIGHT: The first nighttime round in LIV Golf history received an enthusiastic – and similar – response from the LIV Golf players.

“I like it. It’s fun,” said 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson. “It’s cool to play a tournament at night.”

“I enjoyed it a lot, the experience,” added Torque GC’s Sebastián Muñoz, who’s in solo second after a 64. “It's something different, something that we're not used to it, and it's nice.”

“Definitely different, but I kind of prepared well last week,” said first-round leader Adrian Meronk, who practiced night golf at a course near his Dubai home. “… I think I did a good job to get used to the lights, the shadows, and reading greens. I really enjoy it. It's a lot of fun.”

Muñoz’s biggest concern, possible cold temperatures, never materialized. “The weather was awesome,” he said. “The shadows, yeah, there's a little shadow here and there, but we've hit so many balls that a little shadow shouldn't be an issue.”

NEW GUYS: Six players made their debuts Thursday as full-time LIV Golf competitors for 2025:

• Tom McKibbin (Legion XIII) shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 and is tied for third
• Ben Campbell (RangeGoats GC) shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 and is tied for 15th
• Chieh-Po Lee (Wild Card) shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 32nd
• Yubin Jang (Iron Heads GC) hit all 18 greens in regulation to shoot a bogey-free 1-under 71 and is tied for 40th
• Luis Masaveu (Fireballs GC) shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 45th
• Frederik Kjettrup (Cleeks GC) shot a 1-over 73 and is tied for 49th

ORMSBY REPLACES KOZUMA: Reserve player Wade Ormsby was a late addition to the field as he replaced an injured Jinichiro Kozuma in the Iron Heads GC lineup. The Australian, who has been a LIV Golf reserve after playing the inaugural season in 2022, shot a 4-under 68, matching Danny Lee for the lowest score on his team. Both players are among the group tied for 15th.

Another reserve player, Ollie Schniederjans, shot a 1-under 71 as the fill-in announced earlier this week for injured HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson.

RECORD LOW: Legion XIII’s 24 under team score matches the lowest team score in LIV Golf history, and is the lowest team score shot in any first round of a LIV Golf tournament. Stinger GC shot 24 under in the final round last year at LIV Golf Adelaide. Thursday’s round in Riyadh was the first time all four scores counted in the first round.

10 UNDER: Adrian Meronk’s 10-under 62 is the sixth round in LIV Golf history of 10 under or better. The previous five:

• -12, Bryson DeChambeau (58), Rd. 3, 2023 Greenbrier
• -12 Joaquin Niemann (59), Rd. 1, 2024 Mayakoba
• -10 Talor Gooch (62), Rd. 1, 2023 Adelaide
• -10 Talor Gooch (62), Rd. 2, 2023 Adelaide
• -10 Louis Oosthuizen (60), Rd. 3, 2024 Greenbrier

ROUND 1 STAT LEADERS

Driving accuracy: Henrik Stenson, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)

Driving distance: David Puig, 346.0 yards avg.

Longest drive: David Puig, 350.1 yards, 10th hole

Greens in regulation: Adrian Meronk, Yubin Jang, 100% (18 of 18 greens)

Scrambling: 16 players with 100%, led by Cameron Smith, 5 of 5

Putting: Sebastián Muñoz, 1.33 putts per hole

Bogey-free rounds: Adrian Meronk (62), Lee Westwood, (65), Tom McKibbin (65), Tyrrell Hatton (66), Caleb Surratt (66), David Puig (67), Lucas Herbert (68), Wade Ormsby (68), Ben Campbell (68), Yubin Jang (71)