LIV Golf at 2025 PGA Championship: Highlights from Jon Rahm, David Puig, more
The 2025 PGA Championship, the second major of the year, is in full swing at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, and this year's field features 16 LIV Golf players — Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Tom McKibbin, Patrick Reed, Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland, Dean Burmester, John Catlin and David Puig.
Some made the field based on current world rankings, while others qualified with recent major wins or by finishing in the top 15 at the 2024 PGA Championship. There are some special cases too, as past PGA champions earn a lifetime exemption for the tournament, and a handful of LIV golfers received invitations to play in this year's tournament.
Here are the highlights after Round 1.
Despite a back injury that cropped up late in his final round during LIV Golf's most recent tournament in Korea, Puig produced a gutsy even-par 71 that leaves him in good position to make the cut. Even though his round ended with a double bogey, the 23-year-old from Spain was pleased, given the circumstances he faced.
"If I'm telling the truth, I think it was a great day overall," Puig said. "Especially without practicing and with having some sort of back pain. I think I competed very well."
Puig said his back cramped up on him the last five or six holes in Korea, although he managed to overcome it by finishing eagle-birdie-birdie on his final three holes to slip inside the top 20 of the leaderboard.
Starting his round off the 10th tee, Rahm played his opening nine holes in a bogey-free 2 under, including three consecutive pars through the dangerous Green Mile. Things went awry from there, with Rahm making bogey-birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey on his next six holes that undid all the good scoring on his first nine.
Fortunately, a birdie at the short par-4 eighth left him with a 1-under 70 and in a good spot to make an impact going into Friday's second round. "It's funny because I made bogeys but didn't necessarily make horrible swings," the Legion XIII captain said about this six-hole adventure. "It was just missed it on the wrong places."
Rahm is used to starting with a 70 in the PGA Championship – it's the fifth time in nine career starts that he's opened with that number. That includes his first PGA start in 2017 at Quail Hollow. His opening 70 left him tied for 15th but a second-round 75 dropped him out of contention entering the weekend.
Eight years later, he'll have a chance to make a more positive move.
There were plenty of non-LIV golfers who had strong outings on Thursday as well.
Smalley was on the putting green at Quail Hollow, going through his drills and looking like any of the other 156 players at the PGA Championship. But he wasn't. On the eve of the major, Smalley wasn't sure he would have a tee time.
And then, in a span of about 20 hours, the North Carolina native went from first alternate to a 4-under 67 that kept his name around the top of the leaderboard on Thursday.
"I really prepared just like any other week," Smalley said. "Obviously, it's interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you know, you hear about everybody's ailments being first alternate."
In this case, it was Sahith Theegala, who had to withdraw during the Truist Championship last week at Philadelphia Cricket Club. And his neck injury never got better for the Californian to play the PGA Championship, a major he finished in the top 15 a year ago. So he was out.
Smalley was in.
He had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine (after starting on No. 10), dropped a pair of shots on tough par 4s on the front nine and then shot his way back into the mix by holing a 70-foot putt across the green on the par-5 seventh for eagle.
Smalley made a short birdie putt on the short par-4 eighth, managed par on the brutal par-4 ninth hole and had his lowest score in his third appearance at the PGA Championship.
Donald and Bradley turned the opening round of the PGA Championship into their own little Ryder Cup competition Thursday.
Shortly after Donald carded a surprising 4-under-par 67 — his best opening round at a major in 21 years — Bradley checked in with a 68, leaving both Ryder Cup captains in contention at Quail Hollow with 54 holes remaining.
"If it's tied 14-14, are you talking a playoff? I'll grab the trophy and go back to Europe," joked Donald, whose European team bested the Americans 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, meaning they will retain the trophy if they tie or beat the Americans this September at Bethpage Black.
Bradley got a chuckle out of Donald's comments and said he planned to text his counterpart and let him know he was "pumped" for him.
"It's unique," Bradley said of having both Ryder Cup captains in the top 10. "You know, one of the interesting things about becoming captain, only other captains can understand what you're going through, and the day-to-day process and the pressure and everything that comes with that.
Parts of this piece are courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
21 minutes ago
- Fox News
Denny Hamlin wins Michigan, taunts crowd while awaiting third child
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin could feel nerves during the race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. His fiancée, Jordan Fish, was six days past due with their third child and Hamlin and his team had decided if they got past Lap 50 of the 200-lap race, he wouldn't be told if she went into labor. Things worked out for Hamlin. He won at Michigan and 90 minutes after the race, was still at the track doing media. He talked about why he needs to be at the birth, baby names … and fierce taunts of the crowd in Michigan. That's Hamlin, living amid chaos and then creating even more for himself. "I don't want to be so ho-hum with winning that it's boring because then I lose my drive," Hamlin said. Hamlin, who has a group of friends who are Ohio State fans, gave the "O" sign to the Michigan crowd and resurrected his line that he told his father he wouldn't use anymore as he crowed to the crowd: "I beat your favorite driver." The boos reigned and Hamlin chuckled. "I do thrive on it just simply because you feel like you've got 60,000 people that are rooting against you," Hamlin said. "When you have that, it just feels really, really good and gratifying to prove them wrong. "I love that feeling." Hamlin had spent Saturday night in Michigan as Fish had not had any labor symptoms. Fish posted an Instagram story late in the race that she was at home. "I felt decent enough about it," Hamlin said. "We had to set some sort of cutoff of whether I was going to finish or not. "So I was very nervous last night and then this morning to getting the call because I knew I had a race-winning car after yesterday." Hamlin is known to run well, even with outside distractions. And he has the additional drama of the race team he owns (but doesn't drive for) 23XI Racing embroiled in a lawsuit against NASCAR. Earlier in the week, the team was dealt a blow in the U.S Court of Appeals and faces the prospect of the 23XI Racing cars not being chartered in a few weeks. It seems that he has been able to focus when he's at the track since that lawsuit was filed last October. The worries about missing the birth of his child, though, seemed to weigh on him more. With JGR simulator driver Ryan Truex at the track, in case he needed to leave, Hamlin knew the team was prepared for him to leave if Fish went into labor. He knew he had a strong car and had a good feeling about the race. Granted, Hamlin didn't have the fastest car. Chris Buescher probably did, but his car wiggled as he tried to run down the leaders late in the race. This cost him valuable momentum and he ended up coming across the line a second after Hamlin. William Byron had a strong car, but like many others, he had to save gas near the end, relinquishing the lead with less than four laps to go and then running out with a little over a lap remaining. Hamlin's team made sure he had enough fuel on the final stop to be on the attack at the end. And he executed flawlessly to the finish. And his wife was still at home, posting on Instagram near the end of the race. "I was a little nervous just because we put the Lap 50 cutoff," Hamlin said. "If it happens before Lap 50, I just go ahead and get out, just because of the time. "If it was after, I thought that by the time she gets her s--- together and gets to the hospital, all that stuff? You just never how it all turns out. But I think I can make it, as long as I had a three-hour window." It marked the third win of the year for Hamlin and his 57th career victory in his 701st start. Now it's on to Mexico City, and Hamlin indicated he would be willing to stay home if Fish has not given birth by the weekend. Obviously, it is a much longer flight from there than it would have been from Michigan to his North Carolina home. NASCAR would grant Hamlin a waiver to miss a race and consider it for medical reasons, meaning he would still make the playoffs and get to keep playoff points earned during the season. "It's the bigger picture. You never know when you'll ever have another one," Hamlin said about wanting to be home for the birth of the child. "You may not. I've been really supportive of her, the way that she wants to have this play out, which is as natural as possible. "Everyone asks, 'Why don't you just schedule, schedule, schedule?' I don't know. You've just got to let her decide in these situations. If it causes me to miss a race, it's one of 701 races that I missed and it's just not that big of a deal." His team owner, Heather Gibbs, when asked earlier about whether she was nervous for Hamlin, quipped: "It's funny, because I have four [children]. They [husbands] don't really do anything. When he gets home, he'll be home. It was good." Hamlin's response: "Well, that is true. I've been in the room before, and she needs something really hard to grab onto, and my hand is perfect for it. I'm definitely going to be there this week — hopefully — to hold her hand." The same could have been said for the way Hamlin grabbed the lead just when he needed to and held on for the victory. "He kind of thrives in chaos, right?" Heather Gibbs said. "It was true, we wanted to get him in the car. ... He's as cool as they come, that's for sure." Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
NBA Finals Game 2 takeaways: Thunder bounce back to even series 1-1
The NBA Finals are here, with West No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and the East No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers squaring off with the hope of lifting their first-ever Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the highly-anticipated series. This is the Pacers' first Finals appearance since 2000, when they eventually fell to the Lakers in six games. The Thunder last made the Finals in 2012 and lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games. Here's what has stood out from Sunday's Game 2 and what to expect from Game 3 on Wednesday: Game 2: Thunder 123, Pacers 107 What stood out for the Thunder: The Thunder learned their lesson from Game 1 and played all 48 minutes of Game 2 after blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in the Finals opener. The Thunder outscored the Pacers 33-21 in the second quarter to lead by as much as 23 points, entered the fourth quarter with a 19-point lead and kept a sizable advantage through the final buzzer. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another 30-plus point performance in the championship round, finishing with 34 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals. But this time around, he had much more help, with the Thunder's reserves outscoring the Pacers' bench, 48-34. The Thunder's top-rated defense suffocated the Pacers' offense. Four Thunder players scored at least 18 points, while no one on the Pacers scored more than 17 points. What stood out for the Pacers: The Pacers were outrebounded, 43-35, and outscored in points in the paint, 42-34. Tyrese Haliburton had just 17 points, including only scoring three points in the first half on 1-for-5 shooting from the field. The Pacers simply looked out of sorts against a Thunder team that was stunned in Game 1 and made sure to come out with their foot on the gas on both ends of the court in Game 2. Every run the Pacers went on was thwarted by the Thunder, who made sure not to allow the come-from-behind team to take a 2-0 series lead on their home court. What to expect in Game 3: For the Pacers, here's to betting Haliburton and Co. come out way more aggressive in Game 3. There's no way the Pacers' star player can finish with just two more field goals (seven) than turnovers (five) and the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Pascal Siakam, can have 15 points on 3-for-11 shooting and this team can expect to have a chance to win. The Pacers need to pound the boards and figure out ways to find their lanes against the Thunder's swarming defense. As for the Thunder, they need to try to replicate this wall-to-wall effort in Game 3, knowing that no lead is ever safe against the Pacers, especially on their home floor. The Thunder did a great job getting multiple players involved, including reserve Alex Caruso, who shined on both ends of the court with great defense as well as being the team's second-leading scorer with 20 points, making four 3-pointers. Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110 What stood out for the Thunder: Oklahoma City learned a very important lesson in Game 1 of the Finals. No. Lead. Is. Safe. Against. The. Pacers. Ever. The Pacers, who have had multiple historic comebacks this postseason, pulled off the improbable again, storming back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to take their first lead of the game with 0.3 seconds left after Tyrese Haliburton made a 21-foot pullup jumper to stun the Thunder and their sold-out crowd at Paycom Center. This was the ultimate wake-up call for the Thunder, who held control for over 47 minutes, behind a 38-point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored twice as many points as any other player on the court. But Haliburton, who has made a name for himself this postseason with three buzzer-beaters and go-ahead buckets heading into the Finals, made the Thunder his latest victim. What stood out for the Pacers: While Haliburton's late-game heroics have already become playoff lore, it would be nice if he and his team weren't in that position. The Pacers had a whopping 25 turnovers while the Thunder only had seven. They also had 16 fewer field goal attempts than the Thunder. For much of the game, the Pacers struggled to generate much offense against the swarming Thunder defense, with no player on Indiana even scoring 20 points. Even though the Thunder only led by as much as 15 points, it seemed as though their lead was twice as large for much of the game -- until the fourth quarter when the comeback kings did what they do best. What to expect in Game 2: For the Thunder, they've obviously realized that they need to play all 48 minutes against this Pacers team, which has made it very clear that they never quit. They can't allow the Pacers to go on heaters late in the game, such as when they went on a 12-2 fourth-quarter run to cut their 15-point deficit to just four points. If the Pacers are within striking distance, the opposing team is in trouble. As for the Pacers, while Haliburton is once again the hero of the playoffs, he only scored 14 points. He needs to be much more aggressive offensively for the Pacers to avoid needing to rely on a buzzer-beater. Meanwhile, the Pacers did a great job dominating the boards, where they had a 56-39 advantage. If they can get fewer turnovers and Haliburton gets going early, they could be in a different position in Game 2. Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
Fast Company
39 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Tennis star Andre Agassi leads $20 million investment in Ballers, a multisport members' club
Ballers, a social multisport venue and members' club, just received a $20 million Series A investment led by tennis star Andre Agassi ahead of its Philadelphia flagship opening in July. With the location, Ballers aims to combine competition with culture. It will include courts where members can play pickleball, squash, and padel. There will also be a golf practice area with real sand traps and a large turf field where members can play soccer. 'These are all social sports,' cofounder David Gutstadt tells Fast Company. 'They're cool, relevant, elevated, but most importantly social.' Courting crosscourt players Pickleball, specifically, is America's fastest growing sport; participation has increased by 311% in the last three years, according to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). But almost half of racket sports players are 'crosscourt consumers,' meaning they enjoy playing more than one of these sports, according to research by RacquetX. And racket sports as a whole are in a growth phase, with five out of seven increasing their year-over-year participation totals, according to SFIA. By creating a dedicated space for these sports, Gutstadt says he hopes to 'bring country club sports to the city.' 'As consumers seek richer social interactions, competition has evolved from pastime to platform,' Lloyd Danzig, a managing partner at Sharp Alpha, a firm that co-led the investment, wrote to Fast Company. More locations on the horizon Founders Gutstadt and Amanda Potter say that Ballers is the first of its kind: a multisport venue with a focus on hospitality and creating a culture. Outside of just offering sports practice and competition areas, the Ballers space also includes a full bar, a restaurant, and social activations like DJs or art installation pop-ups. The Ballers space has been constructed from the shell of an old power plant, giving the club a unique but 'grand and majestic' look, Potter says. Throughout the rest of 2025 and 2026, expect to see Ballers locations pop up in Boston, Downtown Los Angeles, and Miami. Ballers has amassed a group of celebrity and athlete investors that represent the venue's array of sports offerings. These investors include tennis stars Agassi, Kim Clijsters, and Sloane Stephens; pickleballer Connor Garnett; and soccer player/padel aficionado Maarten Paes. As lifelong tennis lovers, Gutstadt and Potter told Fast Company that working with Agassi was a 'dream come true.' Agassi was the 'obvious first pick' to represent Ballers, says Potter, because he represents a shift in racket sports' fashion and culture. 'Andre Agassi came into a sport that was pretty buttoned up and proper—you know, white collar shirts and Wimbledon mentality,' Potter says. 'He came in with a bit of an attitude and shook things up. And that's what we want for Ballers.'
