First-round co-leader Abraham Ancer birdied five of his final eight holes Saturday for an 8-under 62 and a 5-stroke lead after two rounds of the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in Hong Kong.
Ancer, seeking his first individual LIV Golf win, had a two-round total of 15-under 125 on the Hong Kong Golf Club course. He had zero bogeys over his first two rounds.
His best finish on the circuit came last season when he tied for third at LIV Golf Bedminster.
“I’m not going to be thinking about leading the tournament,” Ancer said. “I’m just going to go out there and stay in the present, go about my routine and just keep doing the same thing. Try to focus on the shot that I’ve got in front of me.”
Harold Varner III and Eugenio Chacarra, who shot second-round 66s, were tied for second.
“The most important thing is not worry about Abe,” said Varner, who is seeking his second LIV Golf win. “That’s how you lose. I think I’ve played enough golf to know that the best thing is to just give myself as many looks as possible and try to just stay within myself.”
Joaquin Niemann, who won the Jeddah tournament in Saudi Arabia last week for his second LIV victory in three starts, had a 68 and was 10 strokes behind Ancer.
In team play, captain Sergio Garcia‘s Fireballs GC, aided by strong rounds from Ancer and Chacarra, stands at 28-under, three shots ahead of Cameron Smith‘s Rippers GC and six up on captain Martin Kaymer‘s Cleeks GC.
The Hong Kong tournament is the second of three LIV Golf events that are part of the Asian swing, with the third in early May in Singapore. The week before Singapore, the LIV series will be in the Pacific region at The Grange in Adelaide, Australia, from April 26-28.
Next up after Hong Kong on the LIV tour will be in Miami from April 5-7.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.