RIYADH: The 2026 LIV Golf season teed off under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club on Wednesday night, as stars including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson got the league’s fifth season underway.

Thomas Detry and Peter Uihlein topped the individual leaderboard after 18 holes, with both carding 7-under-par 65s.

Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC led the team standings at 15 under. Sebastian Munoz led the way for the team with a 5-under round of 67, though he was unable to match his opening-round performance from last year when he shot 8 under.

“The start of the season is a bit like that first day of school when you were a little kid,” LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told Arab News.

“It was wonderful to be out on the course and on the range, seeing the players. A lot of us haven’t seen each other for quite some time, so it was like the first day of school meets a family reunion.”

O’Neil also highlighted the significance of starting the season in Riyadh.

“Riyadh is our showcase event and I couldn’t imagine a more fitting place to open,” he said. “There’s something special about LIV at night; it’s something you can’t really describe, you actually have to come and see it.”

LIV Golf has experienced significant growth since its debut in 2022, and despite preseason concerns after Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed confirmed they would not be returning for the 2026 campaign, O’Neil said the league’s broader mission remains unchanged.

“We’re so mission-driven,” he explained. “I believe if you stick to your values, good things happen. All these incredible stars — DeChambeau, Rahm, (Phil) Mickelson, Cam Smith, DJ (Johnson) — they wake up every day thinking, ‘How can I grow the game of golf overall?’”

That influence is also helping to shape and guide LIV’s younger players.

“We’re excited to see all these generations coming together and growing the game,” O’Neil said.

He highlighted 21-year-old Michael La Sasso, the league’s youngest player, as an example of this.

“Think about it from his parents’ perspective,” O’Neil said. “Is this a good place for him? To be mentored by Phil Mickelson? To learn how to practice, how to travel, how to eat, sleep and take care of your body? How to get through jet lag?”

Travel remains a defining feature of LIV’s global model.

“This notion of playing on five continents is something I couldn’t imagine years ago,” O’Neil added.

Heading into Wednesday’s opening round of the season, a major talking point was Official World Golf Ranking’s decision to award points to players who finish in the top 10 at LIV events. While LIV officials welcomed the move, they expressed disappointment that the points were limited to only the top 10. Smash GC captain Talor Gooch addressed the issue in his post-round press conference.

“I don’t think the right thing was done, which is what we’ve experienced at LIV for the last four or five seasons,” he said.

“Anyone who says the fair thing was done, I don’t think they’re in tune with reality.”

Despite the debates off the course, Gooch nonetheless praised the atmosphere in Riyadh.

“It’s amazing being here in Saudi Arabia, playing at night,” he said. “Then going to Australia and playing in the day (next week at LIV Golf Adelaide) — it’s pretty special.”

Australian youngster Elvis Smylie, who impressed in his LIV Golf debut with a 6-under 66 that put him in third place on the leaderboard, also had positive thoughts about his first visit to the Kingdom.

“I’ve really enjoyed my first trip to Saudi Arabia,” the 23-year-old said. “Adjusting my body clock was a challenge, but it was great to be here. It was also nice to meet His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan (the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund) out there.”

Round two tees off at 6:05pm local time on Thursday with a shotgun start.