A spirited showing from Victorian Lucas Herbert was the highlight for defending team champions Ripper GC as Englishman Sam Horsfield claimed the outright lead on day one of LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club.

Part of a four-way tie late in Round 1, Horsfield of Majesticks GC separated himself from the pack with a late bogey at the par-5 13th in a bogey-free 6-under 66.

The Australian Open champion in Sydney two years ago, Chilean Joaquin Niemann shares second with fellow Torque GC teammate Carlos Ortiz at 5-under par with another Australian Open winner from South America, Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, tied for third with major champions Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau at 4-under 68.

"The Australian crowd is really good. They kind of like me a little bit, I think, and you can feel the energy," said Niemann.

"There's a few guys following around, really energised, enjoying my shots, enjoying when I was making a putt.

"That gets me going."

At 1-under par, Herbert is the best of the Ripper GC quartet who find themselves 11 shots back and in a tie for ninth in the team competition.

Fast becoming the talismanic figure within the Ripper GC team, Herbert gave the Adelaide golf fans something to cheer with birdies at the 222-metre par-3 third and the par-4 fifth, where he holed his bunker shot after coming up short with his approach.

A double-bogey at the par-5 seventh sent Herbert back to even par on his round before the 29-year-old responded with birdies at eight and 10.

A dropped shot at 12 was countered by a birdie at 13 before a bogey on his penultimate hole saw Herbert drop to 1-under on his round.

It was a day of frustration for Herbert’s Ripper GC teammates with Cameron Smith making birdie at the last to shoot even-par 72, Marc Leishman one stroke further back with 1-over 73 and Matt Jones tied for 48th at 3-over 75.

The only other Australian in the field, Iron Heads GC substitute and Adelaide local Wade Ormsby, shot 7-over 79.

Struggling to find the fairways on Friday, Smith conjured one of the shots of the day on his way to an unlikely birdie at the par-4 11th.

Out in the trees alongside the corporate hospitality, Smith hooked a punch shot through the trees that found its way to the putting surface, the 2022 Open champion somewhat dumbfounded when the putt dropped for birdie.

Smith hit just four of 14 fairways in his round, fighting gallantly to get back to square by day’s end.

The highlight of Round 1 came inside the first 20 minutes when 4Aces GC’s Patrick Reed made a hole-in-one at ‘The Watering Hole’, the par-3 12th.

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN Individual 1 Sam Horsfield (Majesticks GC) 66 T2 Carlos Ortiz (Torque GC) 67 T2 Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC) 67 T4 Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC) 68 T4 Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC) 68 T4 Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC) 68

Australians T20 Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC) 71 T28 Cameron Smith (Ripper GC) 72 T37 Marc Leishman (Ripper GC) 73 T48 Matt Jones (Ripper GC) 75 54 Wade Ormsby (Iron Heads GC) 79

Team 1 Torque GC -8 T2 Legion XIII -6 T2 Fireballs GC -6 T2 4Aces GC -6 T9 Ripper GC +3