LIV Miami: Patrick Reed leads way as LIV players tune up for Masters

It was a day of difficult scoring at Trump National Doral, with a strong wind making the course a “beast” according to Reed, who won a World Golf Championships event at Doral in 2014.

“I know how hard this place can get,” added the 34-year-old who is the solo leader at a LIV event after any round for the first time in 37 starts.

“When the wind blows here, it’s nerve-wracking. There’s a reason why it’s called the Blue Monster.”

Mickelson, who won the last of his three Green Jackets in 2010, called Reed’s round “exceptional” given the conditions.

The average score was two and a half shots over par, while 19 of the 54 players shot rounds of 76 or higher.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, who has won two of the LIV’s season’s opening four events and is expected to do well at Augusta next week, opened with a six-over-par 78.

England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who will also head to Georgia after the 54-hole LIV event finishes on Sunday, also took 78 shots. Hatton plays in the same Legion XIII team as 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm, who shot a 73.