Le Pays De France - Smith trails Wolff by one in LIV Golf debut

Americans Matthew Wolff and Talor Gooch topped the leaderboard at The International Golf Club outside Boston on seven-under par 63.

Gooch had eight birdies while Wolff seized his share of the lead with the help of two eagles -- one of them the first hole-in-one in the history of the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit that has thrown the sport into turmoil.

Smith shared third on 64 with another LIV Golf newcomer, Chile's Joaquin Niemann.

The fourth event of the inaugural season drew a small group of demonstrators decrying LIV Golf as an attempt to "sportswash" Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

But plenty of fans turned out eager to see the new product that has provoked the wrath of the US PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, with the US tour suspending any member player who appears on the circuit, which offers $25 million purses in a 54-hole format and has reportedly offered top stars tens of millions in signing bonuses.

Smith, the 29-year-old Australian who captured the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July, made the jump just this week and got right to business.

With three birdies in his first six holes and an eagle at the eighth, Smith had a share of the lead but found himself three adrift after a double-bogey at the par-four 14th.

Smith rebounded with a birdie at 15 and an unlikely par save at 16 -- where his tee shot nestled at the base of a tree.

He got relief from a stance on a cart path but still damaged his gap wedge when it hit the tree on the shot. Nevertheless, he avoided dropping a stroke, and Smith was right back in the thick of it after rolling in a long eagle putt at 18.

"It was fun out there today," Smith said. "The round today was all right. Started off pretty strong and didn't hit the driver the way I wanted to those last six or eight holes. So something to work on for tomorrow."

Wolff made his hole-in-one at the 178-yard second hole, his fifth of the day under the shotgun start format, the ball taking one hop and rolling into the cup. He also eagled the par-five 12th.

- Ranking point pressure -

Smith acknowledged this week that money was a factor in his decision to make the move to LIV, which will cost him a spot on the International team for September's Presidents Cup.

Once in the fold, he promptly began lobbying for world ranking points to be awarded for the three-round LIV Golf events, which feature fields of 48.

Phil Mickelson, the six-time major champion who has backed the rebel circuit from the start, said in an interview with Sports Illustrated published Friday that he expects world ranking points eventually to be awarded for LIV Golf events, and for LIV Golf players to be welcomed at the game's major championships.

"Given how many great players are a part of LIV, for LIV events to not have world ranking points would totally undermine the world ranking system and would force a new world ranking system to come about that was credible," Mickelson said.

(A.Renaud--LPdF)