DeChambeau takes lead into Sunday in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY – Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau is arguably golf’s biggest hitter. Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith is arguably the sport’s best putter. On Sunday at LIV Golf Mexico City, they’ll face off for the first time in the final group of a LIV Golf final round.

DeChambeau, thanks to a birdie at the par-3 18th Saturday, grabbed a one-shot lead over Smith. Both shot matching 5-under 66s while playing together during Saturday’s second round, a precursor to what promises to be a dramatic and entertaining finish at Club de Golf Chapultepec.

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And if that wasn’t enough, the third member of the final threesome is Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, the current season-long points leader. Niemann is three shots off the lead and tied for the low round of the day Saturday with a 7-under 64.

“Hopefully Bryson and I and Joaco can put on a good show,” said Smith.

Having spent 18 holes together on Saturday, and with 18 more set for Sunday, DeChambeau (13 under) and Smith (12 under) left no doubt how impressed they are with each other’s biggest strengths inside the ropes.

“It’s scary when he gets on the greens,” DeChambeau said. “Whenever he gets on the greens, I’m like, well, that’s a one-putt. Pretty awesome to watch him putt.”

“I wish I could drive the ball like him,” Smith said. “I often wonder how much better of a golfer I would be if I could drive the ball like him.”

Added DeChambeau: “Playing in the final group tomorrow will be a lot of fun. We’re going to go after it.”

DeChambeau and Smith are each seeking their first LIV Golf individual titles since 2023 when they combined to win four consecutive events near the end of the season. Since then, DeChambeau has made 19 LIV Golf regular-season starts without a win; Smith’s drought is at 20.

Fortunately, they’ve enjoyed success from a team perspective, with the Crushers winning the 2023 Team Championship and the Rippers winning last year, with both teams also collecting multiple regular-season trophies. The Rippers, looking for their second consecutive win after last month’s victory in Miami, own a two-shot lead over the Crushers, with Torque GC and Legion XIII tied for third.

While DeChambeau did win the U.S. Open last year for his second career major, Smith has made 33 starts worldwide since his last victory. Both are extremely hungry for an individual LIV Golf champagne celebration on Sunday.

“I’m trying to win every week,” said DeChambeau, who also led after 36 holes in Miami before finishing solo fifth. “Sometimes I don’t bring my best game, but I’m giving it my all and attempting my best every single time I show up and put a peg in the ground. Tomorrow is going to be no different.”

Said Smith, who is playing in the final group for the first time since his 2023 win in Bedminster: “Being in contention tomorrow and today was so much fun. It’s been a while for me to be at the top of the leaderboard, so I’m really enjoying it.”

Meanwhile, the next two players on the leaderboard have enjoyed plenty of success lately on LIV Golf. Niemann has won twice this season and twice last year, while Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, who is in solo fourth at 9 under, snatched the Individual Championship from Niemann last season with two late victories.

A win for Niemann on Sunday would put him in great shape to claim the U.S. Open exemption spot awarded next month to the leading LIV Golf player. But he’ll have to overtake DeChambeau and Smith.

“The way Bryson and Cam are playing, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Niemann said. “It’s going to be special.”

TEAM SCORES

LIV Golf’s new scoring format this season now involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. (Click here for more on the new format). Here are the results and scores for each team after Saturday’s Rd. 2 of LIV Golf Mexico City.

1. RIPPER GC -24 (Smith 66, Jones 67, Herbert 71, Leishman 71; Rd. 2 score: -9)

2. CRUSHERS GC -22 (DeChambeau 66, Casey 69, Howell III 71, Lahiri 71; Rd. 2 score: -7)

T3. TORQUE GC -19 (Niemann 64, Muñoz 65, Ortiz 68, Pereira 72; Rd. 2 score: -15)

T3. LEGION XIII -19 (Surratt 64, Hatton 67, Rahm 69, McKibbin 70; Rd. 2 score: -14)

5. 4ACES GC -18 (Johnson 66, Varner III 67, Pieters 69, Reed 70; Rd. 2 score: -12)

6. SMASH GC -12 (Gooch 68, McDowell 70, Koepka 71, Kokrak 72; Rd. 2 score: -3)

7. STINGER GC -5 (Schwartzel 66, Grace 67, Burmester 68, Oosthuizen 73; Rd. 2 score: -10)

8. MAJESTICKS GC +1 (Westwood 67, Stenson 69, Poulter 74, Horsfield 77; Rd. 2 score: +3)

9. CLEEKS GOLF CLUB +3 (Bland 66, Kaymer 69, Kjettrup 73, Meronk 75; Rd. 2 score: -1)

10. FIREBALLS GC +4 (Ancer 69, Puig 70, Masaveu 73, Garcia 74; Rd. 2 score: +2)

11. RANGEGOATS GC +7 (Uihlein 71, Watson 71, Catlin 73, Wolff 77; Rd. 2 score: +8)

12. HYFLYERS GC +8 (Mickelson 69, Tringale 73, Ogletree 74, Steele 74; Rd. 2 score: +6)

13. IRON HEADS GC +27 (Lee 69, Na 72, Kozuma 74, Jang 85; Rd. 2 score: +16)

Wild Cards: C. Lee 74, Kim 77

ROUND 2 NOTES

SURRATT’S 488-YARD DRIVE: Seven drives of 400 yards or longer were recorded in Saturday’s second round, with the youngest player in the field – 21-year-old Caleb Surratt of Legion XIII – producing an eye-popping 488-yard drive. Surratt’s drive came at the par-4 11th, which is playing to 450 yards.

Along with the 11 drives of 400-plus yards in the opening round, a total of 18 drives have now reached that mark, with Bryson DeChambeau accounting for four of them.

Surratt’s tee shot does not go down as the official longest drive in LIV Golf history, which measures tee shots only on two select holes each round for record purposes. The holes this week are the seventh and 12th holes.

List of 400-yard drives in the second round:

ALBATROSS FOR BLANDY: Cleeks veteran Richard Bland made the second albatross in LIV Golf history, holing his second shot from 253 yards at the 575-yard par-5 16th.

“I was in between like 4-iron and 7-wood, and I think just because it was on the downslope, I didn’t think I get the elevation on the 4-iron,” Bland said of his albatross. “So, I was just trying to hit a soft 7-wood, and it came out perfect.”

He came close to a second albatross at the 625-yard 7th, his second shot from 267 yards finishing 5 feet from the pin. The 52-year-old Bland, a two-time senior major winner, shot a 5-under 6 and is tied for 10th at 5 under.

HyFlyers’ Brendan Steele made the league’s first albatross last season in the second round at LIV Golf Greenbrier, holing a shot from 284 yards.

BRYSON LIKES PAR-4 SECOND: Bryson DeChambeau has eagled the 316-yard par-4 second in each of the first two rounds, driving the green both times. He made a 22-foot putt on Friday and a 10-footer on Saturday.

“4 under through two days is pretty awesome,” he said. “Hopefully I can do it again tomorrow.”

ORTIZ EYES FIRST TORQUE WIN: Mexico native Carlos Ortiz, at 6 under, is probably too far back to think about winning the individual title in front of his home fans. But his Torque GC is just five shots off the team lead. Ortiz, who was born in Guadalajara, would love nothing more than to celebrate his first team trophy since joining Torque prior to the 2024 season.

“It would be awesome,” said Ortiz, who won an individual title in Houston last season and three team titles with the Fireballs in 2022-23. “I still haven’t won with Torque, so it would be really special to win tomorrow with them.”

Ortiz’s former teammate Abraham Ancer, the other player from Mexico in the field, is tied for 30th at 1 under.

CATLIN REPLACES CAMPBELL: Reserve player John Catlin replaced injured Ben Campbell in the RangeGoats lineup prior to the second round. Campbell, who opened with a 2-over 73, was ruled out with a wrist injury. Catlin also shot a 73 on Saturday.

BIRDIE SCARCITY: The 225-yard 14th is the longest par 3 at Club de Golf Chapultepec and the second toughest hole through the first two rounds. Just two birdies have been made at the hole, both on Saturday, by Lee Westwood and Brendan Steele.

ROUND 2 STATS LEADERS

Driving accuracy: Dustin Johnson, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance (for measured holes 7 & 12): Bryson DeChambeau, 394.6 yards avg.
Longest drive (for measured holes 7 & 12): Bryson DeChambeau, 410.8 yards, 7th hole
Greens in regulation: Harold Varner III, Phil Mickelson, 88.89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Matt Jones (4 of 4), Lee Westwood (4 of 4), Paul Casey (3 of 3), 100%
Putting: Abraham Ancer, 1.39 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Matt Jones (67)