SINGAPORE RECAP: DECHAMBEAU CONFIDENT SINGAPORE JUST LULL BEFORE THE STORM
SINGAPORE – Table-topping Crushers GC ended a forgettable two-week stretch at LIV Golf Singapore, finishing outside the points for the first time this season as a team as well as individually. However, Captain Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t getting overly worried.
At Sentosa Golf Club, Crushers got off to the worst start of their season – a 1-under aggregate score – and then added a 12-under and 4-under over the next two days to finish on 17-under total and in 11th place. Despite not earning any points, the two-time champions in 2024 maintained their lead on the top of the Team Standings, 11.5 points ahead of second-placed Legion XIII at 105.5 points.
In Adelaide the week before, the team was tied 7th.
Individually, DeChambeau was the best-placed Crushers player, tied 27th at 5-under (73-66-69), followed by India’s Anirban Lahiri at tied 30th (70-69-70). England’s Paul Casey, despite hitting 44 greens in regulation and tying for 2nd place in the stat category, was tied 32nd (69-71-70). And Charles Howell III, following a disastrous opening round of 76, recovered well with a 66 before a 71 on the final day saw him finish tied 40th at even-par.
DeChambeau was unhappy with the way he played personally.
“Yeah…not good. I don’t know why but my hands were swelling out here this week. I couldn’t feel it in the heat and humidity. Golf swing’s a little bit off,” said DeChambeau.
“I just have this feeling I’m missing it right, and then my planning was not great either. My bunker play and my wedge play has been solid and I just got to get my ball striking dialled in a little bit more.
“I don’t know what happened, but I have to figure out why that ball is leaving like that, because it just kicks me out of contention. I have the PGA Championship coming up and it’s on a golf course (Valhalla) that should suit my driving game. So, disappointed about the past couple weeks, but there is no reason why I can’t fix it over the next few days.”
On the team performance, DeChambeau added: “Bit of a low, but it’s golf, right? You’re not going to be perfect all the time. Certainly, we’ve got to improve little things here and there to get us back up on top of that leaderboard. We are all experienced enough to do it on our own, figure out our own mistakes. I have the full belief in my team that we will be back in contention when we reach Houston.”
The turnaround of the tournament was Howell’s brilliant 66 on the rain-delayed Saturday after his befuddling 76 on Friday.
Howell needed 37 putts to complete his opening round, and 28 on the second day.
“38 putts on Friday, actually. I was struggling with the speed of the greens. And after the round, I spent a bit of time on the putting green and figured something out. Hit the ball a bit better and then needed 10 putts less. That’s quite a simple way to turn things around,” said Howell.
After a decent top-15 finish in Adelaide, Lahiri expected better from himself, but for a second straight visit to Asia, he caught the ‘flu and struggled with his energy levels.
“Very disappointed. The same thing happened in Hong Kong. I think I need to consult an astrologer instead of the doctor now,” said Lahiri.
STAT REVIEW
Field ranking in parentheses
Fairways Hit
DeChambeau – 25 (T25)
Lahiri – 29 (T8)
Casey – 25 (T25)
Howell – 21 (T40)
Greens in Regulation
DeChambeau – 40 (T14)
Lahiri – 41 (T7)
Casey – 44 (T2)
Howell – 39 (T23)
Total Putts
DeChambeau – 87 (T24)
Lahiri – 92 (T42)
Casey – 95 (49)
Howell – 97 (T50)
Total Birdies
DeChambeau – 11 (T31)
Lahiri – 11 (T31)
Casey – 12 (T26)
Howell – 7 (T49)
Driving Distance Avg.
DeChambeau – 318.2 (3)
Lahiri – 283.0 (53)
Casey – 309.8 (16)
Howell – 298.3 (31)