Controversy swirls as Ortiz leads LIV Golf's first US event

The first US event in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series teed off in Oregon on Thursday amid continued protests and threats of legal action that would further divide the global game.

Mexico's Carlos Ortiz, making his LIV Golf debut, took the lead in the 54-hole event, firing seven birdies with two bogeys in a five-under par 67 at Pumpkin Ridge near Portland, Oregon.

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, one of the series' most prized catches, was a stroke back on 68, capping his round with an unlikely par save with a shot through the trees on his final hole, where he was well right off the tee.

Despite the golf on display, and the addition of such names as four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, the event couldn't escape controversy.

A group of family members of people killed in the 11 September 2001 attacks held a press conference to voice their outrage.

Andre Aiken, who was three years old when his father, Terrance, died at the World Trade Center in New York, was among family members who insisted Saudi Arabia should be held accountable for a role in the attacks, in which hijackers flew planes into the towers and other targets in the United States, leaving thousands dead.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals including Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks.

"Because of the actions of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there were a lot of pivotal moments that my father couldn't be there for. I'll never know the sound of his voice, the feeling of him hugging me," Aiken said.

He also offered thanks to all the athletes who have opted not to participated in the series, and showed "that their silence can't be bought and that they're not just athletes, that they can