SA’s Branden Grace in the mix at LIV Golf event at Steyn City: ‘What dreams are made of’
· Citizen
American crowd-pleaser Bryson DeChambeau is the man to catch at the LIV Golf tournament at Steyn City this weekend.
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The big-hitting member of the Crushers team fired a second round six-under-par 65 on Friday to go with his opening 63 to be 14-under-par after the first two rounds of the first LIV tournament on African soil.
He leads by two from Spain’s David Puig (Fireballs), who shot a second round 64 to go with his opening 66, while also lurking is South Africa’s own Branden Grace (Southern Guards), who went round the par-71 layout in 66 shots on Friday. He also shot a 64 in the opening round Thursday.
‘What dreams are made of’
Grace’s second round included six birdies and the one dropped shot at the par-four 15th. He and the other three South African players were loudly cheered on by thousands of fans who turned up at Steyn City on Friday.
“This is what dreams are made of,” said Grace in a television interview after his round.
“It’s the best day I’ve experienced on a golf course in South Africa. What a day, just phenomenal, it’s what we (the South African players on the LIV Golf tour) dreamed it would be.
“The closest to this (experience) is the Presidents Cup, but this is a notch up on that.”
Grace said he was very much in the mix and needed to stay focused over the next two days.
“I’m trying to win this thing. I’m going to need to keep going after shots.”
Burmester in the mix
Also very much in the mix for the individual prize at the end of the week is another South African from the Southern Guards team, Dean Burmester, who fired the round of the day, a thrilling 64 to go with his first round 67.
Spain’s popular Jon Rahm (Legion III) is also on 11-under-par, alongside Burmester, as is joint first round leader, Charles Howell III (Crushers) and Abraham Ancer (Torque) of Mexico.
Four players are on 10-under-par and a further three are on nine-under-par.
Charl Schwartzel (Southern Guards) is tied 27th on six-under-par after a second round 70, to go with a 66, while Louis Oosthuizen, the captain of the Southern Guards, is tied 32nd after two rounds of 69 and 68.
DeChambeau leads the way
DeChambeau threatened to run away with the tournament after making a blistering start on Friday. He chipped in for an eagle two on the first and followed up with birdies at the second, fourth and fifth holes. He, however, bogeyed the sixth, but then made another birdie at the seventh.
He started his back nine with another birdie at 10, but then double bogeyed the par-four 12th and finished with birdies at 16 and 18.
“I was way too stressed out,” said the American in a television interview after his round.
“I was holding on for dear life,” he added about the double bogey.
“I made a nice two-putt birdie at 18 though. It’s golf. It’s not easy. It was an up-and-down day.”
In the team competition, Torque had a good day (-22) and lead on a total of 36-under-par, with the Southern Guards (-16 on Friday) on 34-under-par. Third are Fireballs (33-under-par) and fourth, Crushers (31-under-par).