An emotional Bryson DeChambeau at his press conference ahead of the Nashville tournament. Image courtesy livgolf.com.
By Rahul Banerji
With a big bucket list item ticked off at Pinehurst, Crusher GC captain Bryson DeChambeau returns to LIV Golf at Nashville hoping to keep the momentum of his US Open victory going.
The LIV season is now in its decisive second phase, and there is plenty at stake at each of the remaining five tournaments besides the team championship in Dallas to go. The Crushers lead the team race and have Legion XIII and Torque GC lurking close by.
In the individual standings, Paris Olympics-bound Joaquin Neimann – where he will be joined by Torque team mate Mito Pereira – holds a healthy lead with Legion XIII’s Jon Rahm in second and South Africa’s Dean Burmester in third place.
Anirban Lahiri has pushed himself to the edge of the guaranteed spots (top 24) group with Crushers team mates DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III safely placed above him for now.
Back in action
Rahm has declared himself fit for Nashville after withdrawing from the US Open with a toe injury that first affected him at LIV Golf Houston. It needed a 10-day break for the Spaniard to recover from the infection though he is not sure how effective his game will be.
“I feel ready to walk and hit it,” Rahm said on the LIV Golf website. “I haven’t been able to do much. It doesn’t take much for me to feel ready to compete. Looking forward to it. Just happy that I’m here.”
Meanwhile, DeChambeau continues to feel the emotions of his dramatic win at Pinehurst 2 in the 124th US Open where he shaded Rory McIlroy by a stroke on the 72nd hole.
In doing so he became the second LIV golfer to have won a major after Brooks Koepka at last year’s PGA Championship and with The Open still to come, the two will be amongst the bookies shortlist.
DeChambeau is also one of seven LIV Golf players who have won multiple major championships, joining Phil Mickelson (6), Koepka (5), Dustin Johnson (2), Martin Kaymer (2), Rahm (2) and Bubba Watson (2).
More than a quarter (14) of the league’s global field are major champions, with 28 major victories amongst them. Six players on the LIV Golf League have won the US Open.
“I am incredibly grateful and honoured to win my second US Open championship at such an iconic venue,” said DeChambeau.
Humbling experience
“Pinehurst has a rich history in the golfing world, and to have my name etched in its legacy is truly humbling. This win is not just for me, but for everyone who has continued to believe in me along the way.”
“Bryson’s passion for the game and drive for success is unparalleled,” said LIV Golf commissioner and CEO Greg Norman.
“His determination to consistently perform at the highest level is evident in every aspect of his game, including his tenacious work ethic. Time and time again, he continues to demonstrate an unyielding will to win, rising to the challenge when it matters most.
“He is truly one of golf’s superstars who is connecting with fans around the globe – and now he is a two-time US Open champion.”
DeChambeau was second at the PGA Championship last month in Valhalla and tied sixth at the Masters. He also has two LIV Golf individual titles, highlighted by a record-tying 58 on the final day at LIV Golf Greenbrier last August.
Ahead of LIV’s maiden outing at Nashville and its ninth tournament of the season, DeChambeau was emotional at his press conference.
“I’m humbled. Very humbled by it,” he said. “When I was younger, I felt like I was called to do something in the game.
“Getting to this point in my life where I’ve had struggles. I’ve done some things I shouldn’t have done, said some things I shouldn’t have said.
Long journey
“Learning from those mistakes and learning patience, resilience, determination, continuing to grow in that capacity – and then getting to a place where I finally get to showcase my true self and show others what this great game means to me.
“It’s given me so much. Time for me to give back.
“That’s what I love most. That’s why this was so important for everyone to touch the trophy. I wanted everybody to experience it because it wasn’t just for me, it was for the turnaround, everyone looking at me going, wow, that person is different than what I thought.
“It was for them, those people that saw who I now am, who I am. That’s what I wanted people to feel is that involvement, that appreciation from me saying thank you. It meant a lot,” the emotional DeChambeau added.
Also read: DeChambeau seals epic win at Pinehurst as McIlroy falters
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