Bryson DeChambeau produced a magical shot to beat Jon Rahm on the first playoff hole and win the maiden LIV Golf South Africa tournament at Steyn City on a wet Sunday afternoon.
The American superstar, who won LIV Singapore on another playoff last weekend, also broke the hearts of the South African fans who supported him during the event with his Crushers outfit also clinching the team title.
The Southern Guards had led by nine shots early in the final round, but DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III carded a combined 21 under par for an overall 76 under to take the victory by one stroke.
A tearful DeChambeau revealed he has faced challenges off the course this week without elaborating.
“A lot had happened in my life in the last week, I am so grateful for my team and everybody supporting me,” he said.
“Golf is a fickle game, you work so hard at it your whole life and then you realise golf is just golf.”
In the playoff, DeChambeau drove into mud on the left while Rahm found the fairway, but after finding relief into a grassy lie, the American walloped his three wood over the bunker and onto the green, finishing about 5m from the pin.
Rahm hit into the bunker, splashed out short and missed his putt, leaving DeChambeau two putts to clinch a rare back-to-back triumph.
DeChambeau and Rahm had finished level on 26 under par after a dramatic final round where the Spaniard, three shots behind at the start of the day, fought back before heavy rain dampened the scoring over the final three holes or so.
And during that downpour, DeChambeau displayed nerves of steel as he produced two excellent up-and-downs for par on 16 and 18.
On the par-four 16th he landed in thick rough and had to punch out onto the fairway, from where he pitched close and nailed the putt.
On the 18th, he drove left into thick rough and, after taking a drop into a slightly better lie, he hit into the front of the big sand trap guarding the green.
He miscued his bunker shot and ended short of the green, but he chipped close and sank the putt to secure the team title and take the individual competition into the shootout.
DeChambeau’s playoff record at LIV now reads 2-0 while Rahm’s dropped to 0-4.
Officials on Sunday announced the event in South Africa would be staged again in 2027, though with revised dates of April 22-25.
“South Africa was unbelievable; it has to be the best LIV Golf event we have ever had,” DeChambeau said. — TimesLIVE
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