Bryson DeChambeau’s golf wizardry on full display in India thanks to incredible eagle

Bryson DeChambeau is playing in India for the first time this week and making history in the process. No defending major champion has ever played competitively in India before, thus marking a momentous occasion for the world’s most populous country.

He’s also making the most of it. He visited the Taj Mahal before the first round of the International Series India began and has since talked about the importance of growing the game globally. That’s why he’s playing at the DLF Golf Club outside New Delhi this week, hoping his game and personality entertain and inspire Indian fans.

How he played the par-5 8th hole did just that.

After hooking his drive left off the tee, DeChambeau faced a treacherous second shot from the bunker. His ball sat well below his feet, and he had to navigate a narrow window thanks to shrubs and trees blocking a good portion of his angle to the left. With water all down the right side, a lot could have gone wrong on this shot. But the reigning U.S. Open champion made it look easy. He rifled a long iron up and to the left of the green, giving himself an excellent look to get up and down for a birdie four.

But Dechambeau bested that, chipping in for an eagle three to improve to 3-under for his round. He then birdied the par-4 9th hole to go out with a 4-under 32, but three bogies and a birdie on the back nine dropped him back to 2-under for the championship.

Because of an hour-long fog delay in the morning, a good portion of the field could not complete their rounds before dusk. That includes DeChambeau, who managed to play 16 holes on Thursday and now faces a 17-footer for par on the 17th hole on Friday morning.

Eugenio Chacarra, who recently slammed LIV Golf over its lavish paydays, leads the International Series India after day one thanks to his 4-under 68. Like DeChambeau, he eagled the 8th hole as well but then had an up-and-down back-nine that featured a triple bogey on the par-4 13th, a pair of bogies on the 14th and 18th holes, and three consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes. Talk about a wild way to finish. Kazuki Higa of Japan is also 4-under but has three holes to play on Friday morning.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.