The crowds flocked to watch American Bryson DeChambeau. And he delivered in more ways than one.

If you didn't time your run, you weren't seeing much. The galleries were about eight rows deep to get a glimpse of the U.S Open champion and his playing partners, Jon Rahm and wildcard Anthony Kim.

The murmurs circulating around the ropes were clear. They wanted to see Bryson.

The American signed for a near-perfect four-under 68, beating Rahm by two and Kim by five. The only blemish on his scorecard was a double-bogey 7 at the par-5 9th hole.

He bounced back with a clean and breezy three-under on the back side, putting himself two shots back from England's Sam Horsfield, who has the outright lead.

DeChambeau not only played well, he engaged with the crowd, including joking with onlookers when having to move a sign after missing the fairway on 7.

He looks confident in where his game is and at home being the guy everybody wants to see.

RIGHT: DeChambeau shows some Valentine's Day love to the Adelaide crowd. PHOTO: Getty Images.

"The Australians, they're a fun bunch," DeChambeau told media.

"Anytime I can get them excited, it's a thrill.

"Just everywhere I looked, everybody was screaming at the top of their lungs, and it was fun to showcase a little emotion on the 12th hole because that's what that hole is meant to be. I'm just glad I hit it on the green and didn't get a boo."

There are a few players across the globe who move the ratings needle when they tee it up. We saw it with Rory McIlroy two weeks ago at Pebble Beach when he ran away with the AT&T Pro-Am, generating the best TV ratings at the event since 2021. Bryson is no different; he is a player who draws eyeballs, whether it be on TV or on course.

His following has soared over the last few years for numerous different reasons. Firstly, it was the cheese cutter-styled hats and scientific approach to playing. If it wasn't that, it was the one-length irons and borderline turning himself into a bodybuilder. There were feuds with Brooks Koepka, major titles, claiming Augusta was a par 67 for him and more recently, the social media series where he tried to make a hole-in-one over his house – which he eventually achieved.

RIGHT: Firing up the locals wasn't hard for the American. PHOTO: Getty Images.

The two-time major winner loves coming down to Adelaide; he made that clear last year when he put on a show on the range in fading light, hitting shots left-handed and doing shoeys.

"Certainly, this is one of the best LIV events, if not the best LIV event on our schedule, and it's a joy coming back here with the fans and the people and the atmosphere," DeChambeau said in his post-round press conference.

"This is what LIV Golf is about. This is what we all thought it was going to be every single week, and it's going to get there. We're going to work to continue to make that happen."