Cameron Smith finishes second behind Talor Gooch, standings،
Brooks Koepka defended his LIV Golf Jeddah title on Sunday by beating fellow American Talor Gooch in a playoff.
Despite his defeat at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Gooch, 31, came away with the season’s individual title, coming from behind to edge Australian Cameron Smith for the post.
Smith led much of the latter part of the season after wins at London and Bedminster, but finished poorly, finishing 40th at Chicago and 25th at Jeddah.
Gooch pockets the first $18 million (A$28.6 million) bonus for the season while Smith settles for an $8 million (A$12.7 million) bonus.
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Gooch shot a final round at eight-under-par 62, forcing a playoff after the runaway leader after the first two rounds, Koepka shot a 68.
Koepka struggled on the greens and was even tied through 15 holes. However, he made a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 16th when he needed it, and closed with another on the par-5 18th to catch Gooch without a bogey.
In the playoff, after tying at 14 under par, the duo made birdies on the first extra hole, before Gooch hit his second shot into the water to the left of the 18th green for the second time.
In addition to claiming the $4 million winner’s check, Koepka also knocked Bryson DeChambeau out of third place in the season’s individual standings, earning an additional $4 million ($A6.4 million) bonus for having finished third.
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– ‘Super proud’ –
Koepka, who played in the three-hole playoff with Peter Uihlein last year, said: “It’s been fantastic.
“Anytime you can win, it’s always a good feeling. Super proud of the way I played today. I felt like I was making good putts, they just weren’t falling, and then it was just a matter of being patient and hanging in there.
Gooch, a three-time winner on LIV Golf this season, said: “It’s great. From January 1st until today, this is what we’ve worked for, so to get here and be the champion…I’m proud, I’m honored and I’m excited.
“I was as nervous as can be all night last night and this morning. We got to the first tee and I hit it on the green, made a 30-footer and just set up. It was a very stressful day, very exciting, but my caddy and I did a great job of staying in the moment and just executing.
In an exciting battle to avoid relegation and secure his cards for 2024, Zimbabwean Scott Vincent (-12) moved up to 22nd place with a tied third place, securing his playing privileges for 2024.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger also took a big step forward in the final round. A seven-under par 63 took him inside the open zone (25th to 44th overall), making him eligible for trade and transfer during the 2024 season.
Jeddah was the final event of LIV Golf’s regular season. It’s followed next week by the $50 million Tag Team Championship in Miami.
Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs won the team title in Jeddah, but it was the Bubba Watson-led RangeGoats who won the most with their second-place finish replacing the all-South African Stingers in the top four.
Crushers, leading after day two, dropped to fifth place after a disappointing final round.
This meant that the all-American team the 4Aces would be the top seed and the Crushers would be the second seed in Miami. The top four teams will receive a bye into the quarterfinals on Friday.
