South Africa "We Are a LIV Golf Power"... Grace Fires 7-Under Par Surge

Bangkok Tournament 1R: 'Portland Champ' Grace and Bland, Chakara Tied for Lead
Leishman and Poulter Tied 4th, Kepka Tied 6th, 'Boston Champ' Johnson Tied 21st

Brandon Grace

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] South Africa is showing strong dominance in the LIV Golf Invitational Series sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital.

Brandon Grace (South Africa) fired a 7-under-par 65 on the first day of the Bangkok tournament (total prize money $25 million) held on the 7th (local time) at Stonehill Golf Course (par 72, 7,815 yards) near Pathum Thani, Bangkok, taking the top spot on the leaderboard. The '49-year-old veteran' Richard Bland (England) and the '22-year-old young gun' Eugenio Chacarra (Spain) also joined the co-leader group.

Grace boasted flawless play with 7 birdies and no bogeys. This puts him in a favorable position to claim his second victory, following his win at the Portland tournament last July. South Africa's Charl Schwartzel was crowned the inaugural champion at the London tournament, the opening event, in June.

Bland also swept up 7 birdies, joining the race for the championship. Bland started on the Challenge Tour (second-tier) in 1998 and advanced to the European Tour in 2002. He made headlines last May by winning the British Masters after 23 years and 478 events. His current world ranking is 80th.

Mark Leishman (Australia) and Ian Poulter (England) are tied for 4th place (6-under-par 66), while Brooks Koepka, Kevin Na, Kim Si-hwan, and Harold Varner III (all USA) are tied for 6th place (5-under-par 67) in pursuit. 'Boston Champion' Dustin Johnson (USA) is tied for 21st (2-under-par 70), 'Bedminster Champion' Henrik Stenson (Sweden) is tied for 32nd (1-under-par 71), and 'Chicago Champion' Cameron Smith (Australia) is tied for 41st (even par 72).