Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson start well in Saudi-backed rebel circuit debut

• Controversial series gets under way at Centurion Golf Club north of London

• Mickelson and Johnson post first-round scores of one-under - two of 10 golfers under par

• Charl Schwartzel leads after 18 holes thanks to score of five-under

• PGA Tour bans Saudi rebels as they tee off at opening LIV Series event

• Commentary propaganda and confusing TV graphics undermine LIV Golf debut

In amongst the politics and off-course drama, a golf tournament broke out at Centurion Club. South African Charl Schwartzel carded a five-under par round of 65 to take an early lead in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational, one shot clear of compatriot Hennie du Plessis and four clear of star attractions Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson who lie in a tie for seventh place.

Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and Du Plessis are part of the "Stingers" team, one of 12 four-man squads selected in Tuesday's draft. Their fast start means they now hold a six-shot lead in the team competition. The winning quartet will share an extra $3m on top of their individual prizes. The total prize pot for each of LIV Golf’s eight invitationals this year is $25 million, of which $5 million will go to teams and $20 million to the individual players.

Mickelson was clearly the star attraction. The six time major champion is returning from a four-month hiatus from the game after making what he described this week as "reckless" comments around Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the PGA Tour's "obnoxious greed".

The 51-year-old American did not look too rusty as he crashed a huge drive down the 1st fairway. He dropped a shot after three-putting the fourth and two more at the ninth but recovered to post three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the 12th. The shotgun start meant all 48 players started and finished at the same time.

Englishmen Ian Poulter and Westwood both ended the first day on five-over par.

LIV Golf Invitational Series event, as it happened:

07:40 PM

Lack of a leaderboard

I was hoping to leave you with a lowdown of how the leaderboard looks after day one. Alas, I cannot find one - LIV Golf's website doesn't even have one. I am not sure 'the new era of golf' was supposed to lack the basic ability to see who's winning, or maybe it was...

07:22 PM

That's it for the day

A 'new era' in golf has begun and as expected the events outside the ropes were more dramatic than what we saw inside them.

As James Corrigan writes:

07:10 PM

Arlo White

Isn't holding back on the hyperbole...

07:06 PM

DJ speaks

07:05 PM

Charl Schwartzel leads after the first round

The South African gradually crept up the leaderboard and sits on top of it on five-under.

06:58 PM

The marquee group have finished

And the two Big Names have been outscored by the unheralded Zimbabwean Scott Vincent.

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson both finished on one-under, while Vincent was a shot better on two-under.

06:45 PM

The promotional guff

On commentary continues with the men on the mics telling us about the music that will follow the round.

"James Morrison and James Bay are two immensely talented musicians."

They may well be but do well need this constant drip, drip, drip promotion on comms rather than simply telling us what's happening on the course?

06:39 PM

One hole to play

Have you noticed the game of golf grow these past 17 holes?

06:37 PM

We have a new leader

And it is 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel. The South African is on five-under, one shot ahead of compatriot Hennie du Plessis and long-time leader Phachara Khongwatmai.

06:33 PM

Let's talk about what this tournament is all about

Yep - cold, hard cash.

Oh, and 'growing the game' (insert rolling eye emoji here...).

In the individual tournament the 54 players will share $20 million, with the winner taking home $4 million and last place $120,000.

In the team event, which hasn't really caught the imagination today (well, mine at least...golfers tend to be solipsists so doubt they'll be thinking too much about their team score, not least because the teams aren't playing together) the winning quartet will share $3 million, second $1.5 million and third $500,000.

06:26 PM

A word on Scott Vincent

The Zimbabwean is playing with Mickelson and Dustin Johnson and he's more than holding his own. He's just made the world's top 100, though no ranking points for this, and he's on one-under, the same score as Phil and two better than DJ.

06:17 PM

'It's for the fans, it's for the players, it's for the good of the game'

The commentators really are trying very hard to sell us the LIV Golf and Greg Norman vision about their rebel series.

It's annoying....

06:10 PM

Mickelson moves to one-under par

Thanks to birdie at the par-five 15th. That's three birdies in his past four holes.

06:05 PM

Here's that Dustin Johnson bunker shot from earlier

06:02 PM

Only six golfers under par now

Three of them are the South African trio of Hennie du Plessis, Branden Grace and Charle Schwartzel who are all on two-under and as I type Du Plessis drops a shot to one-under.

05:58 PM

Four to play

The commentators are trying hard to make what has been a fairly slow, nondescript round into some memorable, great, seminal, bundle of excitement and it's sort of grating. They've just tried to label the final four fours 'The Scoring Zone' - it's not exactly Amen Corner or the Bear Trap is it?

Anyway, there are four holes left to play in Hertfordshire.

05:52 PM

Mickelson has a birdie putt for three in a row

It's at the par-three 14th and it's just shy. He'll stay at level-par.

DJ also pars and he stays at one-over.

05:45 PM

DJ made par on the par-five 13th

So no damage done after the ball was plugged in the bunker.

He stays at one-over.

05:44 PM

It's been tough day for Lee Westwood

Bar the better bank balance - the Englishman is four-over par for his round. Fellow Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter is five-over.

05:37 PM

DJ is plugged in the greenside bunker at the 13th

He was going for the green on the par-five in two but now he has a horrendous shot. He just has to get it out and he succeeds. He'll have a long putt for birdie.

Mickelson was on in two and his eagle putt is short.

05:25 PM

Birdie for Phil

Mickelson rolls in a birdie in on the 12th to move back to one over par. Meanwhile, playing partner DJ has to settle for a bogey and he drops a shot to join his fellow American at one-over for the round.

They have the par-five 13th now to negotiate and try get back to level par.

05:12 PM

The South Africans are doing well

Hennie du Plessis is sole second on three-under, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel are co-third on two-under.

05:08 PM

DJ moved to level par with this putt from off the green

He was over the back in two on the par-four 10th but more than made up with the poor approach with this bit of magic with the putter.

05:07 PM

Nearly an albatross

For Wade Ormsby - a journeyman Australian golfer - he's the captain of Punch, apparently (that's one of the teams in LIV Golf...)

05:02 PM

Ian Poulter is struggling a the moment

But he's made a wonderful approach and should tap that in for birdie.

He's on four-over at the moment - we've not seen much of him or Lee Westwood, most of the coverage seems to be of the DJ and Mickelson group.

04:58 PM

With eight holes to play

Phachara Khongwatmai still leads on four-under. Seven players are under par with all the big names not among them.

04:46 PM

Phil Mickelson is two-over

For his front nine. Only 12 men are under par at the moment.

04:41 PM

That front nine has taken two hours 25 minutes

The commentator has just said this is "fast and furious" - the former definitely isn't true and not sure the later is either...

04:37 PM

Here's what the golfers were given ahead of their press conferences

04:28 PM

We've not seen much of Sergio Garcia

And the captain of the Fireballs is one-over through eight holes, he hits approach to his ninth to eight feet.

04:13 PM

I did say the commentary was enthusiastic

And that's being kind...

04:01 PM

Hennie du Plessis is now joint leader on three-under

I have just Googled the South African so you don't have to - thank me later... - he's played on the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour and has three wins to his name.

03:52 PM

Pretty sure this won't make up for it...

03:51 PM

Dustin Johnson is one-under through six

Having birdied the sixth. But he's hit his tee shot on the seventh, it looks like, out of bounds. Playing partner Mickelson then hits his into the deep rough on the other side of the fairway - there's at least 100 yards between those two balls. DJ is forced to reload, and his provisional finds the fairway.

03:41 PM

Phachara Khongwatmai leads on four-under

Laurie Canter is second on two-under and Scott Vincent, playing in the marquee group with DJ and Phil (as you have to call them...) is outscoring both with a one-under score through five holes.

03:23 PM

We've just been told that...

...the best players in the world are playing in LIV Golf. I'm sure Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler etc, etc, etc, etc, etc would beg to differ...

03:19 PM

DJ pars the fourth

Having shanked it out the rough earlier - I think he's on one-over but cannot be sure as the live stream isn't giving us graphics showing the individuals' scores when on screen - slightly annoying.

As I type Mickelson three putts on the same hole and falls back to one-over, again as the coverage doesn't confirm this.

03:13 PM

Twelve golfers are currently under par

Phachara Khongwatmai leads on three-under.

03:11 PM

Sorry to be a party pooper

But the golf isn't great at the moment - Dustin Johnson is in the deep rough on his fourth hole and he hits a shank (yikes!), Graeme McDowell, likewise, hasn't found the fairway on his hole (not sure which one it is...).

03:04 PM

Mickelson is level-par through three

I know I've just committed a golfing crime by not calling him 'Phil' I shall atone for my error later...

02:57 PM

BREAKING NEWS: PGA Tour bans Saudi rebels as they tee off at opening LIV Series event

From our very own James Corrigan at Centurion, news, that hit the email inboxes of the LIV golfers as they were hitting their opening tee shots, that those playing at Centurion have been banned from the PGA Tour.

READ:  PGA Tour bans Saudi rebels as they tee off at opening LIV Series event

02:49 PM

Mickelson is a bit rusty

Having not played since February and his tee shot on the third goes straight into the fans - not sure there was a loud shout of 'fore!'

02:45 PM

Martina certainly isn't a fan

02:44 PM

With everyone on the course at the same time

It ain't half tough to keep up with what's going on...Apparently, Peter Uihlein is leading on two-under.

One of the tournament's tag lines is 'don't blink' but right now, I wouldn't mind blinking, it's a bit of an overload of golf.

02:41 PM

The coverage so far...

...has been extremely positive of  the 'NEW ERA IN GOLF!'. Everything is the 'first' this and the 'first' that.

02:37 PM

Cheers for Phil (as you have to call him) on his return

02:35 PM

There are crowds

02:33 PM

Pars all round in the marquee group

Of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Scott Vincent.

02:26 PM

'I had that Graeme McDowell in my cab once'...

The players were taken to their various tee boxes by a traditional London Black Cab - not an Uber or Bolt, which is how most Londoners get around if not on public transport...

02:22 PM

Lee Westwood makes the first par in LIV Golf history

It's not exactly a 'where were you moment' but might make for a very tricky pub quiz question in years to come...

02:21 PM

One wish from me

Is that amidst this talk of a new era, new form of golf, I hope that they get round the 18 holes quicker than the usual five or so hours...

02:20 PM

Phil is back

With a booming baby-fade off the first - it's his first shot in tournament golf since February.

The shotgun start does make it very tough to live blog - everyone hitting at the same time. Ian Poulter is off and he's found the right rough on the 17th.

02:18 PM

They're under way!

They are all under way as it's a shotgun start but on the Live Stream we see Dustin Johnson - the multi-millionaire who 'just wants to provide for his family' take a three-wood and find the leftside of the first fairway.

02:08 PM

The boss speaks...

That's Greg Norman not Bruce Springsteen...

01:56 PM

Rory's let his feelings be known

The four-time major winner, who's playing at the RBC Canadian Open this week, said of LIV Golf:

01:50 PM

Nothing says Brash, New, Modern golf than...

...a brass band of Beefeaters...

01:43 PM

Here's some footage of the toe-curling press conference

That took place yesterday with Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood trying to avoid the questions.

01:35 PM

Golf but louder?

While we wait an see how many golf fans will appear at the Hertfordshire club, tickets sales have apparently been poor, there's a good chance we won't hear a murmur from those souls who do venture to the rebel event. That's because of the "completely over the top” rules imposed on the galleries.

Those rules state:

A security specialist told Telegraph sport that...

So this tag line will, it appears, have to remain entirely figurative...

READ:  Heavy-handed Saudis criticised for 'draconian' rules imposed on LIV Golf Series

01:24 PM

Is it the DP World Tour...

...or the European Tour? Well, it is now the DP World Tour having been known as the European Tour for decades. And that is an example of the moral minefield that is modern-day sport. It's not hard to see why the Europ...sorry, DP World Tour is annoyed at the rebel tour but in changing it's name the European Tour has been accused of helping a form of sportswashing of its own - DP World being a huge company from the UAE, another country accused of having a less than exemplary human-rights record.

01:18 PM

So how does this tournament differ from...

...events on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour?

• The first seven regular season events will consist of three 54-hole events, with no cut and shotgun starts, while the final event will be a four-day team matchplay knockout.

• LIV then plans 10 events in 2023 followed by "a full season" of 14 tournaments in 2024 and 2025.

• Centurion, like the other seven events in 2022, is being classed by chief executive Greg Norman as "baiter tournaments", aiming to lure big names who have so far resisted the circuit's overtures.

Read more on the breakway here.

01:16 PM

Not the best start from Graeme McDowell

The man with, in his words, a mid-Atlantic accent and the 2010 US Open title has tweeted out an appropriate excitable post but alas has tweeted it to a teenage girl rather than the tournament organisers LIV Golf...

01:07 PM

'The future is here'

Again Gregory (Norman) and LIV are, as you'd expect, going big on the 'This Is New', Pow, 'Evolution', Bang aspects of their pet project. The promo video below rams that home with the lack of subtlety you expect from a Bryson DeChambeau drive. Another line from the promo is that taking part in the series will be 'faces, famous and fresh'...it's fair that there are far more 'fresh' faces than famous ones teeing it up at Centurion today.

12:50 PM

A new era in golf is here?

And so the new era in golf has arrived - at least that's what LIV, Greg Norman, and those golfers teeing it up at the Centurion Club would want us to believe.

The strap line on the LIV Golf website says it 'exists to supercharge the game of golf.' With a team format, a shotgun start and no cut it's clear this is a tournament and series with a difference. But until we see what actually unfolds in Hertfordshire and beyond it's also clear that, for now at least, the only thing it's supercharging is the bank accounts of those golfers who've seen an extra nought and jumped ship from the PGA and DP World Tours.

The events of the past few months have been mired in controversy. From Phil Mickelson describing the Saudis (who are bankrolling the breakaway) as 'scary mother--------' yet on Wednesday saying he was 'so happy' to pledge his future to LIV Golf, to Greg Norman seemingly willing to to air his views on everything no matter who he offends (he called Jack Nicklaus a 'hypocrite'), the run up to today's tee time has been nothing if not controversial and colourful.

But as the intervention of Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee illustrates, the controversy is about more than just rich players wanting to become even richer and a perceived lack of loyalty to their respective tours. The fiancee of the butchered journalist called on the rebel players to be banned from majors and the Ryder Cup for 'supporting murderers'. Hatice Cengiz went to to call the likes of Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood “stooges” of a regime that has committed multiple human rights violations.

After months of behind-the-scenes deals, weighing up of options and accusations being thrown around the golf is actually about to start but, as with the run up to the tournament, you get the sense that what happens beyond the ropes will still dominate the news rather than what happens inside them.