Bryson DeChambeau was in fine form at LIV Golf Miami on Friday, although he risked angering his good friend President Donald Trump after taking a gouge out of a green at his Doral course.
DeChambeau got in the clubhouse at three-under-par after a well-crafted 69 earned him a share of second place in brutal conditions at the Blue Monster. The reigning U.S. Open champion is two shots back of leader Patrick Reed with 36 holes to play.
DeChambeau is never afraid to take the unconventional route on the golf course, with his self-designed clubs and freakish power off the tee, and he showed his imagination on Friday by twice using a wedge on the greens.
The 31-year-old pulled out a lob wedge on the fifth green after his route to the pin was impeded by the fringe, and the two-time major champion executed the shot masterfully to set up a tap-in par. But in doing so, he carved a significant divot out of the putting surface, much to the chagrin of the greenskeepers at Doral.
Announcer David Feherty described it as an “unapologetic divot,” but DeChambeau would not be deterred, using the same method on the mammoth 670-yard par-five 12th. After a pair of huge hits to find the green in two, DeChambeau’s line was once again affected by the fringe, so he grabbed a wedge and went for the chip.
This time, he did not take a divot, but the shot was less successful, leaving himself around 12 feet short of the cup. The birdie opportunity would slide by, but it was only a small source of frustration as DeChambeau positioned himself to contend over the weekend.
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“Blue Monster is a great test of patience. Felt like [my caddie] and I kept ourselves in a good frame of mind the whole entire day, and when something went wrong, we steered it right back on track, and we kept making good decisions with the wind,” he said. “That’s been my biggest struggle, so I made it a mission of ours to be more patient out there so we could judge the wind just a fraction better.”
DeChambeau and President Trump have formed a close bond over recent months, with the 78-year-old appearing in a video on DeChambeau’s hugely popular YouTube channel in the lead-up to last year’s election.
DeChambeau also attended President Trump’s election night party in Palm Beach, Florida, in November, being invited on stage after the victory over Democrat nominee Kamala Harris.
“We have up here today the U.S. Open champion,” Trump told the crowd. “He’s a fantastic golfer. Slightly longer than me. Hits the ball a little bit longer than me. Just a little bit… Oh, look at him. He’s got a great career going. Great U.S. Open, Bryson. That’s a fantastic job.”
