Bryson DeChambeau clinched the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa title by defeating Jon Rahm in a playoff after both players finished the regulation 72 holes tied, while the Crushers triumphed over the Southern Guards in an equally thrilling team competition finish. Picture: LIV Golf
Image: LIV Golf
Bryson DeChambeau birdied the first playoff hole to beat Jon Rahm to win the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa event at Steyn City on Sunday.
With the pair unable to be separated through the regulation 72 holes, it left a tense sudden-death duel to decide the title.
With torrential rain over the closing holes, it disappeared by the time the playoff began, as DeChambeau missed the fairway left but from there he nailed a fairway wood to within 12 feet of the hole to set up a great look at eagle.
With Rahm just further ahead on the fairway, he came up short with his approach in the greenside bunker. It left a testing bunker shot, and he was unable to get it up and down, which essentially handed the title to DeChambeau who two putted for the victory - his second in a row after winning in Singapore a week prior.
Thomas Detry, Abraham Ancer, and Branden Grace finished in a tie for third on 23 under, with Dean Burmester and David Puig a further stroke adrift in a tie for sixth.
In the team competition, the Southern Guards held a big lead which ballooned to nine during the early stages of the final round only to be caught by the Crushers - led by DeChambeau - and then passed with one hole to play. Ultimately, the Crushers won by a single shot over the home favourites.
To start off the fourth round, Grace birdied three of his opening four holes to hit the lead on 22 under, as he briefly moved one ahead.
That solo lead lasted less than a minute as DeChambeau followed Grace straight after for birdie, as the pair could not be separated in the early stages.
The tie for the lead did not last though, as DeChambeau reeled off another two birdies in a row to rise to 24 under, while Grace hit a speed bump after his fast start with a drop at the sixth.
It meant DeChambeau suddenly found himself three ahead after six.
With another birdie on the ninth as he holed a curling left-to-right 25-footer, DeChambeau moved up to 25 under, with Rahm and Puig his closest challengers at three behind. Having begun the day with a two-shot lead, going out in four under was just about the perfect start - but his nearest opponents were up for the battle.
Moments later, though, up ahead on the par five 10th, Rahm drove home a short eagle putt to pull within a stroke of DeChambeau.
With DeChambeau picking up another gain at the par five 10th, he rose to 26 under to edge two ahead once more.
Rahm was not going away, though, as he hit back with a timely birdie at the par four 14th to make it a one-shot deficit yet again.
That margin would remain until three holes to go when Rahm birdied the 16th to draw level. Just as the scores were tied, the heavens opened as conditions suddenly became much more testing.
Rahm spurned a golden opportunity to move ahead on the 17th, as he left his birdie putt on the edge of the hole as he went down the last tied for the lead.
In the pouring rain, Rahm was unable to birdie the par five 18th and set the clubhouse lead at 26 under.
With DeChambeau needing a birdie to win it outright, he drove his ball into the left rough and despite not being able to reach the green, he took a wood out of the rough. Despite striking it well, he found the greenside bunker some 50 metres short of the pin.
For his third, DeChambeau only got it just out of the bunker, leaving a tricky up and down to force a playoff - but he duly pulled it off to tie Rahm.