LIV Golf Adelaide Round 3: Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm Set Up a Sunday Showdown After a Walk-Off Eagle

Saturday at The Grange delivered two rounds that went in opposite directions for most of the afternoon and somehow arrived at the same number.

Bryson DeChambeau caught fire in the middle of his round and shot 8-under 64. Jon Rahm stumbled out of the gate, fell four behind, then finished with a closing stretch nobody will forget in a hurry for a 66. After three rounds of LIV Golf Adelaide, the Crushers GC and Legion XIII captains are tied at 19 under, five shots clear of Anthony Kim in third. Rahm's Legion XIII leads the team race at 45 under, five ahead of the home side, Ripper GC.

DeChambeau's Eight-in-Nine Blitz

DeChambeau's round started politely, with five straight pars. Then he birdied the par-3 sixth, and the floodgates opened: that birdie kicked off a run of eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch that turned a two-man race into what looked, for a while, like a DeChambeau procession. His 64 tied for the low round of the day.

The only real blemish came late. A bogey at the par-4 17th trimmed his lead over Rahm to two, and he parred the last to sign for 66-67-64. Asked about the round, he offered a line that was hard to argue with: "8-under is nothing to be ashamed of."

Rahm's Escape Act

For most of the day, Rahm looked like a player trying to hang on. He bogeyed his first two holes, then dropped another shot at the par-5 13th to fall four behind DeChambeau. What followed changed the entire shape of Sunday.

Rahm answered with three straight birdies to claw back into it. Then, at the par-4 18th, his tee shot went way left, onto the 10th teeing area, for the second straight day. He got free relief from the grandstands as a temporary immovable obstruction, and from 75 yards he holed his next shot for eagle. That finish, 5 under over his last five holes, turned a bad day into a 66 and a share of the lead. Rahm said afterward he had not expected the shot to go in. Nobody watching did either.

Kim Stays in Range

Five shots back is a long way against two major champions, but Kim has done nothing this week to suggest he is going away. His 4-under 68 was his third straight round in the 60s and left him alone in third at 14 under. He also leads the field in greens in regulation for the week.

This has been a week with obstacles for Kim off the course too. Fox Sports reported he had trouble getting into Australia because of missing paperwork after the Riyadh season opener. On the course, he has looked like a player who expected to be here. "I knew this day would come at some point," Kim said. He will tee off Sunday in the final group alongside DeChambeau, Rahm and Ben Campbell, who slipped back with a 72.

Smith Wakes Up the Home Crowd

The loudest roars of the day belonged to Cameron Smith. The Ripper GC captain matched DeChambeau's 64 with a bogey-free round that needed only 22 putts, and it lifted him into a tie for fourth at 13 under alongside teammate Lucas Herbert, who shot 67, and Peter Uihlein of the RangeGoats.

That matters for more than the individual board. Smith said he expected the energy to be high again on Sunday "given that the team is up there," and the Australian crowd will make sure of it. Jason Kokrak (65), Branden Grace, Tyrrell Hatton and Campbell are tied for seventh at 12 under, and Sebastián Muñoz and wild card Scott Vincent share 10th at 11 under.

Legion Pulls Away, Ripper Gives Chase

With all four scores counting every round in the 2026 format, Legion XIII had its best day of the week at the perfect time. Caleb Surratt shot 64, Hatton and Rahm each added 66, and Tom McKibbin's 69 rounded out a 23-under team round. That pushed Legion to 45 under for the week, five clear of the field.

Ripper GC is second at 40 under after an 18-under Saturday built on Smith's 64, Herbert's 67, Elvis Smylie's 69 and a 70 from Marc Leishman. 4Aces GC, co-leaders at the halfway mark, are third at 38 under after a 15-under day that was almost robotic in its consistency: Kim, Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters each shot 68, and Dustin Johnson added a 69. The RangeGoats, who also shared the lead on Friday, faded out of the top three.

Sunday's Main Event

Both leaders sounded ready for a fight. DeChambeau predicted a good battle, and Rahm said he hoped for a classic. With a five-shot gap back to Kim and only four players within six of the lead, the individual title looks like a two-man affair entering the final round, but 18 holes at The Grange can move a lot of numbers. The team race feels less settled. Legion has the cushion, Ripper has the crowd, and 4Aces have a genuine contender in the final group.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2 on Undrafted, and see the official LIV Golf Adelaide leaderboard (opens in a new tab) and LIV Golf's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 3 recap), Fox Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.