DeChambeau "1-Stroke Lead"... McIlroy 6th, Im Seongjae 22nd

WGC Mexico Championship Round 2: 8 Under Par, 2-Shot Lead, Thomas and Matsuyama Tied for 4th

Bryson DeChambeau is teeing off on the 10th hole on the second day of the Mexico Championship. Mexico City (Mexico) = Getty Images / Multi B

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Bryson DeChambeau (USA) takes the lead.

On the 22nd (Korean time) at Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City, Mexico (par 71, 7,345 yards), the second round of the World Golf Championships (WGC) 2019/2020 season 2nd event, the Mexico Championship (total prize money $10.5 million), DeChambeau surged with an 8-under-par round to top the leaderboard at 11-under-par 131. Erik van Rooyen (South Africa) and Patrick Reed are tied for 2nd place at 10-under-par 132, while Justin Thomas (USA) and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) are tied for 4th at 9-under-par 133.

DeChambeau started from a tie for 4th place, 3 strokes behind, and racked up an impressive 9 birdies (1 bogey). After his first birdie on the 11th hole (par 5), he made a bogey on the 14th hole (par 4) but recovered with a birdie on the 15th hole (par 5), finishing 1-under-par on 8 holes. He then powered up with 4 consecutive birdies from holes 18 to 3, followed by 3 consecutive birdies from holes 5 to 7, ultimately taking the lead. His driving distance averaged 342.5 yards, and his iron shots hit the green at an 83.33% rate, serving as his driving force. His stroke gained putting was outstanding at 4.565 strokes.

Leading by 1 stroke, this is his 6th career win after 1 year and 3 months since winning the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Matsuyama and Thomas are chasing closely, 2 strokes behind, looking for a comeback. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who was the leader the previous day, recorded 4 birdies and 2 bogeys but slipped to 6th place at 7-under-par 135. His fairway hit rate remained at 57.14%, and his putting average per hole was as high as 1.80, which was disappointing.

World No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain) is tied for 22nd at 1-under-par 141, and defending champion Dustin Johnson (USA) is tied for 60th at 5-over-par 147. Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics) lost 1 stroke with 3 birdies and 4 bogeys, tied for 22nd, the best among Korean players. An Byeong-hun (29) is tied for 42nd at 2-over-par 144, and Kang Sung-hoon (33, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 70th at 10-over-par 152. Lee Tae-hee (36) struggled, finishing last in 72nd place at 11-over-par 153.