Team winners Crushers GC (from left) Paul Casey, captain Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri celebrate victory at LIV Golf South Africa with caddies Greg Bodine, Scott McGuinness, Tim Giuliano and Nick Jones during the trophy ceremony after the final round in Johannesburg on Sunday. Image courtesy LIV Golf.
From a Correspondent
Johannesburg, South Africa: Bryan DeChambeau came to LIV Golf South Africa wanting to entertain new fans and help grow the game in a country he had never previously visited.
The Crushers GC captain finished the week achieving his goals while sweeping both trophies – even if it meant breaking the hearts of the locals who embraced him as one of their own.
DeChambeau defeated fellow team caption captain Jon Rahm of Legion XIII on the first playoff hole to win his second consecutive LIV Golf individual title via playoff.
By then his Crushers had rallied to beat the home favourites Southern Guards GC by one stroke for the team title, their league-record ninth regular-season trophy.
The victory at Steyn City left DeChambeau in tears, a fitting end to an emotional tournament from multiple perspectives, driven in large part by the passionate South Africans fans that turned the event into the country’s biggest golf tournament.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa was on hand to congratulate DeChambeau on his victory, with DeChambeau responding by congratulating the country’s leader on the success of the tournament, with more than 100,000 tickets sold.
Unbelievable outing
“Just got to say I love everybody. Thank you for supporting,” DeChambeau said. “South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, it has got to be the best LIV event we’ve ever had.”
The country and the league plan to build on that momentum as the League announced a return to Steyn City in 2027, with the dates set for April 22 to 25
.
“This is more than golf. This is about our country,” said Gayton McKenzie, the South African Minister of Sport, Art and Culture who was instrumental in bringing the league to his homeland.
“What LIV Golf has done, they’ve showcased our country like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
The success of the tournament should help to soothe any disappointment felt by Louis Oosthuizen and his Southern Guards.
They seemed poised to win the team title thanks to quick starts by Dean Burmester, who birdied his first four holes, and Branden Grace, who birdied three of his first four.
As the midpoint of the final round approached, the Southern Guards led by nine strokes.
But as the South Africans cooled off, DeChambeau and his Crushers heated up.
Anirban Lahiri posted his second consecutive 8 under par 63, tying for the low round of the day, while Charles Howell III and Paul Casey each played their final 12 holes in a bogey-free 4 under.
When Lahiri ended his round with a birdie and Casey birdied his last two holes, the Crushers took the lead. Schwartzel, who battled back issues all week, provided a last-gasp birdie, but it wasn’t enough.
Record total
The Southern Guards finished at 75 under – on any previous LIV Golf tournament, it would’ve been the winning score, while the Crushers won with a record 76 under.
“Obviously disappointed finishing second, but this was the reason, all these people here, that we tried to get it here,” Oosthuizen said. “I think we’re very proud of what we achieved by getting the tournament here. All in all, it’s a week I’ll never forget.”
Grace, who tied for third at 23 under, was in the final group with DeChambeau and realised down the stretch that he could force a potential team playoff by playing one stroke better than the Crushers captain.
But rainy conditions in the final few holes made it difficult to play catchup. DeChambeau saved par on the par-5 18th after an errant tee shot while Grace couldn’t convert the lengthy birdie attempt from 27 feet to tie.
“I knew the last couple of holes it was kind of like between Bryson and myself, and he just at the end of the day made one better up-and-down than I did,” Grace said.
“What a phenomenal up-and-down he made on 18. Listen, it’s one of the best weeks of my life, in my golfing career, and to be able to spend it with three of my best mates is phenomenal.”
As for DeChambeau, he returned to the 18th to face off against Rahm, who produced a spectacular 8 under 63 to force a playoff at 26 under after starting the day three strokes behind.
DeChambeau once again hit his drive left into the mud but after receiving relief, he used a spectacular 3-wood from 295 yards to set up an eagle putt from 12 feet.
Narrow miss
Rahm, meanwhile, found the bunker with his second shot, and blasted out to 15 feet for his birdie attempt.
He missed the putt, allowing DeChambeau to two-putt for birdie for his fifth LIV Golf individual win, tying him for second-most in league history.
“It’s been a tough few weeks,” said DeChambeau, sitting among his three Crushers teammates in the post-round press conference.
“It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. But I can tell you that having these three great people up here and my caddie and the team around me really helped me persevere on through tough moments.
“A lot of it was just stuff that I can’t really explain, but ultimately, I’ll tell you that I’m super-grateful for how this has all played out, and I’m super-emotional.”
Knowing that they denied the home-standing Southern Guards a team victory on an otherwise successful week for the South Africans wasn’t a loss for the winners.
Casey made it a point to tell a disappointed Oosthuizen after the round how much the week had meant for the league as a whole.
Mixed bag
“I love winning but sometimes you feel bad,” said Casey, whose father grew up in Cape Town.
“You’re like, I’m rooting for them as well. Louis should be so proud. What he and Charl and Gracie and Dean accomplished this week is a victory.
“I know we pipped them. But they said, hey, we’re thinking there could be a LIV event in South Africa. We believe in this – and they made it happen.
“We have to thank them. Everybody at LIV should thank them for the energy they put into this, the relationships they have. I mean, the President is here.
“And the fans turned out. They were amazing. I’m like, sorry for winning, but I want to thank them for what they’ve done.”
Lahiri delivers
Lahiri had a rough start to the season, finishing worse than 50th in two of his first four starts of the season. Over the weekend at Steyn City, he made up for it – and then some.
Lahiri fired back-to-back 63s on Saturday and Sunday to help the Crushers climb the leaderboard. On Sunday, his 63 was tied for the lowest round of the day, a key effort to his team’s victory.
The only Indian on the LIV Golf roster also picked up his first Official World Golf Ranking points in four years by finishing inside the top 10, sharing ninth place with team mate Charles Howell III.
“I went into today with the same mindset and attitude that I go into every day, to be honest. But it was nice to have found some rhythm and momentum,” Lahiri said.
“It’s been a tough year. I’ve put a lot of work in, and I haven’t had anything to show for it, and I got comfortable yesterday after a long time.
“I was just trying to do the same thing, keep it simple. I was enjoying myself out there, enjoying the crowds, enjoying the event.” (courtesy LIV Golf)
Final leaderboards
Individual top 10
1. (-26) – Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (63-65-64-66)*
2. (-26) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (65-66-64-63)
T3 (-23) – Branden Grace, Southern Guards (64-66-64-67); Thomas Detry, 4Aces (66-67-63-65); Abraham Ancer, Torque (66-65-64-67)
T6 (-22) – Dean Burmester, Southern Guards (67-64-65-66); David Puig, Fireballs (66-64-66-66)
8. (-21) – Carlos Ortiz, Torque (67-65-65-66)
T9 (-20) – Anirban Lahiri, Crushers (69-69-63-63); Charles Howell III, Crushers (63-68-66-67)
*Won playoff on first extra hole
Team top 3
1. (-76) – Crushers GC (DeChambeau 63-65-64-66, Howell III 63-68-66-67, Lahiri 69-69-63-63, Casey 73-67-67-67; Rd 4 score: -21)
2. (-75) – Southern Guards GC (Grace 64-66-64-67, Burmester 67-64-65-66, Oosthuizen 69-68-64-67, Schwartzel 66-70-65-69; Rd. 4 score: -15)
3. (-72) – Torque GC (Ancer 66-65-64-66, Ortiz 67-65-65-66, Niemann 67-65-67-68, Muñoz 70-67-66-70; Rd. 4 score: -14)
Final round stats
Driving Distance: Luis Masaveu, 335.7-yard avg.
Longest Drive: Luis Masaveu, 347.3 yards (15th hole)
Driving Accuracy: Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, 92.86% (13 of 14)
Greens in Regulation: Jon Rahm, Laurie Canter, 94.44% (17 of 18)
Scrambling: 15 players tied at 100%, led by Marc Leishman (6 of 6)
Fewest Putts: Peter Uihlein, Martin Kaymer, 24
Bogey-free rounds: Jon Rahm (63), Anirban Lahiri (63), Laurie Canter (64), Bryson DeChambeau (66), Dean Burmester (66), Younghan Song (66), Tyrrell Hatton (67), Charles Howell III (67), Victor Perez (67), Marc Leishman (67), Jason Kokrak (68), Charl Schwartzel (69)
Also read: DeChambeau, Guards lead LIV SA cavalcade into title Sunday
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