Bryson DeChambeau was quick to issue the first warning to Jon Rahm at the LIV Golf UK. The captain of Crushers carded an eight-under round to move into solo second, just three shots behind the imperious Lucas Herbert, and made it clear he arrives at the decisive stretch of the season convinced he is regaining his best form, the one that saw him post the historic 58 at Greenbrier, and that despite the deficit on the leaderboard he still has time to fight for the individual tour title
The American started the day with three consecutive birdies and, although he regretted two bogeys he considers undeserved, he left very pleased with his performance. “I played really well. I birdied the first three holes today, an incredible eagle at the 6th and good birdies at the 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th. I’m proud of how I fought out there,” he summed up
Herbert’s performance even influenced his strategy. DeChambeau admitted that, seeing the Australian already at ten under, he decided to switch his mindset and take more risks: “I looked at the scoreboard on the 14th and saw he was ten under. I thought, ‘My goodness, I have to birdie every hole’. I changed my mentality to be a bit more aggressive. When you see the leader pulling away, you simply let go and let it all out”
One of the most interesting points from his appearance concerned his form. Asked whether he feels he is getting back towards the level shown at Greenbrier, when he posted the legendary 58, Bryson responded forcefully: “I’d say I’m close to that place, or at least in a steady position around it. I just need to keep doing the same, work on a couple of things in my game and feel even more comfortable”
A statement that is a clear warning to Rahm in the fight for the LIV Golf individual title. The Spaniard holds a significant lead at the top of the overall standings, but DeChambeau knows he needs to cut the gap in this final stretch of the season. And he has taken the first step today on a day when the man from Barrika could hardly do anything right and who, to widespread surprise, returned a one-over-par round, moving well away from contention
Bryson admitted he is fully aware of the situation in the standings, although he insisted his only obsession is winning the tournament: “I’m aware of it, but I came here to win this week. If Jon goes out and beats me, I’ll take my hat off to him. I can’t control that. I just want to enjoy these three days and play golf the way I know how to.” And he added a message full of confidence: “If I play golf the way I know how to play golf, I think I’ll be up there fighting for the victory”
There was also time to look back and analyse what happened at the Open Championship, where the controversial penalty suffered at Royal Birkdale affected much of his tournament. Far from lamenting it, DeChambeau did the sums and believes he was much closer to the Jarra de Clarete than the standings show. “I fought to make the cut. I wish I had given a bit more on Saturday and Sunday. Excluding the 5th hole, where I made three over par, and the 11th hole, it’s six shots. Those six shots would have left me tied for the lead fighting for the title”
Asked whether the showdown with Herbert in Friday’s feature match comes a week late, in reference to the battle many expected at the Open, the American avoided fuelling the controversy. “Golf is golf. I would have loved to have had that battle last week, but it didn’t happen. There are moments of adversity in life. I stood up for what I believed was right and now it’s simply time to move on” With an eight-under round, ever-improving form and convinced he is regaining his best level, DeChambeau has already issued the first warning
