Two share LIV Greenbrier lead as Lahiri’s Crushers make a run

From a Correspondent

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia: David Puig is LIV Golf’s youngest player at age 21. Matthew Wolff is close behind at age 24. They shared a lot of laughs on Saturday playing in the same group at LIV Golf Greenbrier.

And now they share the lead going into the final round at The Old White course.

Wolff followed up his LIV-record tying 61 in the opening round with a 3-under 67, while Puig shot a 65 leaving them on 12 under through the first 36 holes.

It was a stroke better than the trio of Bryson DeChambeau, Richard Bland and points leader Talor Gooch, with four more players another stroke back.

Due to inclement weather, Sunday’s shotgun start has been moved up and Wolff will be paired again with Puig in the leading group that tees off on hole number 1.

“I’m excited to play with him tomorrow,” Wolff said of the young Spanish star. “Excited to be tied for the lead. I’m going to go out there and give it my all, and we’ll see what happens.”

“The age helps probably to enjoy more … or have fun, maybe,” Puig said. “Looking forward to tomorrow.”

Balancing factor

The third member of the lead group is Bland, who at 50 years old is the second oldest LIV Golf player.

“I’m trying to keep us oldies still relevant,” said Bland.

As a team, Puig’s Torque GC certainly had plenty of fun, with a cumulative second-round score of 19 under, Mito Pereira’s 62, and Sebastián Muñoz’s 64 counting with Puig’s 65.

That left Torque at 34 under and four shots ahead of Stinger GC. Four other teams are eight shots behind.

Torque are seeking a fourth team title of the season and hoping to close the gap with the league-leading 4Aces GC, who were 11th after managing just even par on Saturday.

Best round

Meanwhile, DeChambeau might have had the most fun of any individual player on Saturday, shooting his lowest score in a LIV Golf tournament.

His bogey-free round was fuelled by a hot putter, as he converted three birdie attempts of 27 feet or better, including a 47-footer at the 14th hole and a 32-footer at the fourth.

Add increased confidence with the new driver he put in his bag this week, and the Crushers GC captain is feeling good about his game.

He took second place last month at LIV Golf Andalucía when Gooch birdied the final hole for his third win of the season.

“Obviously the putting was more important because that’s what allowed me to shoot that far under par,” said the 2020 US Open champion.

“But the driving was on par if not better than that. … Having this confidence off the tee is crucial to me playing well, and that’s what it’s provided me so far.”

Long wait

Puig will be looking for his first professional win since turning pro last year. Wolff’s last pro win came in 2019 in just his third start after becoming a pro.

Both players are just outside the top 24 in points who receive guaranteed spots at the end of the regular season for next year’s LIV Golf League.

Sunday at Greenbrier could be a big day for the two youngsters.

“I know we’re young but we’re here for a reason,” Wolff said. “I don’t really think anyone else is looking at us like, oh, we’re young. They all know we’re going to give it our best. There’s a reason we’re in the lead.”

Day two counting scores

1. Torque GC (-34): Mito Pereira 62, Sebastián Muñoz 64, David Puig 65 (Rd. 2 score: -19)

2. Stinger GC (-30): Branden Grace 64, Charl Schwartzel 64, Dean Burmester 67 (Rd. 2 score: -15)

T3. Crushers GC (-26): Bryson DeChambeau 61, Anirban Lahiri 66, Charles Howell III 66 (Rd. 2 score: -17)

T3. Smash GC (-26): Matthew Wolff 67, Chase Koepka 68, Jason Kokrak 68 (Rd. 2 score: -7)

T3. HyFlyers GC (-26): Brendan Steele 63, James Piot 66, Cameron Tringale 68 (Rd. 2 score: -13)

T3. RangeGoats GC (-26): Talor Gooch 64, Harold Varner III 67, Bubba Watson 68 (Rd. 2 score: -11)

7. Cleeks GC (-10): Richard Bland 63, Bernd Wiesberger 67, Martin Kaymer 67 (Rd. 2 score: -13)

8. Majesticks GC (-20): Ian Poulter 66, Henrik Stenson 66, Lee Westwood 69 (Rd. 2 score: -9)

9. Fireballs GC (-19): Abraham Ancer 65, Sergio Garcia 66, Carlos Ortiz 67 (Rd. 2 score: -13)

10. Ripper GC (-17): Cameron Smith 64, Marc Leishman 66, Matt Jones 68 (Rd. 2 score: -12)

11. 4Aces GC (-12): Patrick Reed 67, Peter Uihlein 70, Dustin Johnson 73 (Rd. 2 score: Even)

12. Iron Heads GC (-11): Scott Vincent 64, Kevin Na 66, Danny Lee 67 (Rd. 2 score: -13)

Also read: Matt Wolff equals low record to take LIV Golf Greenbrier lead