Bryson DeChambeau Takes Lead at LIV Golf Andalucia With Bogey-Free Round

SOTOGRANDE, Spain — An eagle at the last, and Bryson DeChambeau shot a bogey-free eight-under 63 in the second round of LIV Golf Andalucía 2023 at Real Club Valderrama on Saturday. The strong round moves him to nine-under entering Sunday.

Sitting one shot back of the 2020 U.S. Open Champion is two-time LIV winner Talor Gooch at eight-under and two shots ahead of PGA Champion Brooks Koepka.

“That was my sole purpose of really grinding over that putt on 13,” DeChambeau said of his desire to go bogey-free. “I'm like, I've got to make this putt on 13 for par because I wanted to shoot a bogey-free round out here, and it was awesome to be able to do that. Haven't done that in a long time.”

Playing in the final group for the first time in a LIV golf event on Sunday, DeChambeau is looking at another first, winning, for which DeChambeau hopes he has the answer on Sunday.

DeChambeau hasn’t won in 846 days, when he had a one-shot victory over Lee Westwood at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour.

With his best finish on his new tour a seventh at Tulsa in May—only his fifth top 10 in 13 career LIV starts—DeChambeau took advantage of the more favorable eastern wind that allowed for lower scoring.

With the tougher western winds of Thursday, the course scoring average was 72.271 and with Friday’s winds, the scoring average was 71.479, less than one-half shot over par on Saturday.

“It's really about patience out here,” DeChambeau said. “And if you don't get off to a good start or even if you do get off to a good start, you've still got to be cautious and focus on each and every shot being the best you possibly can make it and placing the ball in correct positions on the greens, making sure you've got good angles into greens, as well. It's a very strategic golf course, as well.”

For Gooch, a win would be his third of the 2023 LIV season and would firmly cement his place at the top of the LIV money list.

“It’s going to be really tough, really challenging to make it 18 holes out here without a mistake, and if you do, hats off to you because it’s just so penal,” Gooch said after his six-under 65. “Not in an unfair way, just in a really fair, like you know what you’ve got to do, it’s right there, you’ve just got to go do it. It’s just not easy.”