Bryson DeChambeau (-5) is the sole leader of the LIV Golf Miami with 18 holes to go. The double US Open champion has signed a card of 70 strokes on the second day at the Trump National Doral and has taken the lead with a two-stroke advantage over Sergio García (-3).
There will continue to be talk, and rightly so, about DeChambeau’s power. There’s no other choice when he keeps hitting bomb after bomb from the tee, as happened on the 16th hole. However, one must conclude that his putter, when he gets the feel of the greens, is a notably more lethal weapon. Today was a case in point.
If DeChambeau is the sole leader of the LIV Golf Miami, it is fundamentally because of the putter. He made three crucial consecutive par putts on holes 13, 14, and 15, especially the second one which was about four metres. Shortly after, he made another one of about five metres for birdie on the 17th. That’s the difference. He finished with a total of five under par and for the same price, it could have been two or three under par. Without asking for the impossible or exaggerating.
Making par putts is even more important in weeks like Doral, which are very challenging, with a course prepared in a very demanding way, with a lot of rough, very fast greens, and the constant presence of a strong, gusty, and extremely uncomfortable wind. In this situation, it is very common to have delicate par putts from between one and a half metres and just over two metres. DeChambeau is proving infallible at that distance this week.
Sergio García is keeping up the pace. The golfer from Castellón also played under par today. He signed a card of 71 strokes. Only DeChambeau, Sergio, and Marc Leishman have managed to deliver two under-par cards at the Blue Monster so far in the tournament. It’s tough going in Miami. The 2017 Masters champion has once again displayed great golf. He only made two mistakes. On the 6th, he paid the price for missing the fairway, while on the 17th, he had three putts from very far away. The best part is that he didn’t let it affect him and finished with a textbook birdie on the 1st, par 5, to get even closer to DeChambeau tomorrow. It should be remembered that Sergio already played the playoff of this tournament last year.
The other big news for Spain in this second round was the reaction of Jon Rahm (-1). The player from Barrika, full of self-esteem, was able to turn around a day that started very badly. He began with a very painful double bogey on the 17th. It was a series of errors from the tee and an approach from the left of the green that was perhaps too ambitious. From there, his reaction was majestic. The fight is non-negotiable. He made an easy birdie on the 1st and added another on the 3rd with a stellar putt. One more. Without a doubt, the putter is the best club in Rahm’s bag at the moment.
His score between holes 1 and 12 was four under par, with no less than six birdies to his name, a spectacular performance in very challenging conditions. He made 70 strokes, the second-best round of the day, only surpassed by the 69 of Lucas Herbert. With this result, he has climbed several positions on the leaderboard and is now in his natural habitat, fully among the top ten and still with a chance of victory.
Dustin Johnson (PAR) was expected to escort DeChambeau at the top, but a disastrous triple bogey on the 18th, after sending his ball into the water off the tee, has left him practically without a chance of victory. Yes, he is only one stroke behind Rahm, but he has seven golfers ahead of him, seven very good ones who are playing very well this week. Another who has lost ground is Patrick Reed (-2), although at least he is two strokes closer than his teammate. He shouldn’t be ruled out for tomorrow, although his inconsistency in these conditions often puts him in tight situations. Reed is tied with Mickelson and with Leishman, and Burmester closes the list of seven golfers who are under par.
Today, only a total of nine players beat the course, among them David Puig (+4). He has moved into the top 20. The one who also lost a lot of ground is Luis Masaveu (+4). He made 76 strokes and is tied with his teammate and compatriot.
