Bryson DeChambeau not intimidated by strong field in Saudi

Bryson DeChambeau is embracing the challenge of taking on a new course and a world-class field as he bids for back-to-back victories at this week's inaugural Saudi International.

DeChambeau tees up alongside three of the four players above him in the world rankings, with current world No 1 Justin Rose headlining the all-star cast which also includes Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.

World No 5 DeChambeau cruised to his maiden European Tour victory last week, blitzing another high-quality line-up by seven shots at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and he believes the Royal Greens Golf Club in King Abdullah Economic City will present an excellent test.

"Winning on the European Tour for the first time was great - I'm pretty stoked about that," said DeChambeau, "I obviously played good enough to win by seven which was really cool.

"I was very, very pleased about last week, and now I'm looking forward to this week and the first time being here in Saudi Arabia. I'm looking forward to a great challenge with a lot of great players in the field, too.

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"I haven't seen the course yet but from what I've heard, it favours big hitters. We have to hit some good iron shots in there on the right tiers. I think that's going to be the challenge this week, hitting it to the right tiers of the greens, and all the top guys in the world right now are great ball‑strikers.

"At the end of the day, it's going to be difficult, but it's going to be a great test that I'm looking forward to."

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Koepka has been jostling for world No 1 status with Rose since landing his second major of 2018 at the PGA Championship, and he is relishing the chance to take on such a strong field in Saudi Arabia.

"Everyone wants to play against the best players in the world," he said. "Any time you can play an event where you have four of the top five, you've obviously got a lot of competition, a lot of good players to beat, and that's fun because you want to play against the best.

"That's what I'm here to do, week‑in, week‑out, to play against the best. It's always fun to take your talents up against theirs and see where you match up."

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