Bryson DeChambeau brings his best in pairing with Tiger Woods

Bryson DeChambeau, coming off a win at The Northern Trust last week, out-dueled Tiger Woods on Sunday in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship to go into second place, a shot behind leader Abraham Ancer.

If Bryson DeChambeau was nervous about playing with Tiger Woods on Sunday, he didn’t show it.

The 24-year-old DeChambeau shot an eight-under 63 in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship to jump all the way into a tie for second place. He will begin the final round on Monday just a shot off the lead held by Abraham Ancer, a week after winning The Northern Trust.

DeChambeau says the nerves were there teeing up with Woods, but it didn’t affect him in the least. He was four-under through his first seven holes, then added three more birdies on the 14th, 16th and 17th. The highlight of his day came at the par-five finishing hole, where he hit his second shot to within two feet for an eagle.

The 63 tied his career-low round on the PGA Tour. His last score that low came just eight days ago at The Northern Trust, also in the third round.

All the while he and Woods chatted throughout the round, a chance for two players who couldn’t be more different to get to know each other. DeChambeau said after the round he approached the chance to play with his childhood idol as an opportunity, not a distraction.

“I’ve admired him my whole entire life,” he said, according to PGATour.com. “And to be finally able to play with him under tournament conditions, it was different. I was a little nervous, for sure. But I was able to get out there and execute shots and worry about my game and focus on hitting the best shots possible, and I was able to play really well like that.”

DeChambeau won his third career PGA Tour event last week, joining Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson as the only players to win the NCAA individual title, the U.S. Amateur and three PGA events before the age of 25. The win vaulted him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings, a spot he will likely keep with a good finish this week.

He has some history on his side looking for back-to-back wins to start the FedEx Cup playoffs. A player has won multiple playoff events seven times since the competition began in 2007.

More from PGA Tour

• 3M Open picks 2023: Expert picks, best bets for PGA Tour golf this week
• Rory McIlroy’s win at the 2023 Scottish Open puts him in excellent position heading to next major
• Scottish Open purse 2023: Payout by player, finishing position
• Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
• Genesis Scottish Open TV schedule 2023: Start times, tee times, purse, odds, how to watch

Woods looked at the start of the round like he was going to match DeChambeau shot for shot. He was three-under thru seven, but cooled off after that and didn’t make another birdie until the 18th. He finished with a round of 68 and is tied for 16th, six off the lead. He admitted that the constant stream of talk between him and DeChambeau freed up both players and allowed each of them to play their best game.

“We were always chatty. When you’re playing with friends, yeah, you’re competing, but you’re still playing with friends,” he said.

This might not be the last fans see of Woods and DeChambeau paired together this year. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk will make his first three captain’s picks on Tuesday, and both players are in the mix to make the team. DeChambeau just missed an automatic qualifying spot, finishing ninth in the points race, while Woods ended up in 11th.

Woods said earlier this week a Ryder Cup pairing of him and DeChambeau would be great because of their contrasting styles and ways of approaching the game.

“He and I playing together would be fantastic,” he said. “I know that we think about the game completely differently. I’m very much a feel-orienated guy, and he’s very much a numbers guy, but for some reason we get along and we work.”

Ancer, a 27-year-old Mexican in his second year on the PGA Tour, shot a six-under 65 on Sunday to take solo possession of the lead. He came into the week 92nd in the FedEx Cup standings and needed a good showing to crack the top 70 to get into the field at the BMW Championship next week.

Looking for his first PGA Tour title, Ancer has four top 10s on tour this year, including a tie for fourth at the Quicken Loans National. He missed the cut last week in New Jersey, but came to Boston this week knowing his game was trending in the right direction.

“Very fine line, it’s a goofy game,” he said after his round on Sunday. “Last week, I felt like I hit the ball really good, I just really didn’t make anything. I hit a lot of good putts I thought would go in but they didn’t, but it’s a very fine line from being right there fighting for the cut and fighting for winning the tournament.”

Tyrrell Hatton is tied with DeChambeau for second after a two-under 69. Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are part of a group tied for eighth, four shots behind Ancer. Second round leader Webb Simpson was five-over on Sunday to fall all the way to 25th.

Ancer and DeChambeau will tee off in the final grouping at TPC Boston on Monday at 1:45 p.m. EST.