Bryson DeChambeau gave the European Tour a little dose of his Weird Science Thursday in Dubai and he did it in style.
The world’s No. 5, highest-ranked player in the field of the Dubai Desert Classic, was his usual surgical self at the Emirates Golf Club.
The day was perfect for low scores — ultra-manicured greens, plush fairways and not a stitch of wind. Six birdies by DeChambeau got him to the top of the leaderboard until late in the afternoon when England’s Matt Fitzpatrick birdied his final four holes to shoot 65 for the solo lead.
DeChambeau felt like he left some birdies out on the course.
“I didn’t feel like I was hitting it anywhere near my best,” he said afterward. “I was able to recover in a couple of situations, made a couple of long putts and then got up and down on six, which was huge. I even missed a couple of putts. I just felt like it was a scrappy round, but I got it out and shot 66 today, so I’m happy.”
Fitzpatrick joined him in the “happy” ranks.
“It was obviously a great finish to the round,” he pointed out. ” A couple of things that I’ve been doing in the off-season sort of looked to have paid off a little bit. I just added a bit of extra length to my driver, so it’s given me a few yards to help get on in two on the last because I’ve never been able to do that. And then, just wedging it a lot better has given me a few more chances coming in. I do like the golf course. It’s tough, you’ve got to hit fairways, you’ve got to hit greens and I think it does suit my game if I’m playing well.”
Tommy Fleetwood, who played with DeChambeau, had it six-under at the turn, starting at the 10th but his birdie parade ended and he struggled home with a pair of bogeys on the front nine to shoot 68 and was tied with defending champion Haotong Li.
Editor’s Note: Bryson fired a second straight 66 on Friday and is tied for the halfway lead with Aussie Lucas Herbert. “I’m pleased,” said DeChambeau.
