Lucas Herbert sets course record to lead after first round at LIV Golf UK
Lucas Herbert leads the LIV Golf UK Presented by JCB after shooting a bogey-free, course-record 11-under par 61 at JCB Golf & Country Club in Rocester, England, on July 23. Herbert’s performance put him three shots ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, who finished the opening round with an eight-under 64.
Herbert, representing Ripper GC, made the turn in 5-under 31 and continued his momentum with a 6-under back nine. He narrowly missed a putt on the 17th hole that would have given him a chance at a 59. "Of course it was on his mind," Herbert said after the round. "You could see in my reaction there on 17, when that didn't go in, I was like, that was my chance. But if you were going to pick days you were going to shoot 59, I wouldn't have thought today would have been the day. The golf course is a little firm, which makes it play a little tougher and a bit of breeze out there that kind of moved around. I'm pretty incredibly happy with 61 still. I think once you've been there and done that a little bit, you have the confidence that you know you can do it. I feel like I'm getting a new taste for being out there at the top of the leaderboard. It's definitely nice to start that way. ... just continuing on that fun momentum from last week at The Open. It's nice when those putts roll in and golf feels the way it does right now."
DeChambeau, captain of Crushers GC, made the turn in 5-under 31, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 4th, and added a 3-under back nine despite a bogey at the 16th. "Shooting 8-under out here is no easy task. Shooting 11-under is a crazy task. It's really cool to see Lucas doing that. It's fun to play a golf course that's taken that well care of. It's hats off to the JCB team and all of them for working as hard as they have because they have a great track and venue out here," DeChambeau said.
In the team competition, Ripper GC leads at 19-under, four shots ahead of Crushers GC. Marc Leishman contributed a four-under 68, and Cam Smith added a three-under 69 for Ripper GC. Legion XIII and OKGC are tied for third at eight-under. Ian Poulter led the Majesticks GC with a four-under 68, while Lee Westwood posted a one-under 71.
The event also featured "Little Sticks Day," which brought over 600 youth participants to the course as Majesticks Golf Club celebrated its youth golf programme with mascot experiences and customized player kits. The JCB Golf & Country Club, opened in 2018 and designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design, is located on a 240-acre site adjacent to the JCB World Headquarters. The club’s signature 17th hole is a 255-yard par 3 situated on a converted island.
LIV Golf, now in its fourth full season, features 13 teams and 57 players from 21 countries, competing across 10 countries and five continents. The league aims to expand the sport globally and enhance the game’s societal impact, according to LIV Golf.
Round two is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m. BST on July 24, with Herbert and DeChambeau paired together in one of the featured groups. Full event details, live scoring, and tickets are available at LIVGolf.com.