JEDDAH RECAP: DECHAMBEAU, CRUSHERS REWRITE HISTORY WITH STUNNING JEDDAH WIN

KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia – In what has been the most dominant team performance on a Sunday, Crushers GC came back from 11 shots behind to win the team title of LIV Golf Jeddah by four shots over Stingers GC.

It was an exhilarating display by the Bryson DeChambeau-led team, which rewrote LIV Golf history by making the biggest comeback by any team. They shattered the previous record of 4Aces, who won from seven shots behind in Adelaide last year.

The thrilling charge was also a perfect example of what LIV Golf has been trying to achieve with the team aspect of the League. There were moments on the golf course when Joaquin Niemann and his cruise to the individual title became a sideshow to the birdie fest of DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III and Paul Casey.

With all four scores counting on the final day, DeChambeau shot the day’s best round of eight-under par 62; Howell’s second-best 64 was matched by only one other player in the field, and Lahiri’s 65 was the third-best round of the day. And with Casey playing as solidly as ever for his 69, Crushers tallied 20-under for the Sunday and leapfrogged from -18 at the start of the round to -38.

The second-best team score of the day was a distant 12-under by Torque, which included individual champion Niemann.

Asked if he thought a win was possible at the start of the day, DeChambeau said: “No, but I knew that our team is good enough to do it any day, especially with four scores counting. I can count on these guys to play really well.

“The top priority for us was to play our best, and it obviously showed today. Especially in these conditions, when it’s really windy, we do pretty well. We just hold our heads high.”

Lahiri added: “Bryson’s low round was the key. It’s just the kind of stuff he does. That was unbelievable golf in those windy conditions. I was playing so well that I thought I might be one of the lowest scores of the day, and if that round gets beaten by two of my own teammates, it just shows how well we played as a team.

“I’m not surprised by the record comeback. Shooting 20-under on any golf course is a big deal, and to do it on a course like this on such a windy day is probably the best Sunday team performance that you will see for a while.”

The reigning Team champions move up to the top of the team standings. Having finished second in the season-opening Mayakoba, they now have 68 points, 18 ahead of second-placed Smash GC.

Bryson DeChambeau – 4th – 63-73-62-203 (12-under)

This was another tournament where DeChambeau was so good, he should have won by several shots. But two three-putts, including one for an early double bogey, prevented him from going super low on the opening day and he had to be satisfied with a 63. Day two was a complete aberration as he made just one birdie, before normalcy was restored on Sunday.

The Texan wasn’t the most accurate off the tee, but he made up for that with his booming tee shots, which left him shorter distances to the greens, and hence a better chance of reaching it in regulation.

DeChambeau improved to seventh place in the Individual Standings with 27.68 points.

Anirban Lahiri – T6th – 68-67-65-200 (10-under)

Lahiri kept improving each day. On Friday after a 68, he said he played poorly, but was delighted to have scored well. On second day after a 67, he said he played well and could have scored better. And Sunday’s 65 was the perfect finish.

The Indian star was disgusted by his putting in the first two tournaments of the season, but turned it around d completely in Jeddah, where he was second in the Putts Made stats, needing just 80 hits on the green over the three days.

Charles Howell III – T6th – 67-69-64-200 (10-under)

If there was a metric for measuring consistency on LIV Golf, Howell would have won every year hands down. Jeddah was no different as he made 15 birdies, including two on his last two holes, and five bogeys, and posted sub-par rounds on each day.

The biggest weapon during the week was Howell’s putter as completed his 54 holes in 82 putts. The tied sixth place earned him 11.33 points and moved him to tied 11th place at 25.66 points.

Paul Casey – T29th – 69-68-69-206 (4-under)

Casey jumped in on an interview with Lahiri and declared: “The key to team golf is to choose three good partners!” It was a dig at himself, having shot 1-under when the other three were 19-under for the round.

But the 46-year-old Englishman was probably being harsh with himself. He was super solid through the week – second in fairways hit and second in greens in regulation. It’s just that he could not get his putter to heat up, finishing last in the stat with 94 putts. It’s just a matter of time for Casey.

STAT REVIEW
Field ranking in parentheses

Fairways Hit
DeChambeau – 13 (T52)
Lahiri – 23 (T18)
Howell – 21 (T25)
Casey – 28 (T2)

Greens in Regulation
DeChambeau – 41 (T10)
Lahiri – 36 (T36)
Howell – 39 (T19)
Casey – 44 (2)

Total Putts
DeChambeau – 85 (T14)
Lahiri – 80 (T2)
Howell – 82 (T7)
Casey – 94 (T52)

Total Birdies
DeChambeau – 16 (T4)
Lahiri – 15 (T7)
Howell – 15 (T7)
Casey – 12 (T24)

Driving Distance Avg.
DeChambeau – 330.9 (2)
Lahiri – 305.1 (37)
Howell – 304.6 (39)
Casey – 299.6 (T44)