The key to advancing beyond Thursday's opening round of LIV Golf Promotions was simple: break par. All 29 players who shot better than even-par 70 at Black Diamond Ranch moved on to Friday's second round, where they'll be joined by 18 exempt players in another 18-hole shootout to determine the weekend field competing for three spots in the 2026 LIV Golf League.

Canada's Richard T. Lee led the first-round field of 60 players with a bogey-free 6-under 64, two shots better than his nearest competitors, thanks to a stretch of four birdies in his final six holes.

Scores Reset for Round 2

"It's the first round, and finishing first is always a great feeling," said the 35-year-old Lee. "But the scores are going to reset tomorrow for the second round, and hopefully I can put up another good score out there."

Of the 47 players competing Friday at the Lecanto, Florida course, the top 20 and ties will advance to the two-day weekend shootout. The top three players after those 36 final holes will earn wild-card spots for the upcoming LIV Golf season.

At last season's LIV Golf Promotions tournament, Lee was exempt into the second round, then advanced into the weekend. If he earns one of the three spots, he would be the league's first Canadian player.

"Definitely for everyone out there that's striving to get the three cards, I think it's going to be a life-changer to be out there on LIV Golf and performing at the highest level," Lee said.

Young Talent and Returning Competitors

Among those advancing comfortably behind Lee with 4-under 66s were youngsters Max Kennedy of Ireland and Pablo Ereno of Spain, Korea's Hongtaek Kim, and Thailand's Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Ereno turned pro last June and is the youngest player in the field, turning 22 on December 30. He's hoping to follow the same path as current LIV Golf players Josele Ballester, David Puig, and Luis Masaveu, the three young Spaniards who will be teammates on Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC team this season.

"I'm super close, especially with Josele and Luis Masaveu," said Ereno, who played collegiately at UCLA. "I've only heard good things about it, so that's why I'm here trying to earn my spot for next year. They're really happy playing on LIV, and I think I would be, too, in case I play great this week."

Kennedy was still an amateur in 2023 when he participated in the inaugural LIV Golf Promotions tournament and advanced from the first round. "Definitely a lot more comfortable," Kennedy said. "Back then, it was kind of new to me, so I was a little bit more nervous, didn't know what to expect."

Players with Previous LIV Golf Experience

Prateeptienchai is one of two players at Black Diamond Ranch who previously advanced to the final 36-hole shootout in each of the previous two Promotions tournaments. The other, Kieran Vincent, earned a LIV Golf spot in 2023, and Prateeptienchai is hoping for a similar result this week. He previously finished T11 in 2023 and T8 last season.

Provided he advances again after Friday's second round, he's pleased not having to play 36 holes in a single final day, as in previous Promotions tournaments. This year, the final two rounds consist of 18 holes on Saturday and 18 more on Sunday.

"Just really tired because it's playing 36 holes in a day," Prateeptienchai said. "This year, it's 18 and 18. More happy."

Kaewkanjana is one of 12 players this week with previous LIV Golf experience. He played in all eight tournaments during the inaugural 2022 season and has been working hard to earn another chance. "I try to get into LIV Golf this year," he said, "so that it gets me a great experience to play with the greatest players in the world."

Chase Koepka Working His Way Back

Chase Koepka, a full-time LIV Golf player in the first two seasons with Smash GC, is trying to work his way back into the league after an injury-plagued two years. He was 3 under in his first seven holes, then bounced back from a couple of bogeys in the middle of his round to finish with a 3-under 67 to advance.

Koepka will play with Round 1 medalist Richard T. Lee and England's Charlie Forster in the first group off the No. 1 tee in Friday's second round. Forster, a one-time LIV Golf volunteer marshal at the 2023 London tournament, also shot 67.

The Cut Line

Eleven players made the top-20-and-ties cut on the number at 1-under 69, including Australia's Cory Crawford, who birdied the difficult par-4 18th to secure his spot. England's Joe Pagdin, playing in the final group that started off the 10th tee, bogeyed his next-to-last hole but bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 ninth to also advance.

The 29 players who advanced into the second round ties for the most in Promotions history. A total of 29 players also advanced after the first round in the inaugural 2023 Promotions, while 21 players advanced in 2024. The 29 players represent an impressive 18 different countries, with Thailand leading with five players advancing, while Australia and the USA each had three players moving on.

What's Next

Round 2 begins at 8:55 a.m. ET off two tees, with the final groups teeing off at 10:12 a.m. In the U.S., FOX Sports channels will broadcast the final three rounds, with Round 2 airing on FS2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. The live stream will also be available on LIVGolf.com and the LIV Golf app.

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