DeChambeau\u2019s eagle on the first was the third time he\u2019s eagled his first hole in a round. Round 2 in Indianapolis 2025 and Round 1 in Mexico City 2025 were the others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PHIL BOUNCES BACK: On Thursday, Phil Mickelson<\/a> made his 2026 LIV Golf season debut after missing the first four events due to a family health matter. Understandably, the HyFlyers GC<\/a> captain struggled to a 4-over 75 that included both a double-bogey and a triple bogey. \u00a0<\/p>\n After shaking off the rust, Mickelson bounced back with a stellar round on Friday. He made four birdies\u00a0without a single blemish on the scorecard, posting a 4-under 67. \u00a0<\/p>\n WILDCARDS STAY HOT:\u00a0Last week in Singapore, Richard T. Lee<\/a> almost pulled off the unexpected, with the Canadian taking Bryson DeChambeau to a playoff before missing a two-foot putt to fall just short of LIV\u00a0Golf history as the league\u2019s first Wild Card winner. This week, a few other Wild Cards continue to show the stacked field that they belong. \u00a0<\/p>\n Scott Vincent<\/a>, from nearby Zimbabwe, and Japan\u2019s Yosuke Asaji<\/a> both enter the weekend in the top 20. Vincent has posted rounds of 66-68 to sit in a tie for 15th while Asaji went 68-67 and currently has a share of 19th. Asaji, who entered the week as the only player in the league without an eagle, had two eagles in his round.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s\u00a0been amazing,\u201d said Vincent of the support\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0received\u00a0from the fans at Steyn City.\u00a0\u201cEvery fairway people are cheering for me and yelling \u2018Zimbo\u2019 for Zimbabwe. Loving it.\u00a0The support\u00a0is unreal. I wish I could have more events like this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n GUARDING THE LION\u2019S DEN:\u00a0Steyn City\u2019s\u00a0signature hole \u2013 the 153-yard par-3 17th nicknamed the Lion\u2019s Den \u2013 has delivered some electric moments through the first two rounds. On Friday, the Southern Guards\u00a0protected their home turf by turning the Lion\u2019s Den into\u00a0target practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dean Burmester, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace put their tee shots to a combined 8\u00a0feet, 2 inches. Burmester and Grace made birdie\u00a0on the hole, while Schwartzel missed his short putt. Burmester\u2019s shot was only one foot away and the closest of the week so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s top three highlights of my career, I think, especially after hitting a shot like that after all of that is awesome,\u201d Burmester said of\u00a0his dart into 17. \u201cYesterday I tried to get them amped up, and I airmailed the green, so today obviously I took less club, and it worked out. It’s\u00a0a bit of a guessing game with adrenaline pumping through your veins.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe good thing about 17 is you can control your nerve to be able to hit a golf shot like that,\u201d explained Grace. \u201cIt was just such a perfect distance. It was\u00a0141 yards, a little down off the left, and it was just a stock standard wedge,\u00a0didn’t\u00a0have to do anything special. It was more\u00a0really just\u00a0backing yourself to aim a little left because of the wind direction. It was phenomenal to be able to hit a golf shot like that under that pressure and then to see the crowd go\u00a0absolutely bonkers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Louis Oosthuizen put his shot to 18 feet, 9 inches and made par.\u00a0<\/p>\n NUMBER 22: When he reached the 17th hole, Southern Guards\u2019 Dean Burmester put on the new kit released Friday by South Africa\u2019s national football (soccer) team, Bafana Bafana. Burmester explained why he opted for No. 22 on the back of his jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, 22. Two when I was growing up was my favorite number, and then I met my wife, and then two became her favorite number, and then 22 became our favorite number because we’re two twos,\u201d Burmester said. \u201cSo we got married on the 22nd of the 11th month, and everything is kind of divisible by two. When I played cricket, I always used to bowl two. I bowled second. I always had two on my jersey, and it became 22 when we became more than one person, so it’s a pretty cool sentimental thing.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DeChambeau\u2019s eagle on the first was the third time he\u2019s eagled his first hole in a round. 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