LIV Golf live: second round score and latest updates from Centurion Club London

04:58 PM

DJ has a great chance for another birdie at 17

The American has fired his tee shot to within four feet of the pin. If he holes that putt he’ll move to sole second on three-under.

04:42 PM

DJ making a move

His second round started badly, falling back to one-over, but he’s on a roll now. He’s at two-under and in a tie for fourth, four shots back of Schwartzel.

04:35 PM

The commentators

Are doing their best to promote the ‘apres golf’. Apparently Craig David is playing tonight, and the commentators are describing the event/stage as ‘just like Glastonbury’. Pretty sure it’s not and I would put a lot of money on there being minimal crossover with the crowds at the Somerset festival and a golf tournament in Hertfordshire – just a hunch…

04:29 PM

Only eight golfers are under par

Charl Schwartzel still leads, though the lead is back to two – he’s fallen back to six-under and fellow South African Hennie du Plessis is up to four-under.

This is how the 2011 Masters champion got to seven-under earlier.

04:08 PM

Story continues

Birdie-birdie start to the back nine for…

…none other than Charl Schwartzel. He’s moved to seven-under and is now sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard with a four-shot lead.

04:02 PM

Eight holes to play and…

…Charl Schwartzel is back to six-under and enjoys a lead of three. With the three par-fives to come this tournament is looking very good for the 2011 Masters champion.

04:01 PM

Ian Poulter is having the round of the day so far

Having started the round at five-over the Englishman is now on one-over, four-under for the day.

03:43 PM

Nine holes to go

And Schwartzel is about to play the easier nine – with three par fives – so he could be well in control in two hours or so.

03:40 PM

Schwartzel drops a shot

He bogeys to fall back to five-under and the South African’s lead is back to two.

03:35 PM

Mickelson’s visited a lot of the course today

03:27 PM

Sam Horsfield is showing up his big name playing partners

The Englishman, world No.74, is on two-under. Dustin Johnson is at one-over BUT Phil Mickelson is five-over for the round, four-over overall. He hasn’t played for a while and, perhaps, the rust is beginning to show.

03:24 PM

G-Mac

Or Graeme McDowell, to use his full name, has just been on the coverage extolling the merits of LIV Golf. He says golf has been crying out for it for some time and that he’s excited to be part of it, looking forward to the next part of the journey. Am sure the money helps, but make of that what you will…The 2010 US Open champion, though, quickly becoming one of the poster boys for the rebel tour.

03:16 PM

What do you get if you join LIV Golf?

As well as sackfuls of cash, you also get your own welcoming tweet.

03:07 PM

Schwartzel leads by three

He’s on six-under, three ahead of second-placed Hennie du Plessis.

03:05 PM

BREAKING NEWS: Confirmation that Bryson DeChambeau has joined LIV Golf

It was reported by our very own James Corrigan that the big-hitter had joined and it’s been announced that the beefcake will join the rebel tour at the next event in Portland later this month.

02:58 PM

Sam Horsfield

Is, as Scott Vincent did yesterday, performing better than his two illustrious playing partners, DJ and Phil. The Englishman is at level-par, while Dustin Johnson is one-over and Mickelson two-over. They all started at one-under.

02:45 PM

Top dogs as it stands

02:43 PM

Birdie for Westy

At the par-three 17th – he had dropped back to four-over but is back to three-over.

02:41 PM

Just seven golfers

Are under par at the moment. The wind was blowing yesterday and it’s not as strong today, but they’re still finding life at Centurion tough.

02:38 PM

LIV Golf release statement on website problems

Gremlins in the system can be so annoying…

02:36 PM

Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter

Are both on three-over, having both started on five-over. Moving in the right direction.

02:35 PM

Schwartzel is now leading by two

Having dropped a shot early on the 2011 Master winner has since picked up two shots to be on six-under. Hennie du Plessis (the world No.133) is second on four-under.

02:29 PM

Enthusiastic commentators

02:27 PM

More trouble for Phil

At the seventh – he’s playing his third shot, at the par-four seventh, from the rough 100 yards, or so, out.

02:22 PM

Back to one-over for Phil

After that tee shot the American he did well to escape with just one dropped shot. ‘Phil’ (as you have to call him) is two-over for the day.

02:18 PM

Breaking news: Mickelson is using a putter off the green

Think that may be a first…he’ll have a putt for for bogey. He was out of bounds off the tee and all the trouble stems from that.

Meanwhile, Charl Schwartzel is back to sole lead – he’s on five-under.

02:16 PM

The LIV Golf website is still down

So still no access to a leaderboard…bah humbug…

02:06 PM

DJ is two-over for his round

We’ve haven’t seen much of him on the coverage but having started on one-under the two-time major winner is now on one-over.

02:04 PM

South Africans dominate

Hennie du Plessis and Charl Schwartzel lead on four-under and now Branden Grace is in second on two-under.

01:58 PM

The pros and cons of a shotgun start

Pros – all the golfers have the same conditions.

Cons – it’s very hard to follow…the strapline for LIV Golf is ‘don’t blink’, I would like to blink…I don’t envy the TV director trying to fit all the action in…

01:51 PM

Another birdie for Poulter

The Briton needed a good start and it’s two birdies in his opening two holes for the local lad. He’s now back to three-under.

01:48 PM

Hennie du Plessis

Has joined his fellow South African Charl Schwartzel at the top of the leaderboard – the pair of them are on four-under par. They form half of the Stingers team, so as it stands could be well in the money on Saturday evening.

We’ve just seen a Stingers team meeting from earlier and their captain Louis Oosthuizen, who had a day to forget yesterday, said he’s a ‘good fourth round player’ – someone should tell him there are only three rounds in this ‘new era’….

01:43 PM

Ian Poulter picks up a shot

The Briton, who’s from this part of the world, is back to four-over.

01:41 PM

Nearly an eagle from the deep rough

From Ian Snyman.

01:37 PM

Meanwhile…

The LIV Golf website seems to be down…not ideal for the ‘new era’ not least as I want to find out how all the others fared on their opening holes.

01:35 PM

Charl Schwartzel has also dropped a shot

So the overnight leader is back to four-under, still a lead of one.

01:33 PM

Dustin Johnson drops a shot

The American is on the par-four third but was on the green in four and one-putted.

01:24 PM

Good news

There is a leaderboard today – HURRAH!

Yesterday, bar the ‘pylon’ graphic on the TV (which is hard to follow…), we didn’t have access to one. But someone has seen sense and today we can see how everyone is faring – revolutionary!

01:22 PM

This tournament is

…Apparently, according to the commentator, ‘a celebration of the players’ careers and a celebration of a new era in golf’. I thought is was simply a golf tournament with shed loads of cash.

Anyway, the opening tee shots have all be taken and we’re under way. Mickelson is again playing with Dustin Johnson, and the American duo are playing alongside Sam Horsfield – the threeballs decided by how they did in round one.

01:15 PM

The hooter has gone and play is about to begin

Remember it is a shotgun start.

01:15 PM

The coverage of the second day has started

And Arlo White and his new chums, Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet, broached the subject of the PGA Tour bans issued to the the golfers teeing it up in Hertfordshire. As you’d expect they defended the players and basically said it was unfair – no shock there.

01:12 PM

A look at some of the familiar names

While Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson fared well, both finishing on one-under, British pair Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter struggled, both closing their opening rounds on five-over.

Other well-known golfers to end up over par were Martin Kaymer (four-over), Graeme McDowell (four-over), Louis Oosthuizen (two-over). Sergio Garcia (one-over).

12:44 PM

While we’re talking about the Saudis

Here’s Oliver Brown’s take on day one…

READ: Golf’s ‘festival of greed’ is a soulless exercise in avarice

12:40 PM

Yasir Al-Rumayyan is in town

Yasir Al-Rumayyan is, in case you are wondering, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund the financial backers of LIV Golf. It’s from that starting point that all the moral questions directed at those teeing it up at Centurion come from.

12:28 PM

In case you forgot what sport you were watching…

Helpful signage…

12:25 PM

Golf did take place – here’s the leaderboard

Here’s the leaderboard after day one. There are only three rounds – imagine that, getting paid lots more for less work and at the same time having that warm glow in your stomach, knowing you are ‘growing the game’, ahem – so today is very much ‘moving day’.

Only 10 golfers managed sub-par rounds and here they are.

12:17 PM

There were many talking points from Day One

Not least among them is how TV covered it. I say TV, but it wasn’t actually on TV in the UK, instead we watched it on YouTube and were treated to a deluge of ‘propaganda’, the commentators not missing an opportunity to tell us that LIV Golf is ‘good for the player, good for the fans, and good for the game’ at regular intervals. Hyperbole and PR lines weren’t in scarce supply….

Here’s Tom Cary’s take on how the ‘NEW ERA IN GOLF’ (LIV Golf’s description, not mine) was televised.

READ:  Commentary propaganda and confusing graphics undermine LIV Golf debut

11:28 AM

The world No.375 speaks

Graeme McDowell says he wants ‘to keep moral high ground’.

10:54 AM

Another dramatic day off the course

Day one of the new era is over and, as predicted, it was events off the fairways of Centurion Golf Club that dominated proceedings.

As Phil Mickelson and Co hit their opening drives the PGA Tour fired a shot of its own in the form of an email that landed in the rebel golfers’ inboxes before the tee shots had even had a chance to land on the fairway. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan messaged the entire membership to declare that the 17 pros who had teed it up in the breakaway series opener, including Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, were suspended indefinitely.

One of the 17, Ian Poulter, declared he would consider legal action, others shrugged their shoulders. It was an appropriately dramatic end to the first day of a series that has caused controversy from the moment it was first mooted.

Questions concerning loyalty, morals and avarice have all been thrown around and anyone who thought that the actual appearance of some golf would signal an end to the drama and furore was clearly wildly hopeful and mistaken. With new ‘Big Names’ set to join – Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed – and the consequences of the PGA Tour ban, and expected similar action from the DP World Tour, to come the chance that the focus will move to the action on the greens seems to be delusional.

As it happened golf did take place at the Hertfordshire course on Thursday. Charl Schwartzel leading on five-under, with Johnson and Mickelson two of just 10 players under par, both on one-under.

But even when the players walked off the course and into the media centre the focus remained on events outside the ropes – American journalist Alan Shipnuck being ‘muscled’ out of the Mickelson press conference with Greg Norman looking on. Shipnuck has written a biography of ‘Lefty’ which both the six-time major winner and Norman didn’t take too kindly to due to revealing quotes from Mickelson calling LIV Golf’s paymasters – Saudi Arabia – as ‘scary mother——-‘.

Shipnuck has since received an apology but the incident only served to emphasise that it may be sometime before the action on the course dominates events off it.

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