[PHOTO: LIV Golf]
Majesticks GC are poised to win their first team title while fan favourite Bryson DeChambeau unravelled during a treacherous second round of LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club where gusty breezes wreaked havoc.
The Mexican duo of Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, and England’s Sam Horsfield, share the individual lead at nine-under par entering the final round. Chile’s Joaquin Niemann is three strokes back while Spain’s Jon Rahm trails by four.
Fickle wind gusts made shot selection problematical as rounds ballooned to more than 4 hours, 50 minutes. Just four players broke 70 on the relatively short Grange layout: Ancer (67), Ortiz (68), Rahm (69) and Horsfield (69).
After a promising start, the big-hitting DeChambeau fell victim to the bogey train, dropping five shots in six holes late in his round to card a one-over 73. At one stage he used the balcony from a neighbouring house to get a distance after a wayward tee shot. He drove the green on the 374-metre 15th hole only to three-putt for par. He is six strokes adrift of the lead and tied for ninth.
In search of their first-ever team title, Majesticks lead Legion XIII and Fireballs GC by a stroke. LIV Golf Boston in 2022 was the last time the Majesticks registered a podium top-three finish.
Co-leader Horsfield was well supported by teammates Ian Poulter (70), Lee Westwood (70) and Henrik Stenson (71) in pursuit of a drought-breaking title.
“I think this is a good golf course for us, and in these conditions, it being a lot of thinking going on out there and not so much target golf, bomber’s paradise,” Horsfield said. “You’re hitting a lot of irons off tees, placing it, putting the ball on the left side of the fairway for a right pin or trying to lay it back, [so] you can put spin on a ball.
“I think that fits right into us. The four scores counting, I think that also really helps us. We’ve spoken about it as a team. Last year on Sundays, that was the only day the four scores counted, we had a tendency to go up the leaderboard instead of backwards.
“Those three guys, they’re, as I call them, crafty veterans. They’ve been around the block a few times, and they know how to get it done. I think they’re really, really excited. I can feel my phone vibrating in my back pocket, so I’m sure it’s them in a group chat. Yeah, looking forward to it.”
The All-Australian Ripper GC requires a miracle to defend its team title, trailing by nine strokes. Lucas Herbert (71-70) is the best of the Australians to be three-under in a share of ninth individually. Marc Leishman (73-70) is T-20, Cam Smith (72-73) is T-29 while Matt Jones (75-71) is T-35.
