Bryson DeChambeau opened with an 8-under-par 63 to take a one-shot lead over fellow major champions Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm at LIV Golf Mexico City on Friday.
DeChambeau eagled his first hole of the day, the short par-4 second at Club De Golf Chapultepec, and was 4 under through three. He carded just one bogey before finishing birdie-birdie-par-birdie.
In the thin air of Mexico City, DeChambeau averaged 370 yards per drive with three 400-yard drives, per a reporter.
“Yeah, 370 is about right,” DeChambeau said. “I was flying it that far on the driving range. I’m like, ‘OK, I think that’s going to be my average,’ and if the fairways get firm, it could be more. It could be a lot more.”
The team DeChambeau captains, Crushers GC, posted a collective score of 15 under to tie for first with Smith’s all-Australian Ripper GC.
Smith paired nine birdies with two bogeys.
“Just kind of getting out of my own way today was really important and just trusting it,” Smith said. “It’s a tough golf course, especially to get it in the fairway, which is something that I’ve been struggling with. I decided to just kind of let it go and get out of my own way.”
As for Rahm, the Spaniard is third in the points standings so far this season but is still searching for his first win since September at LIV Golf Chicago.
He had the same total as Smith — nine birdies, two bogeys — which included a near-ace at his finishing hole, the par-3 18th. His ball skirted right past the cup and he made a short birdie putt.
Rahm was also pleased with his start of three birdies in a row.
“What better way to start it than with three birdies in a row,” Rahm said. “That just set the tone, and felt really comfortable on the greens all day. Couldn’t really have asked for a much better score.”
Bubba Watson is alone in fourth at 5-under 66. England’s Tyrrell Hatton is fifth at 4-under 67.
Bryson DeChambeau bombs his way to lead at LIV Golf Mexico City
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Bryson DeChambeau bombs his way to lead at LIV Golf Mexico City
- In the thin air of Mexico City, DeChambeau averaged 370 yards per drive with three 400-yard drives
- His team Crushers GC posted a collective score of 15 under to tie for first with Smith’s all-Australian Ripper GC
Hideki Matsuyama edges Alex Noren in playoff to win Hero World Challenge
- Both players closed with sparkling 8-under-par 64s to finish regulation tied at 22-under 266 before Matsuyama ended it with a laser-tight birdie on the extra hole
- Austria’s Sepp Straka, who entered Sunday with a one-stroke lead, posted 68 and birdied the last hole to finish solo third at 21 under
NASSAU, Bahamas: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama outlasted Alex Noren of Sweden in a one-hole playoff to win the Hero World Challenge on Sunday at Albany Golf Course in The Bahamas.
Both players closed with sparkling 8-under-par 64s to finish regulation tied at 22-under 266 before Matsuyama ended it with a laser-tight birdie on the extra hole.
In the playoff, Matsuyama hit a 9-iron that landed a couple of feet from the flag on the 18th hole. Noren had a 20-foot putt that slid left, and Matsuyama tapped in for the title.
When asked what his best shot of the tournament was, Matsuyama had a straightforward answer: the second shot in the playoff.
“Couldn’t make (a) birdie putt on 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter. “So we decided (to) go right at it.”
Austria’s Sepp Straka, who entered Sunday with a one-stroke lead, posted 68 and birdied the last hole to finish solo third at 21 under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (68) and J.J. Spaun (65) shared fourth at 20 under, while England’s Justin Rose (66) took sixth at 18 under and Canada’s Corey Conners (65) was 17 under.
“It was a good week,” Straka said after the round. “Came into the week really just trying to see where my game was after working on my swing a little bit in the offseason, working on a few things. Still feels a little bit like a work in progress, but it always is. So really happy with the progress we’ve made over the offseason and yeah, looking forward to continuing to work to the start of next season.”
The small, elite field produced low numbers all week, but Matsuyama completed a bogey-free final round highlighted by a momentum-swinging hole-out eagle from 116 yards on the par-4 10th to catch Straka for a share of the lead.
Matsuyama credited watching Noren, his playing partner, hit a similar shot to helping set up his eagle.
“No. 10, to win we (needed at least) a birdie,” Matsuyama said. “Before he hits the second shot, Alex hits (a) really good shot and I was able to — yeah, I got the great imagination from Alex and (was) able to hit a great shot.”
Scheffler’s bid for a third straight win at the event unraveled on the back nine. Two shots off the lead at the par-5 11th, he found trouble and scrambled for bogey. A bunker-induced bogey at the par-3 12th followed, and Matsuyama’s 30-footer for birdie at No. 13 stretched the gap.
Even so, Scheffler closed with yet another top-five finish in a year that hasn’t seen him finish worse than tied for eighth since The Players Championship way back in March.
“I did a lot of good stuff,” Scheffler said. “Hit the ball pretty nice. Definitely need to be sharper around the greens, but that’s probably a bit of rust. But coming down here is always a good gauge to kind of see where you are around the greens because it’s pretty challenging, so felt pretty good.”
The victory caps a bookend season for Matsuyama, who opened the year by setting the PGA Tour record to par at The Sentry at Kapalua and now collects his second Hero World Challenge in Tiger Woods’ invitational after also winning in 2016.
