Washington, Aug 15, 2024 Agence France Presse: Bryson DeChambeau, who captured his second US Open title in June, sees a chance to go lower than his stunning 12-under par 58 when the LIV Golf Greenbrier starts Friday.
The 30-year-old US golfer matched the lowest score on a major golf tour last year when he shot a final-round 58 with a closing birdie to win the event at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
“I don’t know how to explain it. Just kind of semi-blacked out I guess,” DeChambeau said. “To make the 40-footer on the last hole for 58, that was just the cherry on top.
“A special place in my heart forever... probably one of the most special moments of my entire life.”
He matched the 58 fired by countryman Jim Furyk at the 2016 Travelers Championship as the lowest rounds on either the PGA Tour or LIV Golf.
DeChambeau said Wednesday he expects 57 and maybe lower scores are out there.
“Breaking 58, I’m sure someone is going to do it at one of these times at some point,” DeChambeau said. “We’re just too good now. There’s going to be a time where everything kind of lines up.
“It’s like runners breaking the four-minute mile. It was one person that broke it, and the next year there were 12 or whatever. I feel like that opens up the door.
“I believe there will be a 57 at some point, even a 56 potentially. It’s going to just get more consistent over the course of time. We’re just too good now.”
Greenbrier has offered up two other sub-60 scores in elite-level events.
Australian Stuart Appleby fired a 59 at the 2010 PGA Greenbrier Classic in the final round to win the event.
In 2019 at the PGA’s Greenbrier event, US golfer Kevin Chappell shot 59 in the second round and went on to finish level-47th.
“They’re all playing well to shoot in the 50s, but this place, it breeds that confidence in you, like you start making putts,” two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson said.
“And then it builds from there.”
Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, likes the chances for a sub-60 round this week.
“These greens are so pure that if you’re hitting the ball really well and giving yourself a lot of looks, once that putter gets hot, you have an opportunity,” he said.
“There’s a decent amount of short enough holes where you’re going to have a lot of wedges. The par-5s, you’re getting to both of them with irons in your hand.”
DeChambeau, who played with a new driver last year when he made 13 birdies and only a lone bogey at the par-three eighth, birdied six of the first seven holes and the last four.
He said the 58 sparked his run to his major win this year.
“I had been struggling with my golf game, not really understanding how to get the job done,” DeChambeau said. “Just didn’t feel like I had it to win.
“That’s what jump-started me to how I’ve been playing this past year, jump-started me to winning the US Open this year and continuing to play some really stellar golf.”
DeChambeau aims for 57 and lower in LIV return to Greenbrier
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DeChambeau aims for 57 and lower in LIV return to Greenbrier
Team Brady takes at E1 World Championship season opener in Jeddah, ahead of Aoki and Rafa
- Defending champions Emma Kimilainen and Sam Coleman deliver standout qualifying performances in the all-electric E1 RaceBird
- Event marks opening weekend of the 2026 UIM E1 World Championship, featuring 10 teams competing in 8 races across 4 continents between now and November
JEDDAH: Defending world champions Team Brady claimed pole position in a dramatic day of qualification action for the E1 Jeddah GP powerboat race.
Team pilots Emma Kimilainen and Sam Coleman delivered the standout performances in the all-electric E1 RaceBird as they mastered the tight and technical Jeddah circuit to lead the field heading into Saturday’s main race.
The event, set against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, marked the opening weekend of the 2026 UIM E1 World Championship. Ten teams are competing for the Champions of the Water title this year, with the race in Jeddah the first of eight across four continents between now and November.
The teams and pilots were tested by three elimination sessions on Friday in the battle to be the fastest qualifier.
Team Miami and Team Blue Rising were knocked out in the Qualifying Time Trials, but newcomers Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club both managed to advance to the first qualifier. Monaco’s debut qualifying adventure ended there, as they were eliminated along with Team AlUla. Teams Sierra and Drogba were knocked out in in the second qualifier.
That left four boats to fight for pole position: Westbrook, Rafa, Aoki and Brady. Former NFL star Tom Brady’s team were the favorites after setting the best times in both Q1 and Q2.
On the first run in the pole position showdown, Kimilainen laid down the gauntlet, finishing more than 3 seconds clear of her closest competitor and putting Brady on provisional pole. In the end, it was her first lap that secured the pole position and the three points for top qualifier.
Aoki Racing’s Dani Clos took second place, missing out on top spot by just 1.7 seconds. Team Rafa’s Tom Chiappe looked strong early in his final run but time slipped away from the Frenchman and he had to settle for third-best. Westbrook Racing had been fastest at the start of the day in the initial Qualifying Time Trials, but American Sara Price ultimately brought up the rear in the final, four-way qualifying battle.
“It was a great team effort once again,” Kimilainen said. “Conditions were tricky; the water is sometimes a bit crazy and there are fine margins. I was happy to pull the first lap off and then I was experimenting on the second run.”
Teammate Coleman added: “We are here to fight all season, but we had pole here in Jeddah last year and had a tough race day. We are excited, happy with three points on the board, but tomorrow is going to be a tough day.”
The event marks the return of the UIM E1 World Championship to Saudi Arabia for a third consecutive year and, as usual, there are plenty of events and entertainment away from the circuit to keep fans entertained.
Formula E’s Driving Force presented by PIF 360 offers an educational program that aims to inspire young people between the ages of 8 and 18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, as well as sustainability issues, while connecting the classrooms of the future with electric-vehicle racing.
Alejandro Agag, the founder and chairperson of E1, said: “Jeddah holds a special place in our hearts at E1 as our now-traditional season opener.
“Our friends and supporters from the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation and the Ministry of Sport have once again been incredibly hospitable to us, our teams and our pilots.
“We’ve already seen an intense battle in qualifying today. Tomorrow’s race is now set to be followed closely by spectators in our E1 Fan Zone and around the world, when all eyes will be on the waters here in Jeddah.”
