LIV Golf Miami Round 2: Bryson DeChambeau Outlasts the Blue Monster for a Two-Shot Lead

Bryson DeChambeau spent most of Saturday grinding out pars at Doral. Then he found two holes he liked, and now he owns LIV Golf Miami heading into Sunday.

The Crushers GC captain shot a 2-under 70 at Trump National Doral to reach 5 under and take a two-shot lead through 36 holes. Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC is alone in second at 3 under after a 71, and Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman share third at 2 under. In the team race, Leishman's Ripper GC climbed to the top at 9 over, two shots clear of 4Aces GC, on a day when even the lead number came with a plus sign.

Patience, Then a Punch

DeChambeau set the tone with a 400-yard drive on the first and a birdie to go with it. What followed was less fireworks and more endurance. He added a birdie at the fifth, then strung together 10 straight holes of nine pars and a bogey while the Blue Monster tossed everyone else around.

The break came at the drivable par-4 16th. He sent his tee shot across the water and behind the green, got a delicate chip up and down from an awkward lie, and then followed it with another birdie at the 17th to move clear. Field Level Media counted four birdies and two bogeys on his card.

DeChambeau called it a test of golf and said he was up for whatever Sunday brings.

The Blue Monster Gets Meaner

If Friday was hard, Saturday was harder. The field averaged 75.111, more than three strokes over par, which LIV Golf says is the second-toughest round in league history behind the opening round at Andalucía in 2024. Friday ranked third, which makes these the hardest 36 holes LIV has ever played. Only seven players are under par for the week.

The par-3 13th gave up zero birdies, with 43 pars and 11 bogeys. Of the 108 individual rounds played so far, 31 have been 77 or worse. Lucas Herbert's 69 was the only score in the 60s all day.

Garcia was the steadiest of the chasers, with three birdies against two bogeys and an 8-foot par save at the 14th in the middle of a long bogey-free stretch. He spoke about the course with the respect of someone who has been bitten by it. "It's the Blue Monster. That's just not a name; it comes with something. You have to respect it," Garcia said.

There was a nice storyline away from the course too. Garcia's father, Victor, is a club professional, and his student Carla Bernat Escuder won the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Saturday.

Reed Slips, Lefty Scrambles

Reed's two-shot overnight lead disappeared fast. He made five bogeys on his front nine and signed for a 75, which dropped him to 2 under but kept him squarely in the mix.

Mickelson's start was even rougher. He was 3 over through three holes and needed a strong finish to get back to a 73. "I started off very poorly; I was 3-over through three and lucky to be that," Mickelson said.

Leishman went the other way, shooting a second straight 71 that included an 84-foot birdie putt at the fourth. "I enjoyed myself out there today and probably not too many guys did," Leishman told reporters, per Golf Australia.

Jon Rahm made a move as well, rolling in three straight birdies on his closing nine for a 70 that got him to 1 under, tied for sixth with Stinger GC's Dean Burmester. Rahm has finished in the top 10 in every LIV event he has completed, and he is sitting four back. Dustin Johnson's day ended in pain, a bogey at the 17th followed by a drive into the water and a triple bogey at the 18th for a 75 that left him at even par.

Ripper Takes Over

With all four scores counting, Ripper GC's 2-over team round was good enough to jump from fourth to first. Herbert's 69 led the way, Leishman added his 71, captain Cameron Smith shot 74 and Matt Jones shot 76 for a team total of 9 over.

The 4Aces slid. Thomas Pieters bounced back with a 73, but Johnson and Reed both shot 75 and Harold Varner III shot 76, an 11-over day that dropped them to second at 11 over. The Crushers had it worse. DeChambeau's 70 was the only good news after Charles Howell III shot 74 and both Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri posted 79s, a 14-over round that left them tied for third at 12 over with the Fireballs, who got a 71 from David Puig to go with Garcia's. Iron Heads GC, the only team without a 77 this week, sits fifth at 13 over.

The history lesson hanging over all of it: according to LIV Golf, no team has ever won a LIV event with an over-par score. The Fireballs are chasing a fourth straight team title, which would match the 4Aces' league record for consecutive wins.

One Round, Plenty of Plot

DeChambeau has a two-shot edge, a reigning U.S. Open title and a driver that is overpowering the place, having led Saturday's field in distance at 345.6 yards. Garcia led Saturday's field in scrambling, and two major champions sit three back. Ripper's lead is only two shots, with four teams within four. The forecast calls for stronger wind gusts on Sunday, and the Masters is waiting a week later.

Catch up on the opening round in our Round 1 recap. Full scores are on the official LIV Golf Miami leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and LIV Golf's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has the full team breakdown.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 2 recap and leaderboard), Field Level Media, Golf Australia, Business Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.