By Matt Smith
Ding ding! All set for Round 2? Day 1 of the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series was certainly eventful, on and off course. You can catch up on all that here. And watch the action here.

But this is all about Friday here, with South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel leading on five-under after a blistering back nine (if that makes sense from a shotgun start).

Fellow countryman Hennie Du Plessis is sitting second one stroke back, and a third Stinger teammate Branden Grace is on two-under, just behind Scott Vincent and Phachara Khongwatmai.

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are lurking just behind on one-under. They start on hole 3 today, with the action set to get under way once again from 2.15pm local time (5.15pm UAE).

Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are off from hole 12 after a pretty ropey five-over performance from each yesterday. Sergio Garcia starts on 16 in this innovative competition. Major winners Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell are out together from hole 8.

Schwartzel, Du Plessis and Vincent get the honour on hole 1.

11.12am
While we await the players out on course in a few hours, you can catch up on yesterday’s highlights below:

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11.16am

11.33am
Here is a little recap of the rules in play at LIV Golf. There are three days’ play over 54 holes, with individual matchplay and also team scoring for the 48 players and 12 teams. There is no cut. In the individual event, it is pretty straightforward, with the lowest score after three days winning. In the team competition, the best two individual scores will count towards the team’s overall total over the first two rounds. On day 3, the three best scores on each team contributes to their overall score. The lowest overall score will be the winner.

12.01pm
The players are going through their warm-ups on the range and putting greens. A smiling ‘TK’ Ratchanon is posing for photos and chatting with fans. Craig David is “chilling on Sunday” and going through a soundcheck for his concert tonight and the sun is shining.

12.07pm

The party mood is getting into full swing, too!

12.33
Ian Poulter’s wardrobe choice for the day is a lilac and cyan pair of tartan trews! Tasty!

12.39pm
Big Phil gets in the groove

1.39pm
Almost taxi time once again as the London cabbies get ready to transport the players out to their respective starting tees.

1.59pm
Away we go!!!

2.06pm
So the players are out and we await the shotgun start here at Centurion. Can the South Africans keep up their storming start, with the Stinger GC team dominating day 1?

2.18pm
A flyby to get us going

2.25pm
Young TK Ratchanon takes the first birdie of the day on the fifth to move to two-over. Strong start for the youngster.

2.28pm
Dustin gets in a little trouble on 3, while yesterday’s long-time leader Phachara Khongwatmai has also dropped a shot on 2.

2.30pm
Ian Poulter starts on the right foot on 12, picking up birdie to get to four-over. Long way to go Poults!

2.32pm
Hennie Du Plessis has also dropped one on the first, he is back on three-under.

2.36pm

Here is quick look as it stands at the top.

2.40pm
Sergio Garcia watches his birdie attempt slip just by on 17. He stays on one-over.

2.42pm
Hennie bounces straight back with birdie on the second. Back to four-under and back into a share of the lead.

2.47pm
Branden Grace, Scott Vincent and Khongwatmai are tied third on two-under, two behind the South African duo of Charl and Hennie.

2.55pm
Big Phil and DJ remain on even par after playing the fourth.

2.59pm
Khongwatmai is going backwards at the moment. Two over for the day and he slips back to T5. Ouch for Scott Vincent too, as a double takes him to even-par.

3.06pm
Se we have three Stingers at the top with Schwartzel, and Du PLessis on four-under, two ahead of Grace.

3.12pm
TK picks up his second birdie of the day to move to one-over and into a share of eighth spot.

3.16pm
Schwartzel drains a beauty to take the outright lead on five-under through four.

3.20pm
Mickelson flirts with the out-of-bounds line. He is on one-over.

3.29pm
Schwartzel bags another birdie on 5 to stretch his lead to two on six-under!

3.40pm
Oliver Bekker joins Grace on two-under!

3.43pm

How we stand

3.46pm
Branden Grace drops one on the seventh to break that quadruple RSA flag at the top. He is on one-under. Meanwhile, Peter Uihlein has moved up to two-under after playing the fourth (his sixth in this shotgun show).

3.53pm
This is looking rosier and rosier for Schwartzel as Hennie drops another to allow his fellow South African to open up a three-stroke lead. This would be one hell of a week for Charl to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time since 2016.

4.11pm
Some breaking news from LIV Golf as Bryson DeChambeau is announced as its latest signing. Read more on that here.

4.24pm
Sam Horsfield, who is playing alongside Mickelson and DJ today, is up to T3 beside Uihlein on two-under.

4.27pm
But as I write that, the young Englishman drops one on 11 and is back to one-under.

4.35pm
Bekker back up beside Uihlein now as he birdies the eighth — his ninth. And Schwartzel drops back to five-under on the ninth to give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope.

4.51pm
Uihlein joins Du Plessis on three-under with a birdie on No. 8. Schwartzel restores his three-stroke lead over Du Plessis and Uihlein with a bounce-back birdie on 10.

5.01pm

As is stands with eight holes to go.

5.07pm

The Schwartzel machine is rolling again as he drains another monster on 11 to reach two-under for the day and seven-under for the tournament — FOUR! shots clear of Du Plessis. But the South African responds with a birdie of his own to stay on his compatriot’s coattails.

5.23pm
And Du Plessis is up to five-under as he move two behind Schwartzel. These two have a bit of daylight over Uihlein now, who is third on three-under.

5.27pm
Well, well! Du Plessis is within one as Schwartzel bogeys 12. Six-under plays five-under.

5.31pm
DJ making his own move as he climbs to fourth on two-under. Six to play!

5.41pm
I think the gremlins got a hold of the leaderboard. Du Plessis is back to four-under, two back.

For clarification

5.48pm
Schwartzel makes birdie on the par-5 13th and Du Plessis follows suit. Seven-under plays five-under.

5.55pm
With this pair of teammates battling it out at the top, it is no surprise that the Stingers are leading the way in the team event, with a collective 11-under, five ahead of Peter Uihlein’s Crushers. Du Plessis drops back to four-under yet again and Schwartzel’s lead is back to three.

6pm
As the slogans around Centurion say: Don’t blink. You can’t miss a moment of this yo-yo tussle at the top, as Du Plessis birdies 14 to get back within two.

6.08pm
Uihlein joins Dustin on two-under in T3. And then he moves right past him to three-under!

6.21pm
With three to play, Schwartzel is back to a three-stroke lead as he birdies 15 and Du Plessis comes up just short.

6.30pm
Du Plessis teeters on the edge on the pond on 16 to get his shot away!

6.48pm
As the shadows get longer, Du Plessis birdies 17 to get within two of Schwartzel. These two are putting on their own wee competition. One to go out there. Actually Poulter is among the first finishers. He will sign for four-over for the tournament and is T11.

7.11pm
So there you have it. It is a familiar look at the top of the table as Charl Schwartzel leads Hennie Du Plessis, where they stayed all day! Quite another day as some players struggled in the windy weather. Join us tomorrow for the biggest pay day in golfing history

 

Live coverage on the video below:

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