Dustin Johnson had a few practice days to get acquainted with Real Club Valderrama. Jason Kokrak, meanwhile, had travel and luggage issues and was unable to take a single swing until Friday’s opening round of LIV Golf Andalucía.
Yet both Americans produced the same score in challenging conditions on one of Europe’s top courses, each shooting four-under 67 to share the lead by one shot over Anirban Lahiri.
Cameron Smith, Kevin Na and Talor Gooch are tied for fourth at two under.
South Africa’s Dean Burmester is one of eight golfers on one under, with Charl Schwartzel a further shot behind.
Lahiri’s Crushers GC top the team leaderboard at four under, the same score as the individual leaders – evidence of how difficult Valderrama played, especially with winds nearing 20mph. Just 14 of the 48 players in the field managed to shoot under par on Friday.
“The course is really difficult,” said Johnson, who is looking for his second individual victory this season. “The wind obviously, especially for the first 15 holes, was blowing really hard. The greens definitely started to firm up towards the end of the round.
“No matter if the wind is blowing or not, this course plays tough just because you have to be so precise on every single shot. That’s why I think the golf course is so great, and it’s a lot of fun to play.”
It was even fun for Kokrak, despite travel issues that included flight cancellations and missed connections which delayed his arrival until early Wednesday morning. His golf clubs were delayed even more, not arriving until 5pm on Thursday.
Kokrak arrived early on Friday morning to walk the back nine, added a half-hour to his normal warmup routine, then bounced back from an early bogey with three straight birdies. He finished with six birdies, tying for most in the field.
“Kind of a crazy situation,” Kokrak said. “I left home striking it nice, playing well, and really pleased with the clubs I have in my bag. I was confident when I got my clubs as long as they weren’t broken or bent.”
Johnson and Kokrak are among the many players in the field getting their first taste of Valderrama’s challenging layout. Even the players who have a history with the course were worn out after the round – including three-time Valderrama winner Sergio Garcia, who’s the unofficial host for this week.
Garcia was happy with his one-under 70 that left him tied for seventh.
“It was a grind. I’m not going to lie,” said the Spaniard, who has 14 top 10s in 15 previous starts at Valderrama. “Obviously, it was tough. The course was playing firm. It’s probably the hardest wind that we play here, that Poniente wind coming from the west … I’m happy about shooting under par in these conditions and without playing amazingly. It was a positive day.”
– Edited report from LIV Golf website
