G-Mac in the hunt at LIV Hong Kong as he makes spectacular hole-in-one in sensational 63
Graeme McDowell of Smash GC hits his shot on the third hole during the second round of HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling on Friday, March 06, 2026 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf)
Graeme McDowell believes he has the game to end his six-year victory drought after making a hole-in-one in a sensational seven-under 63 to move into contention at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
The Portrush native (46) holed out with a seven iron at the 192-yard fifth, his 16th hole, for what he reckons was his sixth ace in official competition.
“I think that's about 15,” he said of his career hole-in-one tally. “They're all kind of becoming a bit of a blur over the years. It's been about 30 years of them.
“They're all fun. They're all special. Nice to do it with a card in your pocket in a tournament. I think that's probably half a dozen, maybe, in tournament play.”
At just 6,711 yards, Fanling is a track where McDowell feels he can compete with the bigger hitters.
“It's a golf course I feel comfortable on,” he said. “Probably been here 15 times over the years. I love coming back here.
“Nice to put myself there or thereabouts heading into the weekend, and hopefully we can have some fun.”
The 2010 US Open champion goes into the final 36 holes tied for eighth on 10-under, just four shots behind leaders Dean Burmester and Carlos Ortiz.
His most recent win came at the DP World Tour’s Saudi International in February 2020, and while he has yet to win since moving to LIV Golf, he reckons some improved putting this season can help him get over the line.
“I had a bad putting season last year, and it wasn't lost on me,” he said. “I feel like I've gone back to some feel.
“In the off-season, I looked at some of the technical stuff around my stroke, decided I didn't like the technical stuff, and I tried to just get back to being a bit more of a feel putter.
“Did some work on my green reading, and I feel the confidence starting to come back.
“It's been one of the strengths of my game. Throughout the good years of my career I putted well. I'm the type of player, I don't hit it 350, unfortunately, so I have to be great with my wedges and be great with the putter.”
He didn’t need his putter at the fifth after ignoring caddie Ken Comboy and taking dead aim at the pin.
“Seven-iron, pretty much a straight ball,” he said. “It was 182-ish, I think it was, a little helping wind. It was just a pretty stocky seven. Blind squirrel.
ACE @Graeme_McDowell IN HONG KONG 😤☝️ pic.twitter.com/VBpLRxJKB5
— Smash GC (@SmashGC) March 6, 2026
“My caddie was trying to steer me a little left of the flag, and I said to him, I think we’ve enough club in our hands to kind of go after it a little bit.
“I didn't really listen to him. I think Wade Ormsby was in the group, and he kind of early-called it. It looked pretty nice in the air. Obviously, it's always a bonus when they go in.”
He was playing alongside veteran Lee Westwood (52) and Australian Ormsby (45) and fed off the rhythm of the Englishman, who birdied five of his first six holes in a 64.
“Yeah, we were counting it up; we think we were probably the oldest threesome on the course by easily 20 years,” McDowell joked.
“Westwood got off to a really hot start, birdied 8, 9, 10, 11, and like I say, just tried to get in his slipstream a little bit and go with him.”
McDowell was four under for the day when he reached the front nine and got to six under before following his ace at the fifth with a bogey at the next hole.
“No, listen, good round of golf,” he said. “This is one of those events on the schedule that I look at, and I feel like this is a course where I can compete.
“The great thing is it's 72 holes. We've got a lot of golf to play.”
Burmester shot 64 and Ortiz followed his first round 60 with a 66 to leave them tied for the lead on 14 under, one stroke ahead of Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who shot 63, and two clear of Jon Rahm, who fired a sensational 62.
Tom McKibbin, who won the Hong Kong Open last year, was joint 17th on seven under after a bogey-free 65 in the battle for the $4 million winner’s cheque.
In the team standings, McDowell and his Smash GC teammates Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak and Harold Varner III lead by five shots on 35-under from Ortiz’s Torque GC and by nine from the Southern Guards and Rahm’s Legion XIII.
