LIV Golf Mexico City Round 1: Bryson DeChambeau Bombs His Way to a 63

Mexico City sits about 7,900 feet above sea level, and on Friday Bryson DeChambeau treated the thin air like a personal invitation.

The Crushers GC captain shot an 8-under 63 at Club de Golf Chapultepec to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Mexico City. Jon Rahm of Legion XIII and Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith are tied for second after matching 64s, Bubba Watson is alone in fourth after a 66, and Tyrrell Hatton is fifth at 4 under. In the team race, Crushers GC and Ripper GC share the lead at 15 under, six clear of Smash GC.

Bombs Away at Altitude

DeChambeau's round had a fast start and an even faster finish. He holed a 22-foot eagle putt on the par-4 second, birdied the next two holes, then added another birdie at the par-5 seventh. After that the scoring stalled, with eight straight holes at even par, before a birdie, birdie, par, birdie finish. The last of those came on the 396-yard par-4 first, his final hole of the shotgun, where he drove the green to 35 feet and two-putted.

That last swing went 372.9 yards, and it was not even one of his longest. DeChambeau averaged 367 yards across 14 drives, two of them over 400. The 63 is the lowest opening round he has ever posted in LIV Golf, and it came in his first start since a disappointing finish at the Masters.

"It was fun hitting the ball far," DeChambeau said.

He was hardly alone. The field produced 11 drives of 400 yards or longer and another 66 between 370 and 399 yards. Brooks Koepka hit the longest of the day, a 435-yard missile on the 11th. Joaquin Niemann led the field in driving distance at 378.9 yards per drive. At this elevation the ball flies farther and curves less, which turns the week into a test of distance control as much as raw power.

DeChambeau's own description of the place was blunt. "It's a teeter-totter golf course," he said, and he warned that the conditions were only going to get tougher. "It's going to get firm and fast out here."

Rahm and Smith Start Hot

Rahm, the reigning LIV Golf individual champion, came out swinging. He birdied his first three holes, got to 5 under through seven, and then gave two shots back with a pair of bogeys. The back nine was the response: 4 under with no blemishes, capped by a 39-foot birdie at the 13th that briefly gave him the solo lead before DeChambeau's late finish pushed him back to second.

"What better way to start it than with three birdies in a row," Rahm said.

Smith matched Rahm stroke for stroke. The Ripper GC captain also opened with three straight birdies and piled up six in the first eight holes. The 64 is Smith's lowest round of the 2025 season, and it came from a player still hunting a first LIV Golf win since 2023.

"I've put myself in a really good spot after round one," Smith said.

Bubba Feels at Home

Watson has history at Chapultepec, and it showed. Friday marked Watson's fifth start on this golf course, and the RangeGoats GC captain posted a 5-under 66 to sit alone in fourth.

"It's always been exciting around here," Watson said.

Hatton's 67 was good for fifth, and the Legion XIII star led the field in strokes gained putting at plus 3.22. Behind Hatton sits an eight-way logjam at 3 under, a group that includes Torque GC's Carlos Ortiz. The Mexican star, playing in front of a home crowd, opened with two bogeys before steadying for a 68. Torque captain Niemann also shot 68.

A Two-Team Race at the Top

The 2025 format counts all four scores every round, and Friday rewarded teams with no weak link. Ripper GC got there through depth. Smith's 64 was backed by 68s from Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones and a 69 from Marc Leishman, who also led the field in greens in regulation at 88.89 percent.

Crushers GC matched that 15 under. DeChambeau's 63 did the heavy lifting, Anirban Lahiri added a 68, and Paul Casey and Charles Howell III each signed for 69.

Smash GC is alone in third at 9 under, with Jason Kokrak shooting 68 and Koepka, Talor Gooch and Graeme McDowell all at 69. 4Aces GC is fourth at 6 under behind 68s from Patrick Reed and Harold Varner III.

Legion XIII is the team with the most obvious upside. Rahm and Hatton combined for 11 under, but Caleb Surratt shot 73 and Tom McKibbin shot 75, which left the team fifth at 5 under, 10 shots back. Torque GC is sixth at 4 under after Sebastián Muñoz and Mito Pereira each posted 72.

At the bottom, Iron Heads GC sits 13th at 11 over, and Stinger GC is 12th at 5 over after Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace each shot 74.

What Saturday Brings

DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith will go off together in the leaders' group on Saturday, three of the biggest names in LIV Golf separated by a single shot. DeChambeau has the length, Rahm has the form and Smith has the touch, and on a course where DeChambeau expects the greens to get firmer by the day, the approach game may decide who handles the altitude best. In the team race, Ripper and Crushers start level, with Smash lurking six back and Legion XIII needing its two young players to find something on Saturday.

Full first-round details are in LIV Golf's Round 1 report (opens in a new tab) and the team recap on FOX Sports (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 report), FOX Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.