Thomas Detry Fires Bogey-Free 65 to Lead LIV Golf Riyadh Round 1

The 2026 LIV Golf season is off and running with Round 1 of ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh in the books. The round featured plenty of birdies, with players taking advantage of the calm conditions to go low. Some new faces on LIV Golf wasted no time announcing their presence in the league. The 4Aces GC’s big offseason acquisition, Thomas Detry, raced out to the first-round lead, firing a bogey-free 7-under 65. Detry credited LIV Golf’s team atmosphere as one of the reasons for his strong start. “I’ve always loved the team atmosphere,” he said after his stellar round. “I remember when I was playing in college, playing for myself, playing for something more than myself, carrying the team, was always something that I loved to do.” RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein, who lost in a playoff at LIV Golf Jeddah in 2022, once again demonstrated his ability to play fantastic golf in the Middle East, matching Detry’s 7-under score. Another player making his LIV Golf debut, Elvis Smylie of Ripper GC, ended the day at 6-under, one shot back of the lead. The 23-year-old lefty showed no signs of nervousness as he had only one bogey in the round to go with seven birdies. Detry, Uihlein and Smylie are in a good position after Round 1, but some of LIV Golf’s biggest stars will be breathing down their necks for three more rounds. Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton (-5), Smash GC Captain Talor Gooch, Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm (-4), Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau (-4) and Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann (-4) are tight on their heels. DeChambeau was happy with his round, despite making a double-bogey on the 2nd hole. “I hit a perfect drive off the first and made double on the second, so great start to the year,” he said after the round. “I played good coming in, despite the double, and a couple missed opportunities on the par 5s and one on 18, or it could have been an 8-, 9-under round. Pretty pleased with how everything went.” Along with Hatton and Gooch, Korean Golf Club Captain Byeong Hun An, Torque GC’s Sebastian Munoz and Southern Guards GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen got in the clubhouse at 5-under, three shots back of the lead. Eight total players sit at 4-under. The team competition is also off to a riveting start, with Torque GC getting out of the gates quickly, combining for a score of 15-under. The new-look Southern Guards GC shot 11-under, while Smash GC led by their captain Gooch are in solo third place at 10-under. The overall scoring average for Round 1 was –2.00. The fifth hole played the toughest with an average score of +0.14 while the 565-yard par-5 15th played the easiest with an average score of –0.78. LIV Golf Riyadh Scoreboard (Day 1) This piece is courtesy of Matt Vincenzi in partnership with LIV Golf.