LIV Golf Mexico City Round 2: DeChambeau Clings to a One-Shot Lead as Smith and Niemann Close In

Two days, two eagles on the same hole, and one shot of breathing room. Bryson DeChambeau is still on top at LIV Golf Mexico City, but the man sitting a stroke behind him has the hands to make that lead feel very small.

DeChambeau shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday at Club de Golf Chapultepec to reach 13 under and carry a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round. Cameron Smith, his playing partner all day, matched that 66 and sits alone in second at 12 under. Joaquin Niemann tied for the low round of the day with a 64 and is three back at 10 under, and Jon Rahm is fourth at 9 under. In the team race, Ripper GC moved two shots clear of Crushers GC at 24 under, with Torque GC and Legion XIII tied for third at 19 under.

Same Hole, Same Result

DeChambeau has found a personal playground at the second. For the second straight day he made eagle at the 316-yard par 4, and he added birdies at the third, seventh, 12th, 13th, 16th and 18th, which included all three of the course's par 5s. Bogeys at the fifth, ninth and 11th kept it from becoming a runaway.

The decisive blow came on the final hole. DeChambeau birdied the par-3 18th to slide one ahead of Smith. He also led the field in driving distance on the two measured holes at 394.6 yards.

"Hopefully, I can do it again tomorrow," DeChambeau said, per Field Level Media.

His respect for the man next to him was obvious. "It's scary when he gets on the greens," DeChambeau said of Smith.

Smith Answers Back

Smith's card had its own swings. After an early birdie, the Ripper GC captain bogeyed the fifth and sixth and looked ready to slip. Instead, he birdied the seventh, 12th and 13th, then eagled the 575-yard par-5 16th to tie DeChambeau's 66. Five birdies, one eagle and two bogeys added up to a round that kept Smith firmly in the hunt for a first individual LIV Golf title since 2023.

Smith returned the compliment to his playing partner. "I wish I could drive the ball like him," Smith said.

There is a symmetry to Sunday. DeChambeau and Smith both last won an individual LIV Golf event in 2023. DeChambeau has made 19 regular-season starts without a win since, and Smith's drought sits at 20.

Niemann Lurks

Niemann may be the most dangerous player on the board. The Torque GC captain already owns two wins this season, at LIV Golf Adelaide and LIV Golf Singapore, and Saturday showed why. He birdied the second, seventh, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th, eagled the 16th and gave back just one shot, at the par-3 14th. That 7-under 64 lifted Niemann from a tie for sixth into solo third, and it puts him in Sunday's final group with DeChambeau and Smith, the first time those three have been paired together in a final group.

Rahm, the reigning individual champion, shot 69 and sits fourth at 9 under. Tyrrell Hatton is fifth at 8 under after a 67. Matt Jones, with the only bogey-free round of the day, and Harold Varner III each shot 67 and share sixth at 7 under. Home favorite Carlos Ortiz is 6 under after a second straight 68.

The Drive and the Albatross

Two shots stole the show. Caleb Surratt of Legion XIII smashed a 488-yard drive at the par-4 11th, a hole that plays to 450 yards, one of seven drives of 400 yards or more in the round. Surratt turned it into a 64.

Richard Bland topped it. The Cleeks GC veteran holed out from 253 yards at the 575-yard 16th for an albatross, only the second in LIV Golf history. Bland nearly repeated the trick at the seventh, stopping an approach five feet away, and the 66 lifted Bland into a tie for 10th at 5 under.

Four Teams in the Fight

Ripper GC's lead was built on steady work. Smith's 66 and Jones' 67 did the lifting, and Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman each shot 71 for a 9-under day and a 24-under total.

Crushers GC slipped two back at 22 under. DeChambeau's 66 was the only round under 69, with Paul Casey shooting 69 and Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri each posting 71.

The big movers were Torque GC and Legion XIII. Torque went 15 under for the round, the best team score of the day, behind Niemann's 64, a 65 from Sebastián Muñoz and Ortiz's 68. Ortiz knows what a team win at home would mean. "I still haven't won with Torque, so it would be really special to win tomorrow with them," Ortiz said. Legion XIII answered with a 14-under day, as Surratt's 64, Hatton's 67, Rahm's 69 and a 70 from Tom McKibbin vaulted the team into a tie for third at 19 under.

4Aces GC is right there too, fifth at 18 under after a 12-under round led by Dustin Johnson's 66. RangeGoats GC played Saturday without Ben Campbell, who withdrew with a wrist injury, and John Catlin stepped in to shoot 73.

Sunday Setup

The individual race comes down to a three-man final group, with DeChambeau's power, Smith's short game and Niemann's form all on one tee sheet. In the team competition, five teams sit within six shots of each other, and with every score counting, one bad card can swing the whole thing. Smith summed up the mood for the final pairing: "Hopefully Bryson and I and Joaco can put on a good show."

Catch up on Friday with our Round 1 recap. Full second-round details are in LIV Golf's Round 2 report (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 2 report), FOX Sports, Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.