Bendigo golfer Lucas Herbert had an inconsistent opening day to his first LIV Adelaide tournament.
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Herbert shot a one-over par 73 in the first round - 10 shots behind leader Jinichiro Kozuma from Japan.
For much of the day Herbert was in last place in the 54-man LIV Golf field, but two late birdies saved his round and he finished in a tie for 45th.
While Herbert appears out of contention for the individual title, he will play a key role in Ripper GC's bid for the team title.
Herbert's Ripper GC team-mates made a great start to the tournament.
Matt Jones shot a six-under par 66, Marc Leishman a five-under par 67 and Cam Smith a four-under par 68 to lift Ripper GC to 15-under par and equal fifth place overall - five shots behind the leaders Torque.
Herbert's opening round started strongly when he birdied his first hole - the par-five 10th hole.
However, his first trip to the watering hole - the par-three 12th hole was one he'd rather forget.
Herbert's aggressive tee shot found the bunker just left of the hole. He had little chance of getting close to the pin with his second shot and to rub salt into his wounds he three-putted for a double-bogey five.
Back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes saw Herbert slide to three-over par and 54th place.
A birdie on the par-fourth 18th hole was cancelled out by a bogey on the fifth hole.
Herbert needed a strong finish and he got it thanks to a fine birdie on the short par-three sixth hole and another birdie on the par-five seventh.
Other notable scores on day one included Jon Rahm (67), Joaquin Niemann (67), Bryson DeChambeau (68) and Phil Mickelson (69).
The 54-hole event at The Grange continues on Saturday and Sunday.