Talor Gooch will take a one-shot lead into the third and final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Boston after the 30-year-old American shot a second round 65 at The International to take his total to 12-under-par.

Gooch, who has been one of the most consistent performers in the series, with top-10 finishes in the previous three events he has competed in – as well as two team wins – sits one shot ahead of LIV Golf debutant Joaquin Niemann, who matched Gooch’s 65. Dustin Johnson moved into solo third after shoot a second round 63.

In the team standings, 4 Aces, whose team includes Gooch and Johnson, is at 22 under and has a three-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson’s Hy Flyers, with Iron Heads another stroke back.

Gooch, who shot a 63 in the opening round, started his second round with a bogey before playing flawless golf for the rest of the way, missing just one fairway and two greens. “Both days have been really good,” Gooch said. “I’ve been able to get off the tee really well, and when I do that, especially out here, you’re going to have opportunities.”

Johnson, whose 63 matched the lowest score of any player in a LIV Golf event to date, said” “I’ve been playing solid every week. Each round I’ve felt like I’m doing the right things. Eventually it’s all going to come together. Today was good at times, but I still made quite a few mistakes. My game is definitely in good shape and I like the direction it’s heading in.”

Niemann also had chances to go lower, but missed several short putts, including two lip outs on consecutive holes.  “I’m playing my best golf,” said the Chilean. “I hit the ball amazing off the tee, and hit it pretty close with the wedges. I’m actually putting ok, but I just can’t quite see the breaks. If I can make a few putts tomorrow, it’s going to be a good round.”

First round leader Matthew Wolff dropped back into a share of fifth following a second round 69, while LIV Golf debutant Anirban Lahiri moved up to fourth thanks to a 65 to go with his earlier 66 to sit on -9. Cameron Smith, the highest ranked player in the field, added a 69 to his first round 64 to share 8th place on  -7 with five other players.

While LIV Golf has broken new ground for professional golf in many areas, it created another first on Saturday when tournament officials allowed players to wear shorts during the second round given the extreme temperatures in Boston. Of the 48 players in the field, 40% took advantage of the new rule and ditched the trousers, including Phil Mickelson, who was one of the driving forces behind the relaxation in the dress code, which will apply to all events going forward.

“This has been a long time coming in the game of golf,” said Mickelson. “I think it just takes a disruptor like LIV to get things done. They’ve been leading in many ways, and I’m very happy that they are leading in this particular area. I hope for the players’ sake the [PGA] Tour follows suit. I think it’s good for golf. It feels good, and it’s more comfortable, especially when we start getting into some hot temperatures.”

Sergio Garcia was another player who took advantage of the relaxed rule. “I’ve been wanting to wear shorts in tournament play for a long while,” the Spanish star said after shooting a 64. “I think it’s just another step forward towards getting more connected with the fans, making the game younger, fresher. I’m glad that we all decided to take this step forward.”

Dustin Johnson was among those who stuck with trousers, although only, it seems, for the sake of continuity. “Pat [Perez} texted me last night and said, ‘Are we wearing shorts?’ and I texted back, ‘No, we’re going to wear pants,’ so I think we all wore pants,” Johnson said. “It was only because I think if we would have started or known before the tournament started, we probably would have worn shorts, but in the middle of the tournament I don’t like switching it up. I’m going to wear pants again tomorrow, too.”

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said: “Coming from Australia, I’ve always felt comfortable wearing shorts to play golf. We did a survey among the players a couple of weeks ago about wearing shorts for tournament rounds and there was a strong positive response to it. The time was right. LIV is the future of golf and we just want to open it up and make sure the players are as comfortable as possible.”

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On his way to grabbing a share of the first-round lead at the LIV Golf Invitational Boston, Matthew Wolff also made history, as he became the first golfer to make a hole-in-one at a LIV Golf event.

Wolff’s ace at the 178-yard second hole was the highlight of his 7-under 63, which made him the co-leader with Talor Gooch on an eventful day at The International’s Oaks Course. Tied for third are LIV Golf newcomers Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann with 64s. Five players – including another newcomer, Anirban Lahiri – share fifth at 66.

“Being the first one to do anything is always special, but I know for a fact I’m not going to be the last,” said Wolff, who was runner-up at the previous LIV Golf event at Bedminster. “There’s going to be people that have aces and stuff. The ace was great. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled … but I’d rather be holding that trophy at the end of the week.”

Thanks to Wolff and a solid 4-under 66 by teammate Bernd Wiesberger, the Hy Flyers GC captained by Phil Mickelson are at 11 under and have a one-shot lead over 4 Aces GC, winner of the last two team trophies by a cumulative 15 strokes.

Gooch, joined by captain Dustin Johnson’s 67 as the official counting rounds for 4 Aces GC – teammate Pat Perez also shot a 67 – knows the team competition has improved with the new additions and that a ‘three-peat’ will not be easy to achieve this week. “I feel like the Aces kind of have a target on our backs right now, which is good,” Gooch said. “It’s three rounds. Pat came in and had a good round today, so hopefully we can kind of get back on top the next couple days.”

Individually, Gooch has finished inside the top 10 in each of the first three events, and kept the momentum going with a round that started with seven birdies in his first 11 holes. He played the final seven holes at even par.

World No. 2 Cameron Smith’s debut as a LIV Golf member included two eagles, a chip-in birdie, a double-bogey, and a miracle par that involved damaging his gap wedge. In the end, his 6-under 64 was a showcase of how a world-class player makes the most on a day in which he wasn’t at his best.

“Yeah, that round kind of had a bit of everything, very up-and-down,” said Smith, the reigning Open champion. “… Probably wasn’t one of my best driving performances there. I was a bit disappointed with how I drove the ball, especially around here. I think I maybe got away with a few that I shouldn’t have. So something to work on tomorrow.”

The positives includes eagles at the par-5 8th and 18th holes when he reached the green in two. He also chipped in for birdie at the sixth hole when his approach shot ricocheted off the flagstick and the ball bounced off the green. That was one of five birdies in his round. And not surprising, he led the field with fewest putts (24). He double-bogeyed the par-4 14th – the hardest hole on the day – after an errant tee shot and a poor third shot that finished behind the green. He bounced back with a birdie at the 15th, but found himself in trouble again at the 16th when his tee ball ended up next to a tree.

His only option was to play the shot left-handed, but that meant a stance on the cart path. So he was given relief, and his drop gave him enough space to hit the ball right-handed. He hit a hooded gap wedge that finished on the green, but in the process bent his clubhead against the tree trunk during his follow-through.

“Yeah, my gap wedge was a little bit worse for wear after that one,” Smith said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do there, but yeah, that was just a cool shot. It’s one of those ones that you think you’re going to play, and a bit more often than not, it’s not going to turn out very well. And that one turned out pretty good.”

Another story to come out of the first round was the late withdrawal of previous event winner Henrik Stenson, whose suffered a reoccurrence of the vertigo he has suffered for many years and was unable to compete. His place in the field was taken by reserve LIV golfer Shergo Al Kurdi, the 18-year-old English-born Jordanian who played for Surrey in his amateur days. Sponsored by Golf Saudi since February, he turned pro at the end of last year.

Kurdi has been on reserve for the first three LIV events, but Stenson’s WD was the first one of the Series. With just 45 minutes notice to get mentally prepared, he also took Stenson’s spot in a threesome that included Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson, and he took the honour off the first tee, striping his drive in front of the largest gallery on the course.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking, but it was just a great experience,” Kurdi said. “I didn’t think anyone would pull out, but Henrik wasn’t feeling great on the range. It’s not a nice way to get into the tournament, but it is what it is.”

Despite the pressure, Kurdi  carried himself well. After a rollercoaster opening nine – three birdies, two bogeys and a double – he settled down and finished with a 1-over 71 and a tie for 37th.

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