Vilips' 62 in Mexico and Garcia's LIV exit lead Thursday's golf day

Karl Vilips shot a 9-under 62 on Thursday to lead the VidantaWorld Mexico Open by one, and Sergio Garcia said he is leaving LIV Golf for the DP World Tour. Overnight, Miyu Yamashita moved two clear at the Maybank Championship, and LIV's future comes down to a deadline today.

Platforms

No new sim software releases or platform updates came through our sources in the last 24 hours.

Build & Gear

SpinPoint Golf's Delta, a four-camera launch monitor from a small New Zealand team, is set to sell for $499. In Joe Lagowski's first-look video, it reads ball data only through your PC, and spin needs SpinPoint's own balls. Accuracy testing is still to come (story).

Courses & Play

National Links Trust signed a 50-year lease to run and rehabilitate Langston and Rock Creek in Washington and will stop operating East Potomac by Nov. 15 (story).

Creators

Episode 2 of the Internet Invitational dropped Thursday evening, and the event account and Barstool's creators spent the night posting clips of missed tee times and a hole Barstool called maybe the worst ever played.

Swing Lab

Eric Cogorno took over GolfPass's School of Golf from Martin Hall, and his first lesson is about hitting the ground at or past the ball (story). PGA coach Justin Kraft used Nelly Korda's iron swing to explain the "sway gap" and gave slicers a drill that needs only a cap and a strip of tape (story). Both are easy to take into a sim bay this weekend.

The Game

Vilips made five straight birdies on his first nine and closed with four in a row. "Had it on a string for the first nine," he told the AP of his driver, with lift, clean and place in effect. Kensei Hirata is one back, and Ben Griffin is in a group at 64.

John Daly II shot 70 on a sponsor exemption (story). Billy Horschel withdrew after six holes with dizziness while sitting 94th in the FedEx Cup Fall, six spots inside the card line (story).

In Kuala Lumpur, Yamashita, the defending champion, shot 66 to reach 13 under, two ahead of Julia Lopez Ramirez and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard. Carlota Ciganda posted the low round of the week, a 63.

At Te Arai, Fifa Laopakdee salvaged a 72 in heavy wind and leads New Zealand's Cooper Moore by two. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said there "could be others in the future" beyond the six national opens that now earn Masters invites.

Garcia said he is keeping a PGA Tour return open (story). Today is LIV's deadline on two fronts, according to the Financial Times via Loop Golf: BC Partners wants player commitments for its rebuilt league, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund must reach a severance deal with players such as Dustin Johnson or begin winding the league down.

Off the course, Compliance Solutions is set to present the Austin Championship after Good Good's exit (story), Visa is near a high-eight-figure PGA Tour deal, per SBJ (story), and Golf Channel's "Eamon Lynch Has Questions" opens Nov. 5 with Jay Monahan (story). Charlie Woods holed a 40-foot birdie on 18 to win his Florida district title (story).

What to do now

Try Kraft's hat-and-tape drill on your next sim session. Watch Round 2 in Mexico today, the Maybank weekend from Kuala Lumpur tonight, and whatever LIV and the PIF announce by the end of the day.