The Chilean made three birdies in a row which pushed him up the rankings. Mito Pereira was the worst of the day with a score of six over par.
Mayakoba was left behind and that dream weekend where Joaquín Niemann had a 59-shot round and his first LIV title. Less than a week after this feat, the Chilean returned to the Saudi league ring and had to play his best golf to continue to have a chance after the first 18 holes.
On a day without low cards, he had serious difficulty climbing positions throughout the round, finding only a window at flag 13. He shook off his doubts and made three consecutive birdies that have moved up to 16th place in the general ranking, five shots behind. momentary leaders, the Englishman Paul Casey and the American Harold Varner III, who add -7.
His card remains with a balance of two under par, with three birdies and five cuts, four of them on holes with a par four requirement. Figures that show a day where he did not find consistency and where he had to continue fighting until the last shot.
The -2 he signed this Thursday puts him tied in the general ranking with some of the most powerful names on the Arab circuit. Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Abraham Ancer also repeated the Chilean’s result.
For Mito Pereira, the sensations were completely opposite. The Pirque native had a very complex day in Nevada, finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard with a total of six strokes compared to the course requirements. The nightmare began suddenly, since during his first two flags of the day, he made consecutive double bogeys. He only managed to score on two par three holes and the last flag of the day. Second to last in the event is currently Brendan Steele, who has a +3.
Everything will continue this Friday with the second round of the event. Unlike usual, the tournament will end on Saturday, since on Sunday the media attention in the United States will be focused 100% on the Superbowl which also takes place in Las Vegas.
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Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
