LIV Hong Kong: Casey and Crushers lead way as tournament returns to shopping-happy crowds
LIV Golf returned to Hong Kong on Friday, but it was as though the tournament had never been away, with Paul Casey again circling the top of the leaderboard and his Crushers GC team making an ominous start to the defence of their title.
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With players and fans braving the unseasonable cold at Hong Kong Golf Club, where temperatures dropped to 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees Fahrenheit) at one stage, officials were happy with the size of the crowd that turned up, and expected it would improve along with the weather this weekend.
And a year after shopping-happy Hongkongers stripped the shelves of the merchandise store bare, organisers would have been thrilled at the sight of people carrying bags filled with hats, shirts and anything else branded with the names of the 13 LIV teams.
While there were no official figures for how many people passed through the gates, spectators 'from the Greater Bay Area and beyond' were said to have turned out to watch the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson try to conquer the course.
Spectators look on as Patrick Reed putts at Hong Kong Golf Club on Friday. Photo: Elson Li
As it was, Casey set the early pace, carding a seven-under-par 63 to sit one clear of a group of six players that included Torque GC's Sebastian Munoz. Crushers pipped Torque to the team title last year, and the two teams finished the first day level on 12 under, one clear of Sergio Garcia's Fireballs.
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Casey certainly has an affinity for Fanling, as he does for Asia generally, but the 47-year-old said there was 'a vibe' about the course and Hong Kong that kept him coming back.
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