Staff WriterThe Blue Monster claimed more victims on Saturday as Friday’s leader Patrick Reed quickly fell out of what once felt like a relatively secure lead, opening the door to a couple of former major championship winners.
Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson caught fire early and duelled it out throughout most of the day for the top spot Reed vacated.
The two U.S. Open winners had about as good a day you could ask for considering the incredibly windy conditions which pulled more balls into the water than one should ever witness at a professional golf tournament.
Bryson took the late lead by two strokes, and then by a sudden twist of fate, Dustin Johnson, on the last hole sent his tee shot into the water and made disastrous shot after disastrous shot, resulting in a rare triple-bogey, sending him from 2nd place overall to 8th.
While nobody really seized the opportunity and took advantage of a wide-open Saturday, the best score being a 3-under par by Lucas Herbert, Jon Rahm ever so quietly moved into T6 position with a Saturday score of 2-under par.
Can Rahm upset DeChambeau, Mickelson, and Sergio? Nobody does Sunday better than Rahm, but DeChambeau is giving no indication he intends on coming in second place.
Masters Watch: How Did the LIV Dozen Perform?
Second-round scores for all twelve LIV golfers who will be playing for the green jacket next week.
- Tyrrell Hatton; T44; 11-over
- Bubba Watson; T35; 7-over
- Joaquin Niemann; T29; 6-over
- Brooks Koepka; T15; 3-over
- Cam Smith; T15; 3-over
- Charl Schwartzel; T9; 1-over
- Dustin Johnson; 8th; Even
- Jon Rahm; T6; 1-under
- Patrick Reed; T2; 2-under
- Sergio Garcia; T2; 2-under
- Phil Mickelson; T2; 2-under
- Bryson DeChambeau; 1st Place; 5-under
Tom McKibbin, Rookie Sensation
LIV’s newest addition started his Saturday with a birdie and an eagle, propelling the young Northern Irishman up the leaderboard early on.
After dropping a shot on the Par 3 4th, McKibbin responded immediately by birdieing the 5th to stake his claim to the Top 5.
That brand of up-and-down play would continue throughout the day ending with a T11 finish.
McKibbin’s first four professional LIV tournaments (T15, T7, T6, T25) have resulted in being squarely placed in The Lock Zone and 13th overall in the season-long standings.
With showings like that, plus an extremely strong effort in Miami, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if a win for this young man is right around the corner.
Saturday Highlights: Bubba Holes Out for Eagle, Phil Reaches the Green by Putting Perfect Divot in…the Cart Path?
Ripper Closes the Gap, Crushers Lose Big, Cleeks Look to Set Dubious Record
Most viewers will be forgiven if they were not following the team competition at the beginning of Saturday’s action.
With only Bryson’s Crushers being the only team under par, it seemed like a foregone conclusion they would finish first or second, with third place being a true wildcard, with the winner ending up somewhere around 10-over par.
Lucas Herbert’s Herculean effort of 3-under par propelled Ripper to 1st place at the end of Saturday.
Going into Sunday it looks like the top six teams are interchangeable, with scores ranging from 9-over par (Ripper) to 17-over par (Legion XIII).
Meanwhile, Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks will be looking to avoid further humiliation by subtracting from their current total score of a whopping 46-over par.
Any more strokes added would be sure to set a team record for the worst performance in the league history.
Certainly a dubious record that may take several years to break or stand forever.
With the scores this tight, the trophies are up for grabs. LIV Miami concludes tomorrow at 12 noon ET.
Championship Sunday will start on the FOX Sports App for the opening holes and switch to FOX 5 for the remainder of the tournament.
