The first of three rounds at Centurion Club in England for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational event got underway on Thursday, with Charl Schwartzel grabbing the lead after 18 holes.
Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, shot a 5-under 65 on Thursday for a one-stroke lead over teammate Hennie Du Plessis.
Both players are members of the Stinger GC, who also hold the team score following the first round at 9-under. They have a six-stroke lead over the Crushers GC and Hy Flyers GC, both at 3-under.
Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson both shot rounds of 1-under 69 and are in a tie for seventh - four shots back.
Johnson is captain of the 4 Aces GC, who finished Round 1 in fifth at 1-under. Mickelson is captain of the Hy Flyers GC, who were able to get into a tie for second with the help of Justin Harding (2-under).
Only the two lowest scores for each four-player team are counted toward the team scores for the first two rounds of the tournament. The lowest three scores will be counted for Saturday's final round.
The tournament, which will end on Saturday after 54 holes, will award the individual winner $4 million. The last-place player will receive $120,000.
Other notables in the event include Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, and Kevin Na. They each shot rounds over par on Thursday with a 71, 72, and 73, respectively.
