Australia’s Lucas Herbert surpassed his impressive opening round by one shot, opening a six-stroke advantage over the field on Friday at LIV Golf Virginia in Potomac Falls, Va.
Herbert’s 9-under-par 63 propelled him to 17 under for the tournament at Trump National DC. Spain’s Sergio Garcia (67), at 11 under, is the only competitor within nine shots of Herbert, while Englishman Richard Bland carded the day’s second-best round, a 66, to sit third at 7 under.
Herbert recorded nine birdies and nine pars in a flawless round, sinking six birdies in a seven-hole stretch from holes 6 through 12, then closing with back-to-back birdies.
“It was one of those days—probably 36 holes, two of those days—where things seemed to come easily in some ways,” Herbert said. “Honestly, I tried to enjoy it out there because I could see it happening in the moment and just step back and appreciate it, realizing this is pretty unusual. You never know how many times as a golfer you’ll get to experience that feeling.”
The 30-year-old Herbert has won on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Asian Tour, but is still chasing his first LIV Golf title in his third season with the league.
Herbert spent Thursday night with his wife and her family, deliberately not focusing on his first-round lead. “It was good to get away from the fact that I had a two-shot lead and think about something else for a while,” he said. “I think we might do something similar again the way things worked out overnight.”
Herbert’s stellar score helped the all-Australian Ripper GC build a six-shot lead over Crushers GC and Cleeks GC in the team standings. Ripper (featuring Marc Leishman, Elvis Smylie, and captain Cameron Smith) is at 21 under.
Garcia caught fire at the end of his round, birdieing Nos. 14, 16, 17, and 18, including a 19-foot birdie putt and a 14-footer at the par-3 14th and 16th holes.
“I felt that if I could shoot 3 under, it would be a really nice round,” Garcia said. “I managed to shoot 5, and I’m still far from the lead. It was a good day. Obviously tricky with the wind and the greens getting firmer, but I’m very happy with how I handled it.”
Bland, 53, is also seeking his first LIV victory, like Herbert. He started with three birdies in his first five holes (Nos. 8-12), then added birdies at Nos. 2, 5, and 7 while staying bogey-free.
Bland said he is winding down his playing career and is content. “I kind of figured next year would probably be my last year playing full-time, as I do now. Going forward, it’s pretty scattered, but I’ll play where I want… So, yes, semi-retirement is getting much closer—and that’s fine. I’ve had one hell of a ride, and it was the best decision I ever made.”
Bryson DeChambeau and Spanish star Jon Rahm each shot 70 on Friday and are part of a tie for seventh at 5 under, as they prepare for next week’s PGA Championship.
