LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

February 14, 2026

Jon Rahm

Bryson DeChambeau

The Grange

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have the captain of Legion XIII, Jon Rahm, and captain of Crushers GC, Bryson DeChambeau. Bryson, you finished at 8-under today, currently at 19-under. Jon, 6-under for the day, tied for first place.

Jon, we'll start with you. Just walk us through that final hole there.

JON RAHM: Well, I would say it might be the most impressive thing I've done all week, which is pull it that far left twice, hit the cart path twice, and end up on the 10th tee twice. The odds of that are pretty low.

Then luckily we get the TIO relief, obviously, I knew from yesterday, so I wasn't too concerned, and knowing where I was going to drop, pretty good angle to that pin, as well. It was actually the best spot to be pretty much for every single pin for that distance.

It was a really good number, 62 meters into the wind, trying to land it about six, seven short. Obviously executed it pretty well, and the rest is what you all saw. I'm not really expecting to make it. I'm hoping to hit it close, but obviously ended up with the grand prize on that one.

Q. Bryson, really hot day out there. I think you birdied nine out of 11 holes an a stretch there. How did you feel about the round?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, it was weird because I started off, I hit a great drive on the 1st. I thought I was in the fairway, got in the rough. Caught a squirter out to the right and bounced and went down the hill, and tried to hit a good shot up against the -- I tried to hit a good shot up there, and it just was really soft ground and came back to me, and then I luckily chipped it in. It was a weird start.

Pulled the drive left -- I was pulling the driver a little bit. Going to go work on that. But I hit a good drive on 18 and missed my spot by a couple yards. I just landed it two, three yards short and didn't let it trickle out over the hill on 18.

There was a stretch there where I felt like my old self, and pretty happy about the way I played. Hopefully more of that. I saw 9-under by Jon and Ben yesterday and maybe there was one other 9-under so I was trying to shoot 10, but it didn't happen today.

Just try to go play my best tomorrow. It's going to be a good battle with Jon. He's a fierce competitor. He's tough to play against. It's going to be a fun day.

Q. I wanted to ask both of you guys, after the two-shot swing at 13, Bryson, you were up by 4. First, Jon, what were you thinking at that point? Bryson was obviously on a heater at that time. You'd just bogeyed the par-5 there.

JON RAHM: Well, probably thinking what a lot of people were thinking; this was a bad mistake for my second and third shots. Then especially after Bryson hit his shot on 14, assuming he's going to make that birdie and most likely one or two more, I basically had to run the tables at that point to have any hopes, which I did a good job.

Got a bit aggressive. Sometimes making a mistake like that frees you up a little bit, and just got really aggressive with every shot I had, and it ended up working out.

I also hope to hit a few more fairways tomorrow. Can't expect to make two birdies and a hole-out hitting it off the fairway on this golf course. Hopefully I can clean that up. But yeah, I just got in aggressive mode and tried to birdie every hole coming in.

Q. Bryson, you were up by four. Did you expect you'd be tied for the lead a few holes later?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Not necessarily, but I'm just focused on my game. I know there's a lot of golf left to play, so it wasn't like I was pressing too hard.

The only thing I wish I would have taken back was the 17th, the drive. The wind really wasn't helping and actually turned more off the right. I felt like I hit a pretty good drive and it just obviously wasn't. Probably should have laid up there and given myself a birdie putt from 20 feet rather than pushing it up.

I think it hit the barrier and came back into a footprint again, so I had a footprint on 15, footprint on 17, which was pretty disappointing for birdie holes. That's just what happens when you don't hit it on line, and you pay the consequences sometimes, and I paid it dearly on this round finishing because I had it going.

I felt really good after 14. 15, I stepped on the tee box and felt good. Hit a good drive, it just kind of drifted left, and it's just how it played out.

Played a great hole on 16. Hit a great drive on 18. That's golf.

But 8-under is nothing to be ashamed of. You've got -- I played great today. I'm pretty proud of the way I handled myself. That was pretty sick seeing what Jon did on 18. I didn't know you could go that far left and still have a clean lie and angle after that.

JON RAHM: You didn't see my round yesterday.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: The thing about it is I've done way worse than that before and I've gotten way luckier than that, too. It's just golf. It's a lot of fun, and we're two fierce competitors, like I've said. It's going to be a fun battle tomorrow, but hopefully just play well.

Q. The only other time you guys have played in the final group, in the final round of a LIV event was two years ago in Vegas. Just the fact that you're battling out there, two big names, obviously our biggest crowds of the year, what do you expect tomorrow? What was it like today? You talked about how much fun it was. Can you kind of take us into what it's like to be in that moment?

JON RAHM: As far as I'm concerned, I spent a lot of the day hoping for a good lie in the trees or the rough. I didn't have a lot of time to focus on the crowd.

But overall, the Australian crowd is really fun. They're really creative. They say a lot of funny things, and it's quite entertaining, obviously. They were out there supporting pretty much everybody.

It's quite enjoyable when either one of us three in the group hit a good shot and they're all cheering equally for each one. When Ben made his par putt on 16, for example, they cheered about as loud as they did for my birdie putt. That just makes everything more fun and probably the reason why both of us have been able to score as low as we have so far. You can feed off that energy, and it helps.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, the crowd was great today, barring they stopped a couple golf balls from rolling into some good places. No, I'm just kidding.

I'm surprised I haven't hit anybody. It's the weirdest thing. I got lucky.

JON RAHM: We were over the people left.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No, maybe they just have been consuming a little bit too much and don't feel it. I don't know, could be true.

But ultimately for me, it's been great having these guys out here and supporting us. 12 was a lot of fun today. Hit it in there pretty close and kind of riling up the crowd and then making it, it always feels good and gives you some energy and some momentum, as well.

That was a cool moment. Hopefully we can give them a good show tomorrow. We'll see how the cookie crumbles.

Q. Third member of the threesome tomorrow is going to be AK. Two years ago if somebody had said AK would be in the final group with you two in our largest event, you probably might not have thought that. Can you talk about his progression, what you've seen?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: What an incredible story, first off. Going from the lowest of lows, almost moving away from this earth and then coming back and really taking accountability and raising his little girl and being a family man and being 1 percent better every day. It's an inspiring story that I think honestly should have a lot more media attention than it does. It deserves that.

It shows some of the opportunities that LIV Golf can provide and give hope to people. It's another opportunity to play. I think that's what's so brilliant about it is you've got a guy like that that's struggled pretty much his entire career, and this is really when he has become more of himself than any other time, more of a family man, a father, a great person that cares deeply about playing good golf now. That's all he cares about, and he loves it. I think that's really inspiring for anybody at any age, that you can pick it up and be a better person.

My hats off to him for doing everything he's doing, working as hard as he has to get back. He's an incredible talent, obviously; we know that. He's starting to show it, and for him to be in the final group will be fun. I actually haven't played with him yet, so it'll be fun to see how he golfs his ball.

JON RAHM: I was able to enjoy a car ride back to the hotel from the golf course in Riyadh, which somehow there's traffic at midnight there, so it was quite a bit over an hour, and he shared quite a bit of his story with me. What he's doing is nothing short of remarkable.

I really hope he can find the right person to tell his story, however form, movie, documentary series, book, whatever it is, because what he's doing is so impressive. Where he was at in life to where he's at now -- I've been able to play with him. I played in Singapore in his first season with him early on. Both of us played with him here last year in the first round, and I played with him yesterday, and the progression, the jump from those two times to yesterday, it's impressive.

The round he played yesterday on not the easiest golf course was incredible. Didn't really miss a shot. Shot 5-under and should have been lower because he did not make many putts. It was a flawless round of golf. It's impressive. It's impressive.

To see him now being part of a team after earning his spot back in the league, making a 15-footer on the second day to get into the final qualifying day, he's been proving it. After everything he's gone through, if there's somebody that's not going to be scared to be out here and have to make the putts, it's somebody him like. I wouldn't be surprised if at this point this season he's somebody who's hoisting the trophy at the end of the week.

Q. Bryson, I'm not sure if you noticed, but the television cameras cut to you as Jon was taking relief on the 18th hole, and you looked a little bit frustrated. What was going through your mind when you know Jon is getting free relief back near the 18th fairway?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, it was shocking, obviously. I didn't know that's what could happen, so that was most of what the shock was. It was like, what the heck, you can do that? I didn't know that. But ultimately, I didn't really know from my perspective that it was okay over there, so I was kind of shocked.

That's really all it was, ultimately. I didn't think much of it other than that. I was trying to actually make it on top of him after he made it. I told G-Bo, let's make it on top of him, and just came out a little dead. But no, I didn't know that was there, and hopefully that can go in my favor at some point.

I've had way worse shots, by the way, too. It was just a bit of a shock at the moment, and then I was like, you know what, I've done way worse than that, too.

Q. You two guys are clearly LIV's biggest stars on the league at the moment. You got a big break on the rest of the field. Is this going to be the closest thing to, say, a Ryder Cup Sunday singles tomorrow with the big crowds and just the status of the tournament at the moment?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I wish I would have played him or Rory, but it didn't happen.

But I think, yeah, it's going to be a good battle tomorrow. We're going to have some fun. We're going to hit some good golf shots, hopefully hit more fairways. Other than that, it's going to be a lot of fun tomorrow. Going to give it all we have.

JON RAHM: Quite tricky to replicate Sunday at a Ryder Cup. So it's hard to say it would be the same feel. But especially because we're not neither home or away for anybody. The crowd has been pretty supportive of both of us, like I said earlier. We're not going to have that factor. But obviously with both of us five shots clear of next, it should in theory turn into a two-man race if we play as good as we have this week.

In that essence, yeah, it will have that feel, Bryson and I going at each other. I wouldn't put it past anybody to go out and shoot 10-under tomorrow even if conditions are tricky. It's a golf course where you can do it and things can get sideways quick. It happened to me early in the round. It's still everybody's game.

Q. Question for both of you. Do you feel like the way the tournament is sitting now is vindication for LIV going to 72-hole events? It seems like one more day of you two going head-to-head is feting -- even though that would have been a great way to go to a playoff, but it feels like one full more day is more fitting for this event?

JON RAHM: I mean, I've been a proponent of 72 holes. I just think more golf is better for better players, better for the viewers, especially for a week like this one. While it would have been amazing to hole out to get into a playoff, I think it's great that we get 18 holes to decide a winner. I think the more golf, the better.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I mean, after it went in, I'm certainly glad -- and not getting up-and-down, I'm certainly glad there's 18 more tomorrow.

But it is taxing going another round. But we've done it our whole career, and we're used to it and pretty comfortable with it.

Yeah, I think we're separating as of now. You never know, somebody could go super deep tomorrow. But I think we're both playing some great golf right now and giving the fans what they want, and this is what it's about.

I wish my team was up there a little higher, but they're struggling a little bit. I think Legion, you guys are leading. It's cool. It's not only just about the individual side, but it really shines through on the team side, as well, with who's playing the best that week.

From that perspective, I think four rounds is great. Always pros and cons; you can always say the opposite with certain things. But for the most part, four rounds is nice for this week, especially out here.

Q. Jon, we saw in the off-season you demolish an entire box of Krispy Kremes in a Bob Does Sports video and won the hole. I want to know, is that kind of nutrition key to making a hole-out eagle on 18, and is that kind of going to get you over the line to win the individual championship this year?

JON RAHM: It was a baker's dozen, and before we got to the green, which I must say, a lot of the people in the crowd kept saying it was two holes and I was offended. I was offended because it was less than one hole. So yeah, I take pride in that.

I think I still have a carb high and a sugar rush from that day in December we did it because of how much I ate. It's not ideal for golf because the next few holes, I think it showed on camera, my hands were shaking in a way that I felt like I needed my insulin lowered because it was a little bit too high.

I do look like somebody that enjoys food, right? I try to take care of myself, but I do enjoy food. I'm a foodie. I like eating. Northern Spanish people tend to be that way.

But doing things like that and in general the social media and YouTube things is really fun. Even in a silly way like that, you can kind of simulate competition in some way. It's funny how days like that can still help you in your training. Not food-wise, but I am putting myself in a weird, uncomfortable situation trying to perform. In a weird way, it does help.

Q. Bryson, what does it feel like when you get in the zone, and were you in that zone today?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, there's definitely a moment where I feel like I'm in a flow state. People call it the zone. People call it numerous things. But for me, I got to that 12th hole, I made birdie and then I hit the drive left, hit a chip shot up there. Hit the shot on 14 up there close. It felt like I was doing exactly what I needed to do. It's weird because you do feel like you're in this, like, bubble almost, but you're still able to control everything.

Things are just kind of going your way. You're rolling. No matter what happens or what people say, you kind of just stay in that zone.

It's definitely a fun feeling to get in that flow and feel like you're really comfortable out there and things are just moving your way, and then there's times where out there I was out of it. On the first hole when I hit that shot and it came back down, I'm like, oh, my gosh. That kind of kicks you in the face, and that's this golf course. It can be very diabolical.

Being in the zone is this weird unique position where you're in control, but you also feel like it's just going to happen no matter what. It takes a lot of time to get there. It takes time and experience to get there. I'm sure you've felt it numerous times where just like, nothing can go wrong. Then there's times where you play good golf and you're not in the zone.

I definitely felt like I was in the zone a bit today. Hopefully I can have more of that and feel a lot of those moments going into the major championships this season so I can get comfortable. I definitely got fast out there, and there were some times where I overdrew the shot. But again, I still felt in control, which is weird. It just happens. You've just got to go work on it and get better. Even when you're in the zone you can still make mistakes, but it's a lot of fun when you get rolling.