In his first professional event since 2012, Anthony Kim found himself at the bottom of a 54-man leaderboard with a disappointing score of six-over 76.
Meanwhile, Jon Rahm and Adrian Meronk kicked off their tournament in Jeddah with impressive opening-round scores of 62 each to share an early lead.
After the first round of the LIV Golf League event in Jeddah, Jon Rahm and Adrian Meronk are tied for the lead as Masters champion. Meanwhile, Anthony Kim struggled on his professional golf comeback.
Rahm achieved a remarkable score of 62 at King Abdullah Economic City, with eight birdies and zero bogeys.
Similarly impressive was Meronk’s performance, as he hit an eagle along with seven birdies but made only one bogey to reach the same score of eight under par.
Rahm expressed, “It was an exceptional day. I played extremely well except for a single tee shot; nonetheless, I managed to land in a favorable spot on hole 12.
When you manage to shoot a score of 62 without any bogeys, very little can go awry. By positioning the shots precisely and creating chances for myself.”
During his first round, Bryson DeChambeau attained six birdies within seven holes and finished with a score of 63. This caused him to tie for third place alongside Charl Schwartzel and Joaquin Niemann.
Louis Oosthuizen followed closely behind in the sixth spot, having completed an error-free opening round just one stroke shy from tying with them at fifth place.
Talor Gooch, the reigning Individual Champion from last year, is part of a group at five under par which also includes Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Tyrrell Hatton.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson – who previously won in Saudi Arabia – trails the lead by just four strokes following his impressive opening round score of 66.
On the first day of play, Sergio Garcia shot a flawless 67 while Brooks Koepka, who has won the tournament twice before, trailed behind by seven strokes after making two birdies and one bogey. Only 8 out of the total 54 players ended up with an above par score.
Pro golfer Kim makes a comeback with an impressive bottom.
After being announced as a wildcard player for the 2024 season, Anthony Kim made his first competitive shot in over a decade. However, he struggled and currently ranks at the bottom of the leaderboard with a six-over 76 score.
Playing in his first professional tournament since May 2012’s Wells Fargo Championship, Kim struggled on the opening day with only one birdie and seven bogeys. It was a disappointing start for him.
“It would be false of me to claim that I had no expectations,” stated Kim. “Even if my playing was subpar, shooting around par didn’t seem unattainable.”
I was disappointed to find myself making numerous unforced errors from the middle of the fairway, especially since my iron game is typically a strong suit. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t perform up to par and made such mistakes.
“I have a substantial foundation to work with and I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming two days.”