BRYSON DECHAMBEAU DOMINATED the Caves Valley Golf Club course on Friday, firing two eagles in a 12-under-par 60 that gave him a one-shot clubhouse lead midway through the second round of the BMW Championship.
The long-hitting American’s power was on full display on the 7,542-yard layout in suburban Baltimore, Maryland, where play was then suspended due to inclement weather with around half the field still to complete their round.
Rory McIlroy followed up his opening round 64 with a two-under 70 to leave him on 10 under for the tournament, six shots off the lead, hitting four birdies and two bogeys across his second round.
Meanwhile Shane Lowry had four holes to play when play was suspended, with the Offaly man on four under for the day at the 14th, shooting four birdies and no bogeys.
DeChambeau had a six-foot birdie putt at the 18th that would have given him just the 13th sub-60 round in US PGA Tour history, but he couldn’t get it to drop.
The world number six, who won his first major title at the US Open last year, hit just seven of 14 fairways in regulation, but he split the fairway at 18, where his approach sailed over the pin and spun back to six feet.
Until that birdie miss DeChambeau had made all 16 of his putts from within 12 1/2 feet.
“I misread the putt, so, one of those things,” DeChambeau said. “It was an awesome opportunity.
“I had a couple shots, a couple birdie opportunities at 17 and 18, and didn’t happen but still really proud of the way I handled myself, and it’s great to feel some pressure again which is awesome.”
Despite the dazzling display, DeChambeau’s 16-under par total of 128 put him just one stroke in front of his nearest rival in the clubhouse Patrick Cantlay, who had 10 birdies and a bogey in a nine-under-par 63 for 129.
Cantlay was tied for the lead after his 10th birdie of the day at the 16th, but was in a greenside bunker at the par-three 17th and couldn’t get up and down for par.
DeChambeau didn’t have a blemish in a round that started with a 10-foot birdie at the first, followed by a 12-foot birdie at the second.
He eagled the fourth, where his 273-yard second shot left him an 11-footer. With birdies at five, seven and eight – where he rolled in a 30-foot putt – DeChambeau was seven-under for the round heading into the back nine.
Birdies at 11, 12 and 14 had him neck-and-neck with Cantlay before another impressive eagle at 16 — where he hit his second shot from trampled dirt near a cart path 252 yards to three feet.
“I’ll look back on this round and gain a lot of momentum from today,” DeChambeau said.
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