The tournament is the first major to be played since the warring factions called a truce and features PGA Tour loyalists being paired together with some of the Saudi-backed circuit’s highest-profile figures.
Rory McIlroy, one of the most vocal critics of LIV, was teeing off against LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka, who picked up his third PGA Championship title last month, as the championship teed off on Thursday.
And defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick was going head-to-head with Australia’s reigning British Open winner Cameron Smith, one of the breakaway tour’s biggest recruits.
Omar Morales, who attends college just up the way at UCLA, was the first to make a big impact, grabbing an early share of the lead.
The 20-year-old sophomore went around the front nine in three under par 32.
Morales, who went through local qualifying to make the 156-man field, estimates he’s played the course about two dozen times in his two years at UCLA.
He had the first tee time of the day, along with another local qualifier, Jacob Solomon, who got to three under after 10 holes to share the lead with Morales.
Elsewhere, Xander Schauffele opened his day with a 40-foot birdie putt and was two under through three holes.