SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – The RangeGoats Golf Club is exactly where it wants to be following Round 1 at LIV Golf Chicago: within striking distance and with a full weekend of golf ahead.
Entering the week fifth in the team standings and still alive for one of the top four seeds that will receive first-round byes, the RangeGoats GC combined for a 9-under team total on Friday. That’s good enough for eighth place after the first day, just four shots off the lead.
It was a true team effort at Rich Harvest Farms as all four players shot under par in tough conditions. Thomas Pieters was flawless and had a bogey-free 4-under 67, good enough for a tie for sixth on the individual leaderboard. Teammate Talor Gooch, who has three wins this season, had four birdies and a bogey for a 3-under 68 to continue his incredible run in 2023.
The final counting score came from captain Bubba Watson, who has found another gear and was trending in the right direction entering the week. Watson shot 2-under 69 and had only one bogey, signaling a potential scary-good finish to the season with only two events remaining after this week.
Harold Varner III’s score was good enough to count most weeks. His 1-under 70 included five birdies, but his teammates were just a tad bit better on Friday and didn’t need to count the score.
It was just another example of the players’ consistency resulting in positive results. The RangeGoats GC has six top-five finishes in its last seven events, including winning the team trophy at LIV Golf Singapore in late April.